Arrived home late last night from our 20-day odyssey to South Florida and the southern Caribbean.
I have a sigmoid colostomy with a mild parastomal hernia. Use a Hollister 2-piece system with a Coloplast Brava barrier ring. I wore a support belt all the time. I only took it off to shower and change the wafer. Most showers were with the bag on. I dried the bag and wafer using toilet paper. It worked well. No adhesion problems, even in high humidity and heat. I used Nu Hope Corp. belts. I took 4 on the trip.
Had no problems with TSA at airports. Security on the ship was a bit aggressive patting me down. I had to sternly tell them to "cool it." One gal wanted to know what it was. I told her. She didn't understand. I was just about to raise my shirt in front of everyone when Mrs. B hurriedly intervened. She convinced security that they didn't want to see it.
My stoma behaved normally. I ate much more food than usual. Even vegetables, nuts, and desserts I avoid. I enjoyed a few beers and apple martinis. I was emptying the bag 3 to 4 times a day. Usually, it's once every 2 days. My rectal stump bleeding issue returned. My wife lent me a few of her pads. 😉 So, no problem.
Lying in a beach recliner, I spotted some cool-looking birds. I fumbled to grab my cell phone to take a pic and dropped it on my stoma. It flattened the stoma, and it stung. After a couple of minutes, all returned to normal. Lesson learned: don't rush, maintain situational awareness. The stoma is located here, so don't hold anything directly over it. I was very far from advanced medical care.
Trip insurance. I bought a policy that featured medical evacuation by private jet/helicopter to a city or hospital of my choice. Pricy. But good peace of mind. I researched different companies for several weeks before choosing one. Fortunately, I didn't need it.
The airplane ride home began on a sour note. Behind me, an unruly child was loud, screaming, crying, and kicking my seat. This started right after I sat down. The mother tried in vain to calm the brat, who wanted to play on her cell phone. Mommy explained there was no internet on the plane. This only inflamed the wayward tyke even more. This went on until we were ready to take off. Finally, the screaming morphed into a whimper, then silence. All flight long, the screaming would start and then quickly be silenced.
Near the end of the flight, an attendant asked me to speak with him at the back of the plane. It seems the parents of the unruly child were concerned that passengers were recording video of their little brat's tantrum. They said their brat was a minor and thus was protected. He asked me to erase any such video. I told him, "Screw them," and returned to my seat.
