Just changed

I just changed my bag in the communal dorm's shower room. Travelling with an ostomy isn't the easiest thing, especially not when staying in hostels

Keeping cool part 2

Met a kazakh guy at the airport who also hadn't booked a hostel yet, and headed to the Koh San road. Found a place called the green house which looked pretty basic but had a bar and looked friendly. I had topped the medicube up with ice from the plane so I figured I could just keep doing the same with the ice from the bar.
Woke up about 6.30am as I had to empty my bag and I saw the thermometer was reading over 14 degrees. So I might have spoiled all that humira already...
I didn't book a hostel in advance because I read or heard that there is much more choice on the Khao San road than you see on the Internet. I'm now thinking that might have been a mistake and I should have booked somewhere that said it had a fridge freezer as one of the facilities.
I'll do that tomorrow

Flying to Bangkok

I had a few things to sort out before I left (completely clearing out my flat!) so I'm writing this on the plane to Bangkok! A girl across the way is so drunk (or on something) that she tried to kiss the lady sitting next to me, and is being restrained by the crew, so that's a bit of a distraction...

Below I've put a photo of all the ostomy supplies I've brought with me, there's quite a lot of it and it fills most of my backpack to be honest - not much room left for anything else.

Here is my total packing list for this 62 day trip:

3x asthma inhalers

10 syringes of Humira in the iCool medicube (I suddenly thought when queuing for security that the large frozen packs might be classed as a liquid and not be allowed through but I was relieved when they passed through the machine with no questions)

About 96 tablets of azathioprine

Ostomy supplies:

  - 30 x sensura mio 1 piece bags

  - 15 x sensura mio 2 piece base 

  - 30 x sensura mio 2 piece bags

  - 20 x oakmed standard bags (these are the ones I used to use and have brought as a safety net)

  - 30 x cohesive slims

  - 30 x cool plats brava rings

  - 60 disposal bags

  - 1 pack of dry wipes (I figure I should be able to buy these and they are bulky so I didn't want to bring more)

  - 60 x adhesive remover wipes

  - scissors

  - 3 x 'bed pad' mats 

Sunglasses

Sunscreen

Sleeping bag liner

60 pairs contact lenses

Padlock

6 x underwear

5 x socks

3 x comfizz level 1 support band (I wear one of these all the time)

2 x comfizz level 3 hernia support band (includes protective guard for when I'm doing kickboxing training)

1 x stealth belt

Lonely planet guide

Mosquito spray

Trainers

Jogging bottoms (aka sweat pants)

3x shorts

3x tshirts

2x trunks

A sweater

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Soap

iPad

Earphones

Spare phone battery

Earplugs

Phone charger

GoPro

2 credit cards

Under clothing wallet

Dioralyte

Loperamide

Hand sanitizer

Electric plug adapter

Travel pillow. Although it's quite bulky - I might regret bringing it

I hope that's enough!

Preparing to Leave

Less than 2 weeks before I fly to Thailand!! Super excited (and apprehensive!)

Here's what I've been up to:

• Got myself a Thai tourist visa
• My flat is all packed up, all my stuff is in storage
• Lots of goodbye lunches/coffees/drinks with various friends
• Received a very large supplies order, containing my new favourite bags (more below!)
• Asked GP for a large prescription of Azathioprine
• Received a large order of Humira
• Spoken to consultant and stoma nurse
• Tried an improv class

Still to do:

• Get Loperamide and Dioralyte
• Travel insurance
• See my Bro
• Do a final pack of my backpack

It has felt very busy!

I saw this great guide from the White Rose Collection about going on holiday that has some good tips and advice: http://www.whiterosecollection.com/Articles/Holidays-With-An-Ostomy. It also links to this article about the World Assist Alliance, which I never knew about before.

I tried using the SenSura Mio mechanical 2 piece bag last week and I was super happy that it lasted a whole 6 days without needing to be changed (and could have lasted longer as there were no problems when I changed it). I think it's because the mechanical part keeps the bag away from the stoma, helping to reduce potential pancaking. So I ordered a few to take with me - if they always last that long I will only need to change 10 times in my whole trip! The only problem I have is that the opening is a bit more tricky (can be a bit messy) then other bag manufacturers.

If I've forgotten anything I need to do, or if you have any tips on Coloplast bags, let me know in the comments.

Medactiv iCool Medicube

  

My iCool Medicube arrived! It looks like it will be good for the job - it has plenty of space for at least 12 syringes, but with the added ice packs it is quite bulky - I've shown it here with a £2 coin for reference. Also it's not very easy to carry it around using the attached straps so it would be easiest to put it inside another bag.

The experiments with Coloplast Sensura Mio bags went well and they do seem to be able to last longer than the bags I previously used (Oakmed) so I will take a few of each with me to Thailand. Getting excited!!

Modelling Swimwear

I did an ostomy underwear photoshoot last week for White Rose collection  (http://www.whiterosecollection.com/), where I met some fellow ostomates who told me that they wear the same bag for several days at a time! I always find that mine leak if I wear it for more than about one day. It would make travelling a lighter easier if I could wear the same bag for several days at a time! So today I resolved to look into new products - so far I've ordered some Brava rings, Brava paste and Sensura Mio bags.

I also got some really well-fitted swimwear for keeping everything flat to the body when swimming - http://www.whiterosecollection.com/Men/Swimwear/Items/CO1229/Fitted-Swimtrunks

Keeping Cool

Apart from how I am going to carry around 2 months of ileostomy supplies, one main concern is how I am going to keep 8 to 10 pens of Humira cool when traveling on the plane, between hostels etc. (is there always a refrigerator that guests can use in hostels??)

First I had a call with my IBDN a few weeks ago, she said she knew a girl who went travelling who found a really good cool bag, but wasn't able to give me any more details on where it was from, what kind etc.

So I've been looking on Amazon, and I think I've decided on one of the following three choices

iCool Prestige Medicine Travel Bag
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009PMI0AQ/
Pros: looks pretty compact
Cons: might be too small



MedActiv MediCube for transporting temperature sensitive medicine
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010DG84TE
Pros: definitely large enough, looks pretty industrial in terms of keeping things coldest for longest
Cons: might be a bit too big, expensive


MediGenix CoolMeds 2 - 8°C Bag for transporting temperature sensitive medicine
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00XPPHOI8/
Pros: has a in built thermometer
Cons: might be too small

Also, I'm using Humira pens, maybe I should switch to the self-injections because they are smaller?

Let me know if you have any thoughts/advice!