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Get Back in the Game

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Exercise your fitness options with these helpful tips

by Wil Walker, MBA, BSN, RN, WOC Nurse Manager, Clinical Education, Hollister Incorporated

When is it safe to start exercising after ostomy surgery?
Stoma surgery is a major event that should not be underestimated. The first few weeks or even months following the operation may be difficult as you adjust gradually to having a stoma. The easiest and most effective form of exercise can be walking. It’s best to check with your healthcare provider to determine the right time for you to begin exercising, as every person can be different.

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I’m nervous about doing sit-ups and crunches because I have heard that I could develop a hernia. Are there precautions I can take to avoid this?
There may be a risk you will develop a hernia around your stoma that can be associated with straining or heavy lifting during strenuous abdominal activity. You can help prevent the development of a peristomal hernia by taking certain precautions. Keep your weight in check and talk with your surgeon before resuming any abdominal exercises.

How will I know that I am sufficiently hydrated?
One good sign of being well hydrated is passing clear or straw-colored urine throughout the day. Dehydration can be a concern for overachievers, whether they have stomas or not. Drink plenty of fluids at every opportunity to avoid problems with your stoma and with dehydration.

I am still very tired after my surgery. What kind of exercise can I do to start out?
Begin by walking in your house. Special videos and DVDs, or even just some invigorating music will help set the pace. You might practice going up and down stairs to increase stamina and endurance. But, if weather permits, walk outside in the fresh air to help boost your physical and mental spirits!

I love swimming but I’m nervous that my pouch will become loose in the water. Is there anything I can do to make sure this doesn’t happen?
This is a valid concern for a person with an ostomy. To determine how your pouch might perform while swimming, it is recommended to “test” your pouch. Sit in bath water for a while and assure yourself that the seal stays snug and leak-free.sports and fitness with an ostomy, sports, fitness, exercise, active living, colostomy, ileostomy, urostomy

I ran my first marathon after ostomy surgery and little red marks appeared on my stoma. What are these and should I be concerned?
With a lot of running, little red marks similar to mouth ulcers might appear on the stoma because of rubbing or chafing. They should heal quickly and disappear with rest. If they don’t resolve, contact your healthcare professional.

When I exercise I perspire a lot. Is there anything I can use to avoid chafing around my pouch?
If your pouch fits properly and is not too long, it should not touch or rub against the skin. Empty your pouch before any strenuous activity as well to decrease the weight of your pouch. Consider using a pouch that has a comfort panel to avoid the pouch film from rubbing against your skin.

Have a question that wasn’t answered here? Check out this helpful new brochure from Hollister Incorporated. Living with an Ostomy: Sports & Fitness.

Hollister Secure Start services provide ongoing support to people living with an ostomy. We are here to help! Call us today at 1.888.808.7456.

Editor’s note: This educational article is from one of our digital sponsors, Hollister Incorporated. Sponsor support along with donations from readers like you help to maintain our website and the free trusted resources of UOAA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

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10 Awesome Reasons to Support, Walk or Run the Ostomy 5k

Bring Ostomy Awareness to your Neighborhood with the Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k

October 6 and 13, 2018

 

  1. Change a Life. The theme of World Ostomy Day on October 6, 2018 is “Speaking Out Changes Lives”. Speak out to smash stigmas and never let someone choose death over an ostomy ever again.
  2. Support the Dream of a Someone with an Ostomy. Some run for the first time, others walk to discover a new life after surgery. Donate to support a Run for Resilience location in your state, the worldwide Virtual 5k, or a participant fundraiser. If you or your support group start a fundraiser you can win prizes such as an exclusive Run for Resilience t-shirt, visor or group party. (Proceeds benefit the programs of UOAA)
  3. Have Fun and Get in Shape. All events are family-friendly and some feature special happening like a picnic (Arizona), giveaways, kids runs and activities, silent auction, free beer (Idaho),

    Photo by: Natalie Koziuk Photography (www.nkoziukphotography.com)

    food or other perks. Check a location near you for local details. Feel better and crush your weekly step goal by starting to train today.

