Are you a new ostomy patient in search of ways to enjoy the holidays while taking care of your stoma?
You’re not alone, and your condition is no reason not to enjoy some holiday cheer, provided you take a few precautions. Cymed Microskin is happy to offer some actionable advice for navigating holiday travel and meals with an ostomy.
Travel Tips for Ostomy Patients
For Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s festivities, we should cover both the travel and dietary aspects of caring for your stoma. Here’s what you should know about traveling endeavors:
Pack everything you need based on the length of your trip. You probably won’t need every item, but it’s better to have plenty of spare MicroSkin pouches. We’d recommend taking about twice as many as you need for the duration of your travel trip.
Are you traveling via airplane, car, or train? This might matter a lot if you’re going to be in close confines with other people. If you’re still getting used to odor issues, then remember to bring an aerosol or spray to provide some cover. Also, if your plane trip lasts more than a couple hours, be deliberate about how you plan for pouch changes and things of that nature, especially mid-flight.
If you’re driving yourself, don’t forget to stop for rest, and stay hydrated while driving. New ostomy patients can experience serious fatigue for a while after their procedure. Just plan accordingly for long road trips this holiday season.
Holiday Dietary Advice for Ostomy Patients
Your holiday diet may be a little different this year if you’re new to your ostomy condition. Depending on doctor recommendations, you may have to avoid solid foods for a while and make a few contingency plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Don’t forget to focus on small bites, thorough chewing, and eating slowly.
You might want to suggest a few ostomy-friendly menu items to your family and friends this year. Your post-surgery recovery status will dictate things, but you can probably make milder casseroles, spinach, applesauce, macaroni, pudding, and other soft foods. Always clear everything with your physician, though.
As usual, patience is an important virtue, especially for new ostomy patients. Please be sure to enjoy yourself and get plenty of rest this season, and don’t be afraid to reach out to Cymed MicroSkin for expert assistance. We make the most reliable, comfortable, and affordable ostomy care products, especially our unique pouching systems.
Call us anytime for further assistance at 1-800-582-0707.