Staying Away from Home with a Stoma

Hey everyone!

I’ve recently been travelling around quite a bit and staying over at friends’ houses, and it made me think back to a time when I never thought I’d be able to do this with an ileostomy. I thought I’d share my thoughts, as I know there will be so many other people that think this as well!

Noises

My main concern with sleeping around other people’s houses or sharing a room is the noises. Now I don’t know about you, but my stomach and my stoma can make some crazy noises at times, and I always felt too embarrassed to be in the same room as other people. I came up with a nifty trick to combat this – place a pillow over your stoma while you’re asleep! It’s a real game changer! I recently slept in a room with 5 other people, and no one heard a thing... Or if they did, they were being very polite!

Leaks

I have always been quite lucky with leaks *frantically touches wood*, but I would say ALWAYS bring spare bags with you as well as a spare change of clothes to sleep in. For me, I would just throw away the clothes and everything, just to destroy any evidence as it’s easier than having to carry it around until you find the best place to wash it.

Air Freshener

This might sound strange, but I always carry air-freshener with me. You can get fantastic pocket-sized toilet sprays on the market – or you can get a deodorising spray, such as Limone from CliniMed! A spray is a game changer in every situation, whether you’re at work, at home or I find them most helpful when you’re staying at someone else’s house or sharing a bathroom. You can go to the loo, empty your bag and hide any smells. No one would be any the wiser! I don’t like leaving smells in my own house, let alone someone else’s, so I highly recommend carrying around a small air freshener or deodorising spray.

The dodgy toilet flush

So, we’ve all been there, using the bathroom in a new place, you’ve used the loo and the thing won’t flush or worse, you flush, and it doesn’t remove everything the first time, so you stand waiting a lifetime for the cistern to fill up again. A trick I’ve learnt is to line the toilet with some loo roll, that way, when you empty, the waste won’t get stuck to the sides of the toilet. Another option is to flush while you empty. Both have been absolute game changers when someone’s toilet doesn’t have the strongest flush.

All in all, sharing a bathroom or staying at someone’s house can be daunting, but making sure you’re prepared and learning some tricks can help ease any anxiety!

I really hope this blog helps you take a trip, go and stay at your friend’s house, or even just share a bathroom at home!

Keep going, you’ve got this!

Until next time,

Nathan 😊