Disclaimer: This information within this blog discusses weight and body image which may be a sensitive topic to certain viewers.
Having stoma surgery is life-changing, and for many, including myself, life-saving.
I’ll briefly set the scene and give you the background info. My stoma, ‘Stacey’, was formed in 2011, when I was 19 years old. I needed her due to severe Crohn’s disease (a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)) and due to a large, benign tumour on my colon, the size of a watermelon. Surgeons didn’t find this until they operated. If surgeons had left things even a few hours, I was told I wouldn’t be here, so she literally saved my life.
You wake up from surgery and bam! It’s time to get used to a big bodily change. This can feel quite the mountain to climb and sometimes, you can wonder how you’re going to get there. But you do. Everyone is different. Everyone has stoma surgery for different reasons. But nobody has to do it alone.
Weight is no stranger of a topic when it comes to living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). For me, I’ve always found it really hard to gain or even maintain weight. Fast forward to the last few years, I’ve been healthy enough to actually gain quite a bit of weight and it’s safe to say it’s impacted me mentally and how I view my body. Fitness has also been a big factor in my life that I’ve wanted to improve. In March 2024, I signed up to my local gym and over five months later, I’m still going.
In this blog, I’m going to talk about my journey so far and despite what I used to fear, yes, you can workout with an ostomy.
Please note that this is with regards to my experiences living with an ileostomy and using a one-piece, drainable ostomy bag. Let’s get started.
Getting comfortable in my own skin
My weight has been a really slow climb to get to a weight that’s been healthy and maintainable. It’s been the last three or four years mainly that I’ve been more consistent.
Then earlier this year, I got to a sad place that I never thought I’d get to. I really struggled with my body image and body confidence. Not because of my ostomy, but how it looked. I’d developed (all good things) curves, rolls and parts of my body were notably rounder and thicker than I’d been used to before. Looking in the mirror and some point was so tough. Often with IBD, people discuss weight loss, but weight gain is just as valid and something people struggle with, but isn’t spoke about as often.
I tried to be gentle with myself in the mirror, but there were days that I couldn’t stand what was looking back at me and I just wanted to hide in my pyjamas. When I did clothes that didn’t cover my body as much, I found myself sucking my stomach in, almost to the point where it became a habit.
I’d started to let things sneak into my diet that weren’t helping, and often I’d grab sweets or something sugary because I struggled so much with fatigue, due to anaemia. I got to a really low point and after wallowing in it for a while, decided that enough was enough. Now, I will say, before I go any further, that weight gain especially to a healthy weight is such a personal thing, and I’m not here to tell you to go to the gym if you’ve put on quite a bit of weight. It’s a personal choice and if you’re happy in yourself, then that’s all that matters.
Thankfully, I’m in a much better headspace now and going to the gym consistently does so much for me physically and mentally. I’ve also recently done my first 5k running, which I never thought I’d say at one point and I’m running 10k for charity next year.
“Going to the gym seems so overwhelming.”
My husband is really into his fitness and has thankfully guided me all the way since I started the gym again. I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for him.
I did go to the gym around four years ago for a while, but for one reason and another including bad fatigue, I stopped. The time to return came in March. I just felt it. But we’d moved house since going to the gym four years ago, so it was all super daunting to me, the thought of going to a new gym.
My husband suggested starting twice a week, and that he’d be my personal trainer for one of those sessions. I haven’t looked back since, and I’m so proud of how far I’ve come. Everyone in the gym has to start somewhere, and it’s not stupid to ask for help. When I’ve needed help, people have been more than willing.
“Do you need to wear supportwear to the gym? I’m worried about a hernia…”
I’ve always been worried about getting a hernia anyway, so have always worn stoma supportwear pretty much everyday. To go to the gym and do strength training/a full body workout, I usually wear level 2/medium stoma supportwear in the form of ostomy high waisted briefs. When it comes to running or cardio, I usually wear level 1/light support briefs.
This has been good for me so far, and I also wear high waisted leggings or shorts, which feel supportive too.
What about abdominal exercises?
There’s no reason why you can’t do direct abdominal/core exercises, with the right advice, at the right pace and listening to your body (unless medically advised otherwise). There are other factors that influence this such as if your surgery was open surgery or keyhole, how you heal and usually, new ostomates are advised not to do any heavy lifting or strenuous exercise for at least 12 weeks post surgery. It’s not uncommon for the abdominal muscles to require around three to four months, at least to recover.
When you’ve been medically advised it’s safe to do so, exercise at your own, steady pace, wear support and if something feels like too much, listen to your body and stop.
Over 13 years post surgery, I am only just starting to weave direct abdominal exercises into my workout routine. Even then, I’m doing short sets for short times to build it up. I’ve always been worried about developing a hernia, so I do play it on the super safe side out of worry! However, so many exercises are great for working on our core, and do not always need to put direct pressure on the core, but are beneficial for our core as a by-product, such as using our core to balance.
Pointers for exercise with an ostomy, that I find useful
- Don’t exercise right after a meal – this always leads to an upset stomach and/or a stitch for me.
- Fuel your body with the right nutrition (well, with what your ostomy allows).
- Put on a fresh bag the day of exercising, and always empty before a workout.
- Know when to stop. Too much pushing can lead to injury which can leave you off your workouts for longer than you’d like!
- Always stop if you’re unsure how to do an exercise or you feel pain and seek the right advice from a professional.
- Consider investing in a personal trainer. Some personal trainers specialise in rehabilitation which can be helpful but all personal trainers will need to know about your surgery etc before working with you, so they can see if they can give you the correct, safe advice.
- Hydration is key – I use hydration soluble tablets in water when I go to the gym, and usually drink 1L of this as I’m working out, sometimes more. But we’re all different.
Choosing an efficient delivery service
Respond have made my life so much easier with a stoma, because I know I’ll always have supplies. I have regular, repeat orders that they send out without me needing to contact them. Only if I need something changing do I need to get in touch. I get regular updates every step of the way when it comes to my delivery and I don’t need to panic about not having supplies. It’s always great to know when my deliveries will arrive, especially if I’m planning on going away to a concert for a few days.
Respond’s useful advice and support
Respond have a blog full of posts from other ostomates on their website. Some blog posts in their lifestyle section are:
- Exercise with a stoma bag – by Maryrose
- Going to a concert with an ostomy – by me
Respond’s ‘Care Range’ is also great to combine products into one to make it easier to take things with you in your gym bag and also helps promote healthy skin around your ostomy, which is ideal when sweating during workouts!
In summary, yes, you absolutely can workout with an ostomy. There is no reason that you shouldn’t be able to have an active life after stoma surgery but it is important that you follow medical advice and do this in the right way, gradually over time, to do the best thing for your body.
For many, including myself, an ostomy isn’t the end, it is just the beginning!
