My Summer with My Stoma (Bertha!)

It’s pretty appropriate that as I’m writing this post there’s a heat wave and I am sat indoors hugging my air conditioning unit and sleeping on the sofa as this heat doesn’t always agree with my body as a general whole.

I have also found that on a few trips to the influx of county fairs popping up that my current medication regime has changed my skin and I need to wear sun screen when out and about or I burn, I still have a few peeling patches from the local dog fair….

Summer outfits

I spend most of my time in yoga leggings and sports bras as I walk my pups daily, The places we go walking requires full length leggings or I will get eaten by ticks or mozzies due to a lot of wood and river trekking.

I do however get dressed up at weekends so we can head out on adventures, I am a huge fan of floaty dresses, jumpsuits and flared summer trousers, I have shorts but rarely wear them because I always wear a large stoma bag and it pokes out of my left leg when sitting down.

I wear a lot of outfits that are like a boob tube top half so boob tape is an essential part of my wardrobe.

Family gatherings

As a couple and as a family we are spending a lot of time either attending or hosting BBQ’S or Pizza night, all of us have outside pizza ovens , so we host who can cook a pizza better or with the men, who has a melt down first because they messed it up.

I tend to dress casual but given the heat I always carry a stoma kit with me, just in case…

Bertha

I tend to find I change more frequently during the summer months, I am drinking more and eating more fruit, salad and veggies, this seems to break down my baseplate more quickly so changing daily is better for me during the heat.

I go swimming every Thursday in an outdoor swimming pool with my aunt & cousin , I wear shorts and a bikini top just to keep my bag where it as it likes to float otherwise and ruins my concentration when swimming. I always change after swimming as I always go into the sauna and steam room and that breaks down my baseplate adhesive. I also spray my barrier spray around the edge of my baseplate as I get a rash from the chlorine in the pool if I don’t.

Summer shouldn’t be a season of oh no, its the season of oh yes, I trust my bag, I always take a kit with me, just in case. The fairs we attend all have toilets or porta loos, so I don’t have to worry about needing to empty. When out hiking with the pups, I have tissue and a black bag, just in case I need to empty and this goes into the dog waste bins alongside the pups poo bags.

Things I use during the summer

Boob tape (Amazon)
Sunscreen factor 15 and a spf on my face
Water bottle with squash
Loperamide
A wash bag that has my stoma supplies & medication
Vitamin E adhesive remover & barrier spray
Aveeno moisturiser

Things I wear

Boy short knickers ( high enough to tuck my bag in but low enough to not snag under my baseplate)
Jumpsuits
Flared mid waist summer trousers
Dresses ( the more floaty the better)
I am denim shorts
Yoga leggings
Light support sports bras
Long summer skirts
Swimming shorts with an internal knicker to tuck in my bag

Summer months are to be enjoyed, I have several family functions to attend, a holiday to Cornwall which is a bit of a drive and plenty of travelling either to Cardiff or hospital appointments in London. I am also planning a date night where we get to watch the sunset and that is going to be quite remote so my kit will come in handy.

Due to the nature of my husbands business we get a lot of complimentary tickets, we have have two outdoor musical festivals to attend, alongside two musicals. I also have a booking for goat yoga and I’m so excited as I love pygmy goats.

It’s going to be a busy few months and I can’t wait.

As always

Many thanks for reading

Louise Xx