Snacks, Supplies and Recovering after a Long Trip

Hey everyone,

I can’t believe it’s time for another blog post already, this year is going by so fast!

So, let’s start off with some fun news, in April I was featured in Lorraine Kelly’s #NoButts Campaign! It was so exciting to see my face on national television and the reaction from viewers, friends and family has been amazing!

The last month has been a fun filled, hectic time of travelling around the UK for concerts, shows, work conferences and my sister’s wedding and it’s made me think that I need to give you guys some advice for travelling and getting over feeling run down from doing too much.

Supplies & Smells

Whenever I go travelling, I make sure I have enough supplies with me to last me the duration of the trip. Most of the time, if it’s a short trip I probably won’t need to change my bag, but you can never be too careful. I like to make sure I take some odour spray with me- it removes the anxiety of leaving any smells behind.

SecuriCare’s sister company, CliniMed, offer great products to help with odour, firstly the Limone Ostomy Deodorant Spray and the CliniPeel Mint Adhesive Remover Spray- a 2 in 1 product that acts as an adhesive remover as well as masks odour.

Snacksssss

I always carry some snacks to help slow down my output. You never know where the next toilet is when you go to new places or if you’re at an event- so the more you can slow your output down, the less urgent situations you could run into. I like to carry around jelly babies and marshmallows. Jelly babies to slow my output and marshmallows to thicken it. I also ensure that I eat a carbohydrate filled meal the day before I travel as I find my output is a lot slower than if I was to eat a salad, for example.

While I’m away on trips I’m always conscious of what I eat. Thankfully I’m not a fussy eater, but if I’m travelling, I make sure I stick to foods that I know won’t loosen my output.

Feeling Rundown

Whenever I’ve been away on trips, I always feel run down when I get back. I’m a creature of habit, so when I do things outside of my comfort zone or that I don’t normally do, I always feel a bit drained from it all. This might be down to the fact that I don’t drink enough when I’m away, as I don’t want to be going for a wee every few minutes. So, when I get back home, I’m usually dehydrated and end up reaching for sport hydration tablets that I drop into water and after a few days of taking them, I feel a hell of a lot better.

I’ve learnt to listen to my body since having stoma- which is probably a good thing! If I’m feeling run down and low, I will do little to no exercise. If I do exercise, it’s usually yoga or something slow-paced. If I try and carry on with HIIT or weights, it exhausts me too much and I end up feeling worse. So, it’s all about listening to your body when you have been busy.

I work full time and I’m terrible for taking days off, so I do push through and go into work then in the evenings, I make sure I have nothing planned so I can recuperate for at least a week after a trip. This month has been especially busy- every weekend I have been away on a trip, and I’ve absolutely loved it, but there is nothing better than having a weekend free to do absolutely nothing. I always remember ‘self-care and balance’.

I’m so proud to have a stoma and be free to travel and feel confident with my bag, but I also absolutely love chilling at home in my own space.

I hope some of the tips from my adventures can give you some ideas on how to travel with a stoma and how to recover when you’re home. You’ve got this!

Have a wonderful month!

Until next time,

Nathan x