(perspective of someone who lives in Alaska and goes to a warm environment one time a year)
I encountered a few instances at work today where I was reminded that I strongly dislike when I’m told that something doesn’t work or that something can’t be done. My brain automatically jumps into problem solving mode, thinking there must be a way. The combination of the “it doesn’t work” and the dreary weather today had me thinking about a trip I took to Costa Rica a few years ago. I’m ready for winter, but it’s also nice imaging being in the warmth.
PC: JP McDonough 
It’s not often that I find myself in a tropical environment, but my sister and her friends were going, so I jumped on the idea of a warm winter vacation in Costa Rica. The goal was to spend the vacation surfing, and then my sister Jeanine and I would head up into the mountains for a quick get-away to summit a peak. One thing that I didn’t think much about in prepping for my Costa Rica surfing vacation, was how my ostomy would do in water. I recalled one instance of boogie boarding after my surgery, where my bag came off, so I packed my supplies and some SureSeals to keep my wafer a little more waterproof, jumped on a plane to Miami to meet the group, and made the flight to Costa Rica.
I was excited to learn to surf and didn’t know what to expect. We rented boards in town and immediately headed to the beach on the first day. We jumped in the water and worked on catching waves. I knew surfing would be challenging to pick up, and that proved to be true that first day. I got pummeled by the waves, but enjoyed every minute (except maybe the water going up my nose and the sharp rocks near the coast line). However, after a few times of getting pummeled, I noticed that my ostomy wafer was coming off my body and leaking. I got out of the water, ran over to my belongings, changed my ostomy on the beach, added a SureSeal (I had skipped that step that morning and hadn’t changed my ostomy in a few days), and got back in the water. The SureSeal helped my wafer stay on for most of the day, but by the end of the day, I knew that I would have to change again.
That night, when we were back at our rental house, I googled “ostomy and surfing” to see if anyone had solutions to keep my ostomy more secure. One of the first things I read on a forum was a woman saying that you can’t surf with an ostomy. I was angry and thought how ridiculous she was to put limits on what someone can do with an ostomy. I also knew she was obviously wrong because I spent all day surfing with my ostomy and was about to spend the next 6 days doing the same thing. I did however recognize that maybe I needed to change up my routine to decrease my number of ostomy leaks while surfing so that I could enjoy my time more.
I didn’t find too many helpful tips in my search, other than using a Stealth Belt, but I was already on my surfing vacation and not able to purchase a Stealth Belt. I also read that wearing a one piece was helpful to secure things, but I also didn’t have a one piece, nor did I want to wear one at the beach. So the next day, I changed my ostomy wafer/bag in the morning, applied a SureSeal, and was good to go. Each day of surfing, I did the same thing. And it worked. I probably had one other leak the whole vacation. That was a significant decrease from the many leaks I had on the first day.
^^^Check out this video on how to put on a SureSeal. This is the technique I use if I already have a bag on and don’t want a mess while putting on the seal. I imagine this would work well if you wear a one piece appliance as well.^^^
The only other time I’ve been surfing since that trip was in the cold Atlantic Ocean in New Hampshire, and I was wearing a wetsuit, so that kept things contained. However, I have boogie boarded every summer since then without a wet suit and here’s what I’ve discovered works for me in terms of having an ostomy and wanting to participate in water sports…..
1.Before participating in a water sport, I typically (if I remember), change my ostomy bag/wafer, so that I’m starting fresh.
2.If I’m going to participate in a rougher water sport such as surfing where I know I will be taking a dive into the water and tumbled around, I’ll put on a SureSeal (if I remember).
3.When spending the day at the ocean or lake boogie boarding, swimming, and playing around, I don’t do anything different and rock my bikini (I used to wear high wasted bathing suits that covered my ostomy, but now I can’t be bothered).
4.If I’m swimming laps at a pool, I’ll wear a one-piece suit since that’s what most people wear for lap swimming anyway.
5.A Stealth Belt may work for many of these activities. I’ve never tried one, but hear great things!
6.My final advice is that an ostomy is no reason to stop enjoying water sports or to say that something can’t be done. You may have some incidences of bag leaks or other issues, but those are just problems to solve and to move on from. So rally your people (my sister and my niece are my boogie boarding/surfing crew-inspired by our mom’s love of the ocean), and get out into the water!
