Stoma hacks that make life easier | by Rachel

We all want an easier life managing our stoma, right? Going online can leave you with hundreds of suggestions, tips and opinions, and it can all feel a bit overwhelming. So, instead of overcomplicating things, I wanted to go back to basics and share the things that have genuinely made my life easier over the last ten years.

Adjusting to stoma life affects so many parts of our day-to-day lives. When should I empty it? When do I change my bag? Where do I get my orders from? It can feel like there is always something to think about. It is stressful at the start, but believe me when I say it really does get easier with time. Here are the three things that have made the biggest difference for me:

Having a good storage system

Having monthly orders for two ostomates in our household (last year it was three!) means delivery day can feel quite overwhelming. Like a lot of people, we struggle with storage in our home, and when it comes to having multiple family members with medical needs, that comes with a lot of equipment that needs to be easy to lay your hands on. In a dream world, I would have a walk-in wardrobe just for our medical supplies. It might sound quite sad to some, but for me it would be utter bliss to be able to keep it all in one place, rotate stock easily and colour-code the labels… YES! Sadly, the rest of my family don’t quite share the same dream!

The reality is that I break down the packaging as much as I can to save space. It is incredible the amount of room I save by doing this. I always keep the newest supplies at the back so the older ones get used first, and it makes checking expiry dates much easier too. We have storage in the bathrooms and a few other places around the house. I also have a basket that I use as a portable changing kit for daily use, with cut bases ready and raring to go. It means I can grab it quickly if I need to. Everyone will have their own way of navigating this. Find yours and do what works best for you.

Keeping on top of your orders

Once I had my storage sorted, the next thing that made life much easier was getting on top of my orders. Ten years in and I still can’t remember delivery days each month. Our Respond delivery man, George, must wonder why I am pleasantly surprised to see him every single time, despite it being a decade into having deliveries from him!

As a busy mum to a young family, things slip through the net. I know that if I do forget, Respond will always call me and check in to see how we are doing with our supplies. Knowing someone has your back takes away so much of the worry. What could be a stressful process is actually very easy. They have several ways for you to place your order, including text and email. The team are also happy to chat over the phone if you aren’t comfortable using other forms of technology. I can’t vouch for other companies, but I know that with mine it makes life a lot easier.

Choosing the right baseplate for you

The last thing that has made a huge difference is making sure I’m wearing the right baseplate for my body. This is something that can change over time. For some, a flat base is needed; for others, convex is the better option. You can also choose between soft or firm convex, depending on the support you need around your stoma.

It is important that when soreness or other issues present themselves, you consider whether your baseplate is still right for you and always reach out to your stoma nurse. For me, weight gain over the years from pregnancy, postpartum weight loss, and my tummy becoming much looser after being so firm for nine months meant I had to change from convex to flat, and then back to firm convex again.

If you do run into issues, it can be easy to panic and think you need to change your bag completely. Check in with your stoma nurse first, as you may find that a small tweak is all you need. That is a lot easier than having to start the quest for another bag! Let’s face it, that really sucks if it’s needed!

Finally…

Knowing where everything is, keeping your supplies in date order, and knowing they will always arrive at the right time should help to ease some of the initial anxieties of stoma life. Of course, there may be bumps in the road along the way, but we all start in the same place before finding our own flow and our own way of managing it all. Lean on your tribe, choose a good company to look after your supplies, and never accept less than brilliant customer service and quality products. None of us chose these cards, but we deserve the very best of what we’ve been handed.

If something doesn’t feel quite right, don’t struggle in silence. Reach out to your stoma nurse or your supply company because sometimes it’s the smallest tweak that makes the biggest difference. We all deserve to feel confident managing our stoma, and trust me, once you find your own routine, it really does get easier.

Rach
@gutsy.mum