  4. You Can Do it Anywhere with a Virtual 5k. Challenge yourself and show the world what people living with an ostomy are capable of. Be a visible presence and walk/run anywhere you’d like in your community. Represent the resilience of all ostomates. Take photos of you and your friends doing the 5k and inspire others on social media.
  5. Win an exclusive designer ostomy pouch cover. Legendary Nashville fashion designer Manny Cuevas (a proud ostomate and race organizer) is hand making a pouch cover and it can be yours by registering as an ostomate and placing in the top 3 at each location or by gathering one of the biggest groups of family or friends to walk or run with you for the Virtual 5k.
  6. Get a free Ostomy Awareness Sticker. Register for the Virtual Ostomy 5k or pick one up at any of our 9 locations. You’ll also get a free race bib!
  7. Get a World Ostomy Day T-Shirt and Represent the USA. Register by Sept. 17th to be guaranteed your preferred race t-shirt size. Run athletic shirts are included with all event locations ($15 for the Virtual 5k). It’s the official event of #OstomyDayUSA, tag on social media to share your photos.colostomy bag, run for resilience, ostomy pouch, stoma bag, ostomy 5k, run for resilience
  8. Discover a New Ostomy Supply or Resource. Stop by sponsor and ostomy supply company display tables, or chat with a UOAArepresentative at events across the country.
  9. Get Outside and Run in Scenic Locales. The first week in October is a beautiful time of year and runs take place among some breathtaking beauty. A historic trail in Durham, lakeside in Michigan and Arizona, riverside parks in New Jersey, Nashville, Portland, Pennsylvania and Boise, along tree-lined streets in Birmingham, or your favorite spot with the Virtual 5k.
  10. You can Go at Your Own Pace or Cheer from the Sidelines. People of all ages and athletic backgrounds take part in the Ostomy 5k. An ostomate typically wins one of the runs while in others they are among the final finishers. It’s all about what resilience means to you.

Register or donate today at www.ostomy5k.org!

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They Run for You: Ostomy 5k Celebrates 5 Years

Support the Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k at Events from Coast to Coast or with your own Virtual Run/Walk.

By Ed Pfueller, UOAA

Ostomate and two-time Durham Run for Resilience winner Collin Jarvis.

It was a hit from the start. Five years ago two ostomy nurses in Durham, North Carolina, Lara Leininger and Angela Richardson, had the belief that the ostomy community deserved its own awareness run and walk. “We wanted to educate the community about ostomy surgery and how persons living with an ostomy can achieve anything,” Lara says. “We want to encourage ostomates to be active and be proud of their resilience.”

Runners have done that and more at the Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k. Collin Jarvis lives with an ostomy and has won the Durham run two years in a row. Preconceived notions someone may have had about living with a “colostomy bag” are likely shattered when you’re left in the dust by a runner with an ostomy pouch.

Events always coincide with annual Ostomy Awareness Day or World Ostomy Day (which is held every three years) on the first Saturday in October. “This is our 5th year doing this race and we have brought a great deal of positive ostomy awareness to our local community and now nine communities nationwide.” The event also raises much-needed funds for UOAA to continue to support, raise awareness, advocate and provide educational programs for the ostomy community.”

Ostomy 5k co-founders Angela Richardson and Lara Leininger at the Durham, NC event.

Community members, families pushing strollers, and serious runners join in the fun every year on the scenic routes all over America. In North Carolina nurses and hospital employees also compete against themselves in a fundraising challenge, the victor taking home bragging rights and a golden toilet trophy.

“It’s awesome to see an ostomate finish first, but the run is also about all those who have come back from this lifesaving surgery and have struggled in life with an ostomy. You are all resilient just by your everyday accomplishments,” says UOAA President Susan Burns. Several people have walked at least part of the course just months after surgery, while for others it provides inspiration to set a goal, overcome fears, and run/walk this distance for the very first time.

