The leaves are starting to turn where I live and the weather is getting a bit cooler. The Fall has come and in some places around the United States, it can be an incredible sight. One of the most beautiful places I have experienced this season it was in Colorado. This location is beyond beautiful in my eyes and maybe the best place to be in the world. The mountains are amazing but add in the birch trees and all the groves of aspen as the season changes and the leaves turn and you have the best view on the planet. Last year my wife and I took a road trip to visit the beautiful state of Colorado in the Fall and it changed our perspective on what real beauty was like. Now one thing people ask me more about then the weather and scenery was how I was able to do it with a stoma. This absolutely baffles me that people who know me ask about how this affected my trip. In all reality it didn't affect me much at all.
One of the best aspects of having a stoma is the ability to do a whole lot of driving without stopping! I decided from the git-go that I would pick up a large ostomy bag and leave right about the time my wife goes to sleep. This was perfect because she was sleeping happily and since I am a night owl I was able to drive through the entire night. This allowed me to only stop ever 400 miles with my vehicle and fill up for gas. I didn't have to make any stops to hit up the restroom and let me tell you traveling with a stoma is awesome. I am pretty sure this is how some of the best-traveling salesmen became the best. Maybe not, but you get the point. It allowed me to travel so much further faster due to not having to make any stops except for gas. So when it comes to traveling with a stoma, grab a big back and have at it!
The thought that worried me the most was the elevation. I was really not sure how the altitude would go ahead and mess with my ostomy gear. So for this, I suggest you call your doctor and ask about the difference. What I ended up doing was also talking with manufacturers of the two big brands of ostomy gear. They have a great customer service area and knew a ton about their products and what they were designed to do and where. Since this whole area is very technical I suggest talking directly with them and also your healthcare provider. This is something that I would really suggest doing to make sure where you are going is going to work with your current gear.
Now for the trip itself, I decided to make sure I would not have any issues with my gear. I went along and packed all the gear I would need for the trip twice. I had a regular setup and also an emergency setup that was in an entirely different location. I was pretty sure I could get replacements for anything in most major cities, but it is nice not to have to worry about this. So I hope you are inspired to road trip and see some incredible things this year!
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