Tony
I had my bladder removed in March 2016 and was advised by my surgeon that swimming would be fine. Unfortunately, as a male I found that the top half of my stoma bag was exposed above my swimming shorts. Not wishing to make it obvious that I had a bag several options were contemplated.
Finally, I decided on a neoprene wet suit vest which works very well from my viewpoint. Because wet suits are tight fitting I find the elasticity of the vest hides the bag well. The difficulty I discovered was in finding a sleeveless vest with a full frontal zip. Being nearly 80 my days of unzipping from the back are behind me (dreadful pun).
None of the shops here in Coffs Harbour had what I sought and I could not find anything online in Australia that suited me. Finally I managed to buy one
on the net from China. Not a great fit, probably because due to the stoma bag etc. my stomach seems to be the same circumference as my chest. Anyway,
I wear my 3mm Neoprene top and swim in the sea water every day. Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Tania
For Tania, deciding to have an ileostomy has allowed her to return to doing the things she loves best.
Emily
Emily is thankful for her surgeon and her stoma because she is alive.
Heather
Heather has been living with a colostomy and ileostomy since 2017.
Grant
One week after Grant's 60th birthday he was diagnosed with cancer.
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