Bucket List

First Blog....Might well be my last. I have decided to ride the coat tails (wish it was cocktails !) of my 16 yr.old daughters bucket list. I will be heading in two weeks to Nicaragua for a week of surf lessons. Me, my daughter, my bag andour luggage. At 52 ...and living in Chicago...surfing would be the last on my long list. But...this is about her. As usual. I am not overly concerned about the TSA. I now know to expect the unexpected. That there is no set policy. That you are at the mercy and whim of whomever is on duty that day. That being a whole ranting blog on it's own, I will get to my dilema. No banos on the beach. No bathrooms anywhere near la playa. As ridiculous as I will look in board shorts at my age...I'm all in. But want to know if we have any ideas as to how to handle this situation. Bushes...trees...okay...but will my bag stay on for 3 hours of salt water and waves ? I'm feeling some plastic bags with wipes. Sports tape...and a ski mask. Any thoughts ?


Hanging ten...


Kate and Sally. (Sally is my side kick...so to speak !)

Never too old to wear boardies Kate! Have only been to the beach to swim a few times since the op, wore a one-piece and didn't have any issues, honestly think the sun and salt water make the base adhere better. As for the no bathroom facilities no bueno! I'd just take what I always have with me in my handbag, as you say, wipes and plastic bags, we call them nappy sacks down here but diaper bags probably up over there? are great for disposal and emptying. Good luck with the surfing, most I can do is bodysurf and boogie board, never had the upper body strength to haul myself out of the water onto a board, lol! Hang ten and enjoy, felices fiestas!

Congratulations to you and yourdaughters. Just by going you inspire lots of people to more forward with there life. Earlier this year I was in Hawaii for work. I want on a snorkeling adventure that took 6 hours. The boat bathroom stop working on the way back. All I could do was sit still and hope my prior preparations that I learn from my ET Nurse to reduce the risk. It's work well for Skydiving snorkeling.Keep living and given...Fred from Chicago

Thanks Jo and Freddy. Jo... you mean I have to stand up ? Hanging on for dear life....Kate and Sally

Kudos to you for your adventurous spirit. Have a fabulous time with your daughter, and just go prepared for the unexpected. I'm sixty six, and have had my ostomy for more than 50 years, and learned not to over think and over worry. As a kid ( 18) I went on hikes ( no bothrooms) and used the woods ( to pee empty) as everyone else did. Sometimes, I never even took supplies with me! These days, I do take extra supplies, especially an extra wafer / bag, and always tape. I've never surfed, but have been on extended water sports sessions ( snorkeling) and for that, I just remember to eat lite the night before. The wafer has never fallen off due to cold water...swimming, snorkeling on the great barrier reef, pools etc. hot water can cause the wafer to soften and perhaps leak...later in the day, so I'm not a big fan of hot tubs, unless I know I can change shortly after, if needed. I would suggest that you tape, to further adhere the wafer to your body. Sometimes, wearing a pair of stretch panties under you bathing suit/ shorts makes you feel more secure . I only had a real problem once....swimming in the dead sea/ Israel, where the salt content is 5x that of the regular ocean. I was fine until I went into the dressing room to change, and found that the water pressure, had caused the pouch to pop off from wafer....and it was a real mess. I was in the shower room of the spa, with no privacy, but managed to get clean, and was able to change in a stall. I was anxious and upset at the time...but it all worked out well. I've never let my ostomy get in the way of my doing what I wanted to do. These days, my biggest issue is that my pouch fills up with a lot of gas. I often have to find a private spot, to let the gas out. I think of it as other people thing of passing gas...the F--t word. Put the worries aside, pack you bag with extra supplies, and enjoy the time. Marsha

How to Manage Ostomy Leaks with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Hi Katiechi! Congrats on your decision to travel with your daughter to Nicaragua. I actually live there (here). My basic Ostomy travel kit: wafers and bags, small bottles of alcohol and peroxide, a scalpel (for cutting wafer), wet wipes, cotton rounds, plastic bags for disposal, Cavilon no-sting barrier spray, and Stomahesive paste. Yes, public bathrooms are few in Nicaragua, and because I travel quite a bit within the country, I have changed my wafer and bag in improvised places: an office chair, in my car, in a bathroom stall, etc. I do all the cleaning around the stoma with the wet wipes soaked in alcohol. Then I apply a cotton round soaked with peroxide around the stoma (this keeps bacteria from becoming a problem). I spray the skin barrier once the skin has dried, apply paste on the wafer and after holding the wafer against the skin for 30+ seconds I'm done.Have a great vacation!

This website is awesome ! I have now heard directly from someone in Nicaragua who has a ostomy. Shut the front door !....I never thought to bring peroxide. Great idea. Will have a light breakfast and tape up. Thank you all for your great ideas.