Just joined this wonderful community

I just joined this community today.  I am 50 years young and have stage 4 cancer, which started with colon cancer and progressed to stomach cancer.  I initially had a colostomy in 2018, but that was reversed after a year.  Due to more surgery, I had to have an ileostomy, with which I am struggling mentally.  I am an active person and play about 60 rounds of golf.  I did play with a colostomy, but that only had to be emptied a couple of times a day, and I could adjust my diet to fit in a round of golf.  With the ileostomy, I am going to the bathroom 8-10 times a day.  I am looking forward to the spring and am grateful to be alive.  Just looking for support from fellow members and maybe some advice if anyone has experience with golf and ileostomies. Have a great day, everyone.

Welcome! ???? I have no experience with either an ileostomy or golf LOL (I have a colostomy) but just wanted to say hi. :)
Hopefully, someone will come along to help out.
You can post questions in the forum also.
???? Karen

Hi Pop and welcome to our community! I have an ileostomy and although I am not a golfer, I am a very active person. I visit the gym at least three times weekly and walk daily. I usually can time my gym workouts so that I don't need to empty my pouch while there, but there is a washroom available of course, if I need to. I suppose a visit to the washroom would be a bit more trouble if you are in the middle of the golf course, but I hope you won't let that stop you from doing what you love. I was nervous about going back to the gym after my surgery and it took me a while to get up the courage. Now, it's easy peasey. Emptying 8-10 times a day does seem a little high. Is your output very loose? You could try eating something that will slow things down before going golfing, like a banana or some peanut butter. That may give you the extra time before you need to empty again. And avoid eating anything that tends to go right through you, that may be different for everyone. Good luck!

Terry

Thanks!!! Your comments are so helpful and I will be golfing for sure!!

Hiya 'Ski: I have an ileostomy and I'm very active, altho' I gave up golf years ago. Don't they have Port-o-lets on the course, or are they deemed an eyesore? Since Covid-19, I stopped going to the gym like Terry, but I walk at least three miles a day and a few years back I was running before age and decrepitude overtook my will. Emptying 8-10 times per day doesn't sound high to me. I find it relates to how often I eat, and I've been a snacker my whole life. Thus, the only tip I can proffer is to limit your food intake for a couple of hours prior to a round of golf. When I have a long drive (no pun intended), such as to see my daughter, I bring along a large disposable cup with a cover, like from a fast food joint, and I use it in an emergency. Stay well. HenryM

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Thanks for the great feedback. I am so grateful to have this community!

That does sound more frequent but length of plumbing left would affect this case by case condition. My ileostomy requires four a day average less if I don't eat too much.

I again really appreciate everyone's feedback. I think 6-8 is a more accurate number of times, and it does depend on what I eat/drink. If I am enjoying some delicious vintages, it is more frequent, but yes, 6-7 is more average.

On another more positive note, my 17 year old daughter got accepted to the two universities of her choice:)..grateful..

Wonderful news on your daughter, congrats! On the topic of what is "normal" for emptying an ileo bag, I think Henry is right; a lot depends on how often you eat. Also, what you eat, level of activity, consistency of stool (you'll probably empty more often if your output is loose), and let's not forget that everyone has a personal preference as to how full is too full, and when it's time to empty. I had a nurse once tell me that 5-6 times a day was too high! Bottom line, whatever your normal is, as long as it's working for you, it's all good.

Terry

Thanks, Terry, for the great advice/feedback.

Also a Canadian (Gimli) with an ileo since 2002, I golf all summer here and all winter in Phoenix. Plus, I spent many winters before Phoenix snowmobiling. In the 20 years I have been fortunate enough to have had 2 incidents, my own doing. Owning my own business and traveling extensively, you adapt. It's amazing what we can accept and learn to live with. There have been times on the course where you do have to head to the trees and let the pressure off, but part of the benefits of an ileo is that we are very liquid, which, trust me, I feel is far better than being too solid. Anyway, at 78, life is good (the alternative sucks). Golf sucks, but a lot of the guys I golfed with don't have the opportunity to improve. Good luck and lower that handicap.

Thanks for that 8810. I did golf regularly with the colostomy, but the ileostomy, you're correct, is more liquid, and we do have lots of forest at our course and a few bathrooms. Okay, it makes me feel a bit more comfortable knowing this. I most likely won't be enjoying too much beverage on the course except water, as alcohol just runs through. Thank you again for the feedback, encouragement, and sharing your story. I played TPC Scottsdale and Troon North in 2019. Beautiful place.

