Today I ventured to the town waterpark for a few hours. I shot down the slides, leaped off the diving board and played like a fish for several hours. Okay– going to the town pool may not qualify as an outdoor “adventure.” And plunging into the pool is a far cry from the dunks I have been known to take in frigid alpine lakes. Still, I had so much fun being in the water again. Hanging around in my swimsuit and feeling the sun on my skin was absolute bliss. I thought my gums might get sunburned I smiled and laughed so much.
Over the course of the afternoon, I checked on my appliance a few times. I fully expected to see the edges of my wafer peel up, but it held in place as if affixed with super glue. I am certain no one could tell I had an ostomy. My appliance could not be seen at all under my swimsuit– especially with the help of my Ostomy Secrets swim wrap. I am actually a little more self-conscious about those ribs that are showing. I lost a lot of weight and muscle when I was sick and it is only slowly coming back on.
I hope you’ll take my experience to heart if you’ve been hesitating about taking a swim yourself. Just get out there and give it a shot. You’ll be glad you did.
that’s so wonderful Heidi! going to go on some activity my self this week, wall climbing, rowboat and stuff. looking foreward to that, as i havnt really gone out since surgery. blessings!
Hope you have a great time! Once I started getting out and doing all my favorite things, I began to feel so much better about my ostomy. I hope to go rock climbing too (indoor walls at first) in a couple of months and I can’t wait. I am still waiting for my abs to get a bit stronger. I had some complications with my incision and it didn’t fully heal until the beginning of March, so I am taking that sport a little more slowly. Best wishes!
Hey i am 2much2bear from Healingwell – where did you get your swim suit?? i have never seen tops as long as that over here in the UK for swimwear (i dont hae an ostomy anymore but that could change soon).
Hi Karen,
I got my swimsuit at a department store we have in the US called Kohl’s. Swimwear separates, where you buy the top and bottom individually, are popular here. The bottoms are Nike brand. The top was made by a different company called Mudd. The stores here have tankini designs in many different lengths. I even saw some that were ruched on the side and the length could be adjusted with a drawstring. It would probably be hard to find this exact swimsuit now, as winter clothing is already popping up in the stores and summer stuff is being cleared out. I actually bought two pairs of the bottoms because I liked them so much and wasn’t sure if the store would be carrying them again. That way when the chlorine finally takes its toll on this swimsuit, I only have to worry about finding another top.