“A majority of the public does not know what an ostomy is and if they do, most have a negative connection with ostomy surgery. There are a lot of myths that we try to bust. Those living with an ostomy live active lives, can be young, middle-aged, old, healthy, confident, etc. Ostomy surgery saves lives and a lot of times improves a person’s life!” Lara says. These 5k events are a visible declaration to communities that ostomates are here and deserve support. Stigmas melt away when people attend these events.

What was once was a North Carolina local event has known spread to nine locations nationwide. You can also attend or support 5ks in Portland, Oregon, Birmingham, Alabama, Nashville, Tennessee, Boise, Idaho, Harrison Township, Michigan, Pennsauken, New Jersey, Mesa, Arizona and East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

Luckily you don’t need to be near an event to participate or support it. With the Virtual Ostomy 5k anyone can run or walk in their favorite neighborhood spot, or even on a treadmill. You can gather friends and form a team. We’ll even mail you out a free official bib number and a race tech t-shirt ($15) to join this worldwide event that takes place on World Ostomy Day, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. You can donate to runners or events near you, or on a national level.

The Arizona Ostomy 5k Fun Run/Walk will feature a picnic and games this year for World Ostomy Day.

This year’s World Ostomy Day theme is “Speaking Out Changes Lives” and the Run for Resilience is the official U.S. event during this worldwide celebration. All runs will take place that morning with the exception of Boise, Idaho on Saturday, October 13.

“UOAA makes an ostomy patient feel like they are part of a community and that they are not alone. They direct patients to support groups, answer questions, provide education, and allow them as a patient to give back by being a part of the UOAA. It’s best resource for anyone with an ostomy.” Says Michelle Pitylak who is organizing a first-year event on the shores of Lake St. Clair.

Also new this year is a 5k in the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania and the Tennessee run is moving to the “Music City” in Nashville. Both events are timed and certified 5ks and organized by dedicated ostomy nurses. Nashville Fashion Design icon and ostomate, Manny Cuevas, is helping to make the event in Two Rivers Park one to remember.

Another first year of event will be a homecoming of sorts. United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) was founded in Southern New Jersey in 2005 and this year a timed 5k run/walk will be held in Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, NJ that has views of the skyline of neighboring Philadelphia.

The second oldest event is the Portland, Oregon Fun Run which returns for its fourth year. Runner and ostomate Lianne Weller is excited for this year’s run in the Milwaukie River Park. “I think the ostomy race is a great way to bring individuals, their family and friends together in a carefree activity. The 5k race also allows other ostomates to build confidence and breakdown barriers to getting back into physical shape; going one step closer to their goal. One particular aspect I look forward to when it comes to races like this, is being able to not let my ostomy be a barrier to meeting new people. I feel more confident and less self-conscious because I’m surrounded by individuals who have all gone through similar obstacles.”

The Central Alabama WOC Nurses’ Association is proud to bring the Ostomy 5k fun run to Alabama for the third time. Also returning is the successful Fun Run in Mesa, Arizona. Organizer and double ostomate Roxanne Camp is planning a great time at her picnic and 5k in Red Mountain Park. “Ostomies save lives they don’t take them,” is her personal motto.

Now in its third year the certified time 5k run in Boise, Idaho is a true community event. The driving force behind it is Megan Herrett, a mother of two children with an ostomy who wants to see her community be more accepting and educated about people living with an ostomy. If you attend prepare to be inspired by the young people running in support of their friends at this event. Attending or donating to any one of these events provides a public voice for the ostomy community nationwide, and funds raised ensure that the next person who has this life-saving surgery will get the support and information they need.

All runs are family-friendly and will feature sponsor tables and run bags. Several include a silent auction, giveaways, kids run, music, food and more. Check for information about an event near you on Facebook or www.ostomy5k.org, and Run, Walk, Volunteer, Cheer and Fundraise to support the ostomy community and UOAA!

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