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Posted 8/2/2012 4:38 PM (GMT 0)
Emptying an ostomy bag is soooo much easier than digging a hole, squatting and burying it all. Last year I used the Metolius Wag Bag. It has a biodegradable chemical in it that solidifies body wastes. A wag bag is a double sealed thick bag that you use as a toilet. There is a similar product called a Biffy Bag that people are raving about but I cannot find it locally. Biffy Bag supports the national chron's and colitis foundation. Both products meet the Leave No Trace standards. This will be my first year going into the woods with a j-pouch. Physically I was much stronger last year. I lost a lot of muscle during recovery from the second surgery. I hope I have enough stamina and won't have to be evacuated. Oh well, that is why I have mountain rescue insurance.
Posted 8/4/2012 1:20 PM (GMT 0)
Subzero- you are going to do great. Don't worry- you will rebuild your strength a bit at a time.

The Wag Bag sounds like it will work well. The Forest Service and National Park Service often hand out a product called the Restop2 for times when they want people to pack out their waste. I have used it several times and it worked pretty well. I thought of how handy it would have been to keep in the trunk of the car during my UC days when I had to go in an emergency. The Wag Bag looks like an even better product.

I was just thinking the other day how an ostomy can be convenient at times. I was on a long multi-pitch rock climb for 12 hours, and when my pouch filled up all I had to do was pull down the front section of my pants to swap out a closed-end pouch. I didn't even have to take my harness off. Pretty cool.

Best of luck as you get back to your adventures!
Posted 8/4/2012 2:16 PM (GMT 0)
     Good for you!!!!  Keep up the good work!  We have had an RV since 1978.  I was diagnosed with UP in 1998 and suffered for twelve LONG years.  Not fun needing a port a pot smack dab in the middle of the RV..lol.  I have a permanent ileo but it doesn't hinder me whatsoever!  Keep on campin yeah (without the portapot..lol)...oh, I will be 66 on Aug 12th smilewinkgrin
Posted 8/4/2012 6:22 PM (GMT 0)
This may be a stupid question, but in the woods if you are off trail why is it a big deal, I am guessing it attracts animals?
Posted 8/5/2012 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
Allswell, that is a good question. Where I am going we have had problems with water contamination from human pollution. People do not seem to know they need to be at least 200 yards from a water source. There is only so much contamination nature can absorb. Sometimes you are in a totally rocky area so you cannot dig a hole and bury anything. Other times the area may be ecologically fragile so you are required to use leave no trace practices. Many of the areas I go to only allow a limited number of people at any time and you must have a permit before going.
The funniest trip I took had 32 dogs, four mushers and four scientists all doing two weeks of leave no trace dog sledding. That was quite a load to bring back. Personally, I like not leaving a trace. It feels cleaner and more considerate.
Posted 8/5/2012 3:35 AM (GMT 0)
Woah, unrelated to ostomies, but when practicing "Leave no Trace" with the sled dogs, did that also mean that you had to pack out their excrement?
Posted 8/5/2012 3:40 AM (GMT 0)
Yup! Every last little doggie doo....
Posted 8/5/2012 3:48 AM (GMT 0)
Blue heron, Thank you for the encouragement. My family tells me I am being too impatient. It has almost been five weeks since my last surgery. I am not bouncing back quite as fast as I want to. I will try to be more realistic. :)
Christine, I am glad you are having fun. Isn't great to be free of all that pain?

Post Edited (Subzeromambo) : 8/4/2012 10:23:20 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/7/2012 8:28 PM (GMT 0)
Subzero, I am sitting here feeling incredibly envious. I have always had this fantasy of going on a dogsled trip, I have this real affection for huskies.
Posted 8/8/2012 1:54 AM (GMT 0)
Here is a blog post with a video showing my first experience on a multi-pitch, all-day climb where I had to change my pouch while tied into a rope on small ledges. It went great!

http://ostomyoutdoors.com/2012/08/05/my-first-post-surgery-multi-pitch-climb-my-imaginings-turn-into-reality-feat-new-video/
Posted 8/8/2012 2:11 AM (GMT 0)
I agree with Subzeromambo that practicing Leave No Trace is really important. If human waste is left above ground, it can wash into water sources and pollute them. It is best to dig a 6-inch hole to bury the waste 200 feet from water or pack it out. This only takes minutes and really helps to protect the wilderness. There are areas where hundreds of people camp each week. Imagine the impact if everyone left their waste unburied behind a tree. Packing out used TP is also a good idea. TP takes a long time to degrade when buried, and animals dig it up and scatter it about. I hate it when I think I am way back in a remote wilderness only to find a pile of human poo with a wad of toilet paper. It really takes away from the experience.

Sometimes areas are so heavily used that even unburied waste is not acceptable because it is more than the natural ecosystem can handle. That is when land management areas require one to pack it out in special bags. I think this is a fine idea. It seems gross at first, but once you do it a few times you realize it is no big deal and the environment is much better off.
Posted 8/8/2012 11:24 AM (GMT 0)
Blueheron, I was only going to watch a minute of your video, but I ended up watching the whole thing -- amazing! Highly recommended! Congrats.

But what does multi-pitch actually mean? I grew up in the midwest, where things were flat, flat, flat.....

That sort of rock climbing looks scary and has little appeal to me personally, but I think it's very cool that you like it and are able to do it again. SZM, hope you can get back to what you love to do too.
Posted 8/8/2012 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Blueglass! Glad you liked the video. Good to know it was interesting for a non-climber too.

A multi-pitch climb is one that is more than one rope-length tall. After a climbing party ascends the distance of one rope length, instead of coming down, they continue up the next "pitch". The lead climber will place removable pieces into cracks for the rope to hook into. If the leader falls, these pieces will protect them from falling a great distance. Once the leader gets to the top of the pitch, they will anchor into the rock and prepare to belay the second climber to come up. The second climber, tied into the other end of the rope, will ascend and remove the pieces of gear so that they are not left behind and can be used for the next pitch. Other party members will follow in the same way. And so it goes, pitch after pitch, until the entire party is at the top. It is hard to explain without pictures:) Devils Tower was 500 feet tall and was broken into 6-7 pitches.
Posted 8/8/2012 8:06 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks -- got the gist!
Posted 8/9/2012 8:14 PM (GMT 0)
What an inspiration.  Thank you !!!!
Posted 8/14/2012 4:59 AM (GMT 0)
The trip went fairly well. Kayaking and rock climbing were challenging because I still have a long way to go to regain all of my strength. I have to keep reminding myself I spent more than a year in bed. I will just have to increase my exercises and practice every week-end so I can do this again in October.

Using wag bags for a toilet was wonderful. I brought a lot of extras and many people on the trip liked them. Unfortunately, my food stash was raided by someone so by the third day I had to eat what everyone else was eating. My energy went downhill on the fourth day--I was making at least three bathroom visits per night after the third day. I also started having a cylindrical ache behind my pelvic bone at night that was somewhat relieved by sleeping on my right side. I have a left-zippered sleeping bag so I need to purchase either a central or right-zippered bag. Fast exits were not easy. I missed my ostomy a lot during busy nights.

By the seventh day, I was exhausted. Next time, I will carry my own food instead of placing it with the common food. The food was flown in for parts of the trip so I thought it would be easier than carrying it myself.
The views were amazing. I really like being with outdoor people and there was even a whole day when I didn't think at all about my health.

Post Edited (Subzeromambo) : 8/13/2012 11:11:46 PM (GMT-6)

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