About

One of the best times of the year for me and my family is fall. This is when we start getting excited about being outside and camping. Our trips vary from year to year and sometimes we find ourselves driving really far distances in order to enjoy new sites and scenes. With this in mind, I have to make sure that my health is taken care of. I have a stoma and require a little bit of extra medical attention, or in reality just a little bit of ostomy gear to go along with me on my trips with my family. In reality, I have discovered that there is nothing that I am not able to do because of the stoma that I was not doing before. So I want to let people know that if you are afraid of a road trip that you really don't need to be. Your stoma won't keep you down and in a few ways its actually really nice to have.

So first of all the best part of a road trip is to make a great plan. It is best to make sure you are planning ahead and ready for anything that can happen. This means first of all that you and your family are safe from road hazards and that also comes along with having a stoma as well. I think this means to keep your vehicle stocked with the things you need and to have them accessible. I think that having your ostomy gear accessible if you have an emergency is important. I usually like to take a backup for trips. So If we have a car-top carrier I will have my whole vacation of bags and gear in it. I will also have a second stash of gear in the car itself. Just in case something goes wrong or we get in a wreck and one set gets damaged or even stolen that I have spares around. Yes, most places have the gear I can use, but it is costly in time and money to go get replacements. Plus we all have brands that we love and trust. I trust my brands and I am pretty fierce about sticking with what works for my body.

Now that you know you have enough gear and you have all the safety stuff for your car set you can start to enjoy the fun parts and that is not having to pull over as much. See depending on where your stoma is located you may be able to just grab a bigger bag and not have to worry about bathroom stops on your end for the trip. Now that is amazing if you are road tripping alone or with your significant other. But with kids, you know that many stops are in your future and that is just something that is normal. If I am with my family I usually plan on emptying my bag just like a normal day. But if I am alone and am able to drive for hours and hours without stopping. I can cut down on gas mileage and also time by just keeping on the road.

So know that road trips are possible. They are fun and just as crazy as they always are and with a little bit of planning it is just fine to road trip with your stoma.