Are you insane to enjoy the outdoors with an ostomy bag?

People always think those who are more outdoorsy are a bit crazy.  I am totally fine being put in the category because I love being outside. Now, because I also have a stoma and live with an ostomy bag some people think I am unsafe.  That is flat-out wrong.   When I found out I was going to go into surgery and a stoma would join me on the other side I started to research the extremes. I wanted to know what the worst-case scenario would be and the best case.  Now on the best regular side, most people don't have to change their lifestyles really at all.  That is because you can be as active as you want for the most part with a stoma.  There are so many incredible stories of people doing insane nearly non-human feet with a stoma, and for me, I only wanted to see if I could head out and follow my favorite hobby.  And yes you are 100% able to kick but and do crazy outdoor things with a stoma.  

Now, I am also a hunter.  Rather you are against it or not that is ok.  I feed my family with the best high-quality meat in the world and I bet you can't say that.  When I first heard that I was going to end up with a stoma due to some complications I was a bit worried about me being able to enjoy the great outdoors like I used to do.  But I was happy to find out that I was wrong in that assessment and that the wonderful world of the outdoors was and is still available to me.  I will say that it did not come instantly though.  Going through surgery and knowing that I now have a stoma left me knowing that I was more prone to hernias, ulcers, and abdominal injury.  My goal was to fight hard to be able to do what I wanted and I decided to get into shape to do it.

Did you know that being outdoors is hard?  I love it because it pushes me to my limit and hunting is physically strenuous.   When I am lucky if I end up getting a dear in the hunting season I may have to be able to drag up to 300 pounds for hundreds of yards.  Or I may have to end up carrying that weight for a long-distance depending on the location.  That means that my body needs to be in shape and my stoma and abs need to be protected.  That meant for me that I had to get into the gym and start working on my body so I wouldn't get any hernias or simply make my health a true situation and no one wants that. 

You have to be wise and actually work up to this goal.  There is no easy way about it.  I found that using the right ostomy gear during this time was key.  I ended up calling a bunch of companies and talking with my local pharmacist on what might work best for me and what I could do to make my working out comfortable and to forget I had a stoma.  I work hard to get the gear that works for me and I suggest you try a lot of things to see what works best for you.