I got the feeling that certain members of my family were far more worried about me travelling on my own than I was!! Of course I had fears, that was only natural as I was getting out of my comfort zone on many levels for the first time.
One of the things I did before I left was to write out a list of my fears – the list was long but it included spiders, snakes, getting a flare up of Crohn’s (having not had one for 19 years this would have been unlikely!!), getting food poisoning, ending up in hospital, my medical supplies getting lost….the list went on!! It was a great exercise to put these fears down in writing – it helped me to see which areas I could plan as best I could and for the other things……..well my thinking was that a lot of these things could happen in the UK and I’ve always managed to deal with them so there was no way I was going to let them stop me now.
I think the best overall advice I can give is to be as prepared as possible whether travelling for a 2 week holiday, a few months or as in my case 1 year.
- PLANNING – Allow plenty of time to get all your medical supplies from your Dr and pharmacy. If you are travelling for a longer period it can sometimes take longer to get these larger quantities in from the supplier. Having done it a couple of times I know what to expect so normally start preparing a couple of months prior to leaving.
- PACKING – Make sure that your supplies are packed properly and you have all the supporting medical documents to ensure you pass through airport security as stress free as possible. If, like me, you have to use pastes for your ostomy you are allowed to take these on top of your normal liquid allowance – just make sure that you have them in a separate clear bag for airport security. (for more detailed information on packing check my recent post – Planning For My Next One Year Travelling Adventure)
- PACKING – When you pack your ostomy items for travelling make sure that they are in sealable bags to prevent insects and bugs from getting in!!
- LUGGAGE – Always carry your medical supplies in hand luggage – I managed to carry 6 months of ileostomy products with me. As well as this it’s always a good idea to have a separate kit ready should you need to do an emergency bag change while flying (this saves rummaging through the supplies in your carry on case).
- INSURANCE – I know that they never insure for pre-existing conditions but I always take out good medical cover. Always have a long conversation with any potential insurance company to make sure that should you get food poisoning (or anything else tummy related) and end up in hospital you will be covered – after all anyone can end up in hospital with travel tummy and you want to make sure that your not penalised because of your ostomy. I have had to use my insurance twice during my 18 months of travelling; both with over night stays in hospital due to food poisoning, when it came to writing out the report I made sure the doctors were clear that it was not related to my Crohn’s in order I could make a claim. FYI on both occasions the Dr’s were really accommodating when writing my report and my claim was paid in full.
- STAY HYDRATED – It is so important to keep hydrated when away and even more so for us ostomates. I always travel with a few boxes of dioralyte rehydration sachets and also carry a recipe from the hospital in order that I can make my own should I run out. Having said that I try not to use them and have managed to keep hydrated on my travels with coconut water and ensuring a steady intake of water throughout the day. Only if my body is feeling tired or I’ve been more physical than normal do I take hydration salts.
- ROUTINE – Long flights, car journeys and changing time zones can effect our bodies in so many different ways so in order to help my body adjust I’ve found it’s really beneficial to get back into some familiarity and routine with my diet and sleep pattern asap. For the last 19 years I have had porridge for breakfast so I know that this works really well for me. I normally travel with about 1 weeks supply so that when I arrive in a new country all I need is some boiling water and I am able to get my body back into a bit of a routine straight away. I’ve been able to buy this in most cities across Asia so I stock up for when I’m in more remote places. I would suggest that if there is something that you know works really well for you and your diet to take a small supply with you. Also research whether it (or something similar) is available where you are heading too.
- REST – Listen to your body. I have found that the heat can really wipe me out – this means that I can’t always do as much as I would like to…..but it also means that I have had to really listen to my body and be aware of what it needs at that moment. We are all beautifully different and our bodies will function differently to each other’s but for me personally I found it better to get up early to do the things that I need / want to do (yoga, shopping, Indonesian language lessons) I would normally be inside by 12pm and have a rest after lunch, going out again once it starts cooling off around 4pm.
- EATING – I don’t know about you guys but I have a really fast digestion and need to eat every 3 hours or have a snack between meals. If you are going on boat excursions or have day trips organised through an operator its always worth enquiring what the food arrangements are. In my experience it has varied so much that it is always worth taking something extra just in case – I always have some bananas and cashew nuts on me.
- TOILETS – I’ve experienced an array of delights with toilet facilities (and ‘facilities’ would be pushing it in some instances!!) across Asia; most of them have ‘bum-guns’ which are great but I’ve always found it best to have some tissues with me. One of the other things that is worth considering when planning day trips is whether there are actually going to be toilets. If you are going on boat excursions it is worth checking if there are toilets on board as some of the smaller boats don’t have them – fortunately the trips on smaller boats are relatively short so not too much of a problem.
I hope I haven’t worried you with any of the points I’ve mentioned – what I am hoping to show you is that with a bit of planning travelling anywhere is possible. My ostomy has not stopped me going to any of the places I’ve have wanted to go…..I’ve been to the Himalayas, Vietnam, Thailand, India and Indonesia, experienced 3 day boat trips around remote tropical islands, visited Komodo Island and the incredible dragons, experienced earthquakes and even had to evacuate where I was living due to an erupting volcano…….I had such an incredible time I’m in the process of planning my next trip!!!
Oh and if anyone is wondering what a ‘bum-gun’ is………….
