Playing Baseball with an Ostomy

Opening day for baseball is always the most exciting day of the year.  I didn’t feel this way until I started working at a really cool job.  Baseball was not my favorite sport to follow, but it really is a fun one to play.  A new yearly work tradition is to take opening day off and drink whisky and smoke cigars all day and call it a work day.  Wow do I love opening day of baseball now. It has got me and my family back into the spirit of baseball and we are more and more finding ourselves outside playing baseball.  It is indeed a little more difficult due to the fact that I must take my ostomy supplies with me.  Yes, indeed I have a stoma and it does take a little more work to stay safe and not get messy when being outside.

So some differences I have to deal with playing baseball differ from my normal day is that I know I am going to get more sweaty.  This means I need to dress appropriately and wear clothes that breath and wick moisture away.  For this I suggest not getting ostomy supplies that are made with cotton.  Cotton breathes but it does not wick moisture away very well. So I find myself getting really sweaty and staying that way. And if I am getting more sweaty in one area than my ostomy bag prints and everyone knows I have one.  It looks a little strange and it gets super annoying because it sticks to my shirt.  Or I should say my shirt sticks to it more. 

So find yourself a moisture wicking ostomy bag and supplies.  This means find polyester or nylon ostomy gear so you are ready to go outside and play. I cannot stress enough that its important to go outside and be in nature and for me do it with my family.  Being on the sidelines is nothing that a stoma has kept me from doing.  You don’t need to be sitting on the sidelines, instead go out and be active and find the gear and clothing that works for you. 

I don’t wear compression shirts anymore because that would just get in the way and possibly cause some leakage issues. So I wear loose fitting clothes when I am outdoors and honestly I like just fine. So grab a mit and maybe a bat and play ball.

Basketball and a Stoma?

I grew up in the Midwest United States.  Now for some that means I grew up around corn, politeness, and the bible belt. What it means to most of the people in sports is that I grew up in basketball country.  Myself, I come from the Hoosier state and that means everyone plays basketball.  It is a natural sport that everyone knows how to play.  I spent days, weeks, and literally months of my life playing basketball. 

I found it kept me healthy, and gave me many life lessons.  Winning, losing, and working with a team of different people teaches lots of lessons.  Now I find myself playing basketball a little less and with a little more ostomy supplies.  Yes I have a stoma and I still play basketball.  Never for a minute did I think I would stop having fun just because I have to take a bag around with me on my abdomen. So I wanted to share a few tips on things I have noticed help the most when I lace up my basketball shoes and get to hooping.

Make sure you are wearing the right clothing.  So does this mean I need to wear armor when I am on the basketball court? No not at all. Instead just wear loose clothing, like most people do when they play basketball.  I prefer moisture wicking t-shirts and regular elastic basketball shorts.  Now I will try to purchase all my ostomy supplies in materials to match.  If my ostomy bag is not moisture wicking then it will get very sweaty and leave a huge sweat stain on my shirt.  That is just a little weird and people will play the game differently when they are around you.  They won’t guard you as hard and its just annoying and everyone will make a fuss about it. 

Now all my friends would never play me any differently, but new people are new and will always hesitate to guard a guy who may be carrying a bag of poo with him.  Honestly, I don’t blame anyone and I keep my spirits up and most people laughing.  Because hey its, life and why not.  But I still like to avoid that situation and just play ball like normal and lose fitting moisture wicking clothes help a lot.  I also add a belt to my attire. 

No not a dress belt or anything but its basically a body band that goes around my abdomen to keep everything in place.  Find a good one and you will be able to run around just like normal.  Just make sure all your gear attaches well and has great lockups on your stoma. Now go outside and play some basketball!