How do I swim with a stoma? Look no further...

Practical tips for swimming with a stoma

First, I will deal with some common concerns about being in water with a stoma bag. Please remember that I am not medically qualified, and it is always best to check with your own medical practitioner before taking part in any new exercise.

1. Will my bag let water in/poo out?

The first thing to bear in mind when you are thinking about swimming with a stoma, is that the bags themselves are designed to be waterproof. This might sound obvious, but I know that one anxious thought that crossed my mind at the beginning, was “what if the poo can leak out through the bag material itself, and contaminate the pool?”. This cannot happen.

2. Will my bag lose its adhesive-ness?

The bags are very strongly fixed to your body with extremely strong adhesive – if you try and pull the bag off without using adhesive remover, you do actually have to try, it won’t just fall off. I have been in the water for up to 2 hours (warm chlorinated water), and all that happens is that the very edge of the flange becomes a little sticky and gloopy. But water has never got in, or forced my bag to come off

3. Can people see my bag under my swimming costume?