Does anyone on PD have any tricks or methods to protect yourself while swimming? Is anyone out there on PD swimming in the ocean? Please advise.
I have been swimming in a community pool for the past 4 months. I waited until my site had healed for 6months before trying to swim. I use a Cymed ostomy bag with a microskin seal that works well for me. I have not had a drop of leakage into the bag, but I am not quite brave enough (or crazy enough) to chance swimming in fresh water. I also tried Hollister ostomy bags and they worked also but the karaya seal gets gummy in the water and is harder to clean off the skin afterwards. It is a bit of a challenge to put the bag on but it really works well. Some will say that it is safe to swim in a chlorinated pool or the ocean, but I would use a cover over the tube no matter where I swam. My exercise used to be swimming 3days/week on a regular basis so that that was the only thing that I really had problems with PD for. I now go about 2 days/wk and really feel like I have my life back.
If you contact the ostomy bag companies they will send sample bags for you to try so you can find what works well for you. Cymed is a Ca company and the nurse was very helpful when I contacted them. Hope this is helpful to you.
Ginger, Thanks for the info about the ostomy bag. Right now I am using Techaderm pads, usually two of them and rolling my cathetor up under them. They are clear bandages with adhesive edges, tricky to use and not 100%. The worst part is skin rash from pulling it off. The good part is they are easily gotten from your PD nurse.