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Competitive athlete and ileostomy


Thu, December 17, 2020 1:43 PM

I am a competitive dragon boat racer. I also teach classes on the Concept2 rowing erg and am a runner. After 30 years with UC there is dysplasia in sigmoid colon, high and low grade, so time to remove colon. I am out in either dragon boat or outrigger canoe for 1-2 hours at a time so uncertain about having a jpouch or permanent ileostomy. Would love to hear everyone's experience with sports where getting to a bathroom in a hurry is not an option. TIA

FPO Joni1980
Joined Dec 17, 2020

Tue, December 12, 2023 9:07 PM

Reply posted for Joni1980.

Before resuming Watermelon Game or beginning athletic activities, individuals with an ileostomy should consult their healthcare team to ensure they are physically ready and receive clearance.

FPO leorasy89
Joined Jun 17, 2022

Fri, December 18, 2020 1:17 PM

Reply posted for Joni1980.

HI, 

I am currently going through the process of getting a permanent J pouch. I have had a great experience with ostomy bags. It is something very mangable and you can do basically anything you would do without it once you are fully recovered. Output, for me, at least depends on how much I eat. Typically when I wake up in the morning, I have very thin water-like output, this because I hadn't eat anything over night. I noticed that if I eat three- six good meals/ snacks a day, it thickens my output and makes the empting less frequent.  If you are worried about your bag filling up quickly while you are out on the water, there are tons of different times of bags. I have some that are extra large that I wear at night so I can sleep through the night without emptying it. There are also foods you can eat to help slow digestion. 

I can't speak much about the J pouch without an ostomy bag because I am not there yet in my surgery progress.

Please reach out if you have more questions.
-Kate Gilfillan

FPO kategilfillan
Joined Dec 18, 2020

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