Don’t Let Your Ostomy Prevent You From Traveling: 5 Helpful Tips for Your Road Trip

Let’s face it. Life may get better following your ostomy surgery, but there’s no denying that everyday activities are different—especially at first, and especially with those commonplace things that you didn’t have to give much thought to or prep to in your past life. Traveling, even short road trips, are among these. You can’t just decide to be off and then hop into your car.

Still, traveling is one of the fun activities of life, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy a road trip to anywhere after your ostomy surgery. You just may want to wait at least 4 to 6 weeks until you’re totally healed from surgery and, certainly check with your doctor.

Once you’ve gotten the green light from your physician, it’s time to plan your first trip. Don’t let panicked thoughts prevent you from hitting the road!  Follow these 5 tips to ease back into the traveling life.  

1.        Start Small 

Short trips are the best way to ease back into travel…no more than a day and ideally less as you are probably and understandably anxious about an overnight stay in a hotel room. Turn visits to relatively local haunts into a travel experience…sort of like a day trip, only a shortened version. Maybe there’s a nearby historic town with great shops and restaurants that would make for a fun outing. Perhaps a nearby nature preserve offers hiking trails like a friend suggested to me. You can even make going to the mall an outing. The key is getting you used to and comfortable with being away from home for an extended period. Sooner or later time away from home will become routine and you will be ready for more serious travel.

2.       Plan Ahead

When you want to take a trip that will keep you in your car for several hours, planning is important. That means it’s helpful to chart your route. A key objective is having frequent access to restrooms. Several trip-planning websites have tools and settings that allow you to identify rest stops, restaurants, and gas stations. Looking for routes that offer a lot of these amenities gives you the confidence to know you will easily have a place to stop even before an extreme need arises. When on the road, take advantage of their accessibility and use them. As you may remember, I learned this the hard way when I made it to the safe haven of the Barnes & Noble restroom on the way home from Rhode Island (link to previous blog).

3.       Pack Smart

Don’t skimp on supplies. A few days or even weeks before the trip, make a checklist of things to take with you. Plan on taking extra supplies…pouches, skin barriers, and accessories so you’re able to prevent leakages and/or always be ready to empty your pouch when necessary. A rule of thumb: Count the number of pouch changes you normally need to make at home, then double that number to make sure you have plenty of pouches and accessories on hand.

So, what’s the worst that could happen? A leak or more serious mishap. Carry some plastic bags and wet wipes for quick clean-ups. Just in case, always have an extra change of clothes in an overnight bag thrown in the back car seat, your hatch or in your trunk. That way, you are always prepared and at the ready for the unexpected. The unexpected could mean that traffic, construction or some other delay could make your short trip longer.

4.      Eat Wisely and Drink Up

It’s always smart to take along some snacks for the road. But pick your nibbles wisely.    
Avoid certain foods to prevent an unwieldy gas buildup. Some of those include healthy snacks or finger foods like crackers or sandwiches.

To avoid dehydration, have your water bottle handy so that you can drink water while on the road. Do watch your intake, though, to avoid the need for excessive pit stops. Also don’t drink water with a straw. Just as with gum, drinking with a straw causes you to take in air, and this can cause gas.

5.       Think Safety…Comfort, Too

The rules for safety on the road are no different for you now than they were prior to your surgery. Seat belts are still required but take care with your positioning. Your seat belt should sit across your hip bone and pelvis. It should not cross your abdomen and stoma. If you want to give your stoma extra protection from the strap, stop at a car accessory shop beforehand and pick up one of the products that make seat belts more comfortable. Or search for “Ostomy seatbelt protector” on Google to find other options. You can also get an extension bracket that can be adjusted to lower the angle at which the belt crosses your body. I always wear an ostomy belt that lets the bag slide over the seatbelt to keep it from tugging. Stoma guards can also be helpful.

Tips like these can make for a smooth, but gradual transition back to incorporating travel and ultimately vacations into your life. That’s important to your long-term recovery. You don’t want fear of the unknown to cripple you in ways that would prevent you from living a full life. After all, living a full, quality life was why you went through your surgery in the first place. Don’t shortchange yourself. Just think. You may even be surprised and have the time of your life the first time you hit the road.

Life has an unusual way of pushing us to where we need to go.

If you’re interested in learning more about Ostoh and how it might increase your comfort, email us at hello@ostoh.com or use our contact form. Our goal is to make your ostomy life easier and make you feel what it means to be yourself.