Played them as well and you are right, great courses, but talking to my son tonight, he tells me to get a job and we will head to Cape Breton. Hard to imagine anything better than PEI. RALPH

Lol, enjoy Arizona!

Hello Popo, I also have an ileostomy and actually took up golf after having an ileostomy. I must have been in my 20's then I still play when I can. I am now 72. One thing I do before I play a round is to take 1/2 of an Imodium tablet about an hour before my round. Keeps output down and I don't worry about having to empty my pouch. Unfortunately, it didn't help my scoring any but I'm just happy I can still play. I guess I'll never get back to the game I used to play.

What a great tip Tea, really appreciate that bit of advice!

First, congratulations on reaching out as that is important. Living with an ostomy is a mind game in that you can let it control you or you can control it. I am not a golfer, though I have played with friends, but have played tennis, basketball, and softball for several years with an ileostomy. You will learn over time when your stoma is active. Over time, you will learn what foods move through your system quickly and which ones slow it down. I had my ileostomy at 38 and that will be 44 years ago in May 2022. By the way, you may have heard of a golfer by the name of Art Wall - he had an ostomy and many holes in one.

Thank you very much, Ival. I really appreciate your suggestions and I will do just that. I plan on taking control and being very active on the golf course this summer. Thank you!

Mr. 59

Geiberger was born in Red Bluff, California, the son of Ray and Mabel Geiberger. His first big tournament win was the 1954 National Jaycee Championship. He graduated from Santa Barbara High School, attended Menlo College and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1959.[4][5]

Geiberger has six children. His son Brent Geiberger is also a professional golfer who won two PGA Tour events. Another son, John, was the coach of the Pepperdine University golf team from 1996-2012, and won the NCAA Championship in 1997.[4] Geiberger's father was one of the victims of the Tenerife airport disaster in 1977.[6][7][8]

Geiberger had surgery in 1980 to remove his colon due to inflammatory bowel disease and has an ileostomy.

His health problems got worse in the 1979 season, when, on the team plane coming home from a road trip, Benirschke collapsed. He underwent two surgeries to remove his large intestine and he was in the intensive care unit for weeks. When released from the hospital, he weighed only 123 pounds and had to adjust to life with two ostomy appliances. His ileostomy was eventually reversed in a Kock pouch procedure.

On Sunday, November 18, 1979, Benirschke made his dramatic return to the Chargers in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he did not play, he was named honorary team captain for the game, which was a sellout. Louie Kelcher, a Chargers' defensive tackle, assisted him and held his hand out onto the field.[1] The Chargers won the game 35-7.

From 1980 to 1982, Benirschke was also a broadcaster for the San Diego Sockers of the former North American Soccer League.[2]

In 1980 Benirschke returned to kicking and played seven more seasons with the team before retiring in 1987 as the team's all-time leader in points scored (766).[3]

He was named the NFL Man of the Year in 1983. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1983 season. In 1984, his kickoffs were viewed to be too short, and he gave a thumbs-up sign to Denver Broncos kicker Rich Karlis before a field goal that defeated the Chargers, prompting a meeting with San Diego owner Alex Spanos over Benirschke's loyalties[clarification needed]. Although Benirschke had the third-highest field goal percentage in NFL history, the Chargers selected punter/kicker Ralf Mojsiejenko in the 1985 NFL Draft to provide competition.[4]

On August 31, 1987, Benirschke was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a draft pick after he lost his job to rookie Vince Abbott. He was released by Dallas on September 7, and formally announced his retirement in December. After 10 years with San Diego, he retired as the team's all-time scoring leader with 766 points and held 15 club records. He made 146 field goals in 208 tries for a .702 field goal percentage, at the time the third-most accurate in league history behind Eddie Murray and Nick Lowery.[5]

In 1997, he was the twentieth player inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame.

Adrian, thank you so much for the information. I have a good system using a 2-piece Hollister and have been fortunate to not have leakage. My skin hurts, but I'm working on that. I just shoveled/cleared 2 feet of snow off the driveway and had no leaks, so golf should not be a problem. I will eat after, maybe having a banana and water. Since joining the group, I have a better outlook on things, thanks to people like yourself. Thank you and the best of luck on your next surgery!

Another question... Thinking about taking my kids to Whistler for March break. Has anyone skied with an ileostomy?