Running with a Urostomy Bag: Seeking Advice on Belt Issues

Good morning. I've had a urostomy bag for about a year due to a radical cystectomy with an ileal conduit from bladder cancer. I have a running question. I've been running for 45 years and have continued to run. My problem is that when I use a horizontal stealth belt, there is more often than not dark red blood in my urine output. When I use the vertical belt, which is much less comfortable for running, it doesn't happen as often. I know it's mechanical and not medical. Does anyone have suggestions? Thanks.

Morning Kathy.

Welcome to the front butt club. Good to have ya.

May I ask who are u running from or to?🤔.

Members here have connections, ya know Jimmy Hoffa? Peeps know where he's buried.

And Tony Saprano? Yep. We know who shot him. 😁.

Ok enuff of that.My ice breaker.

It does sound mechanical.

Stoma blood perhaps from rubbing. Your appliance too tight?  Makes sense it would bleed horizontal as opposed to vertical. Less stress and pressure hanging.

But u know this already.

How vigorous do you run?

What if u tried walking briskly instead?  

How does yur stoma look at change bag time?  If it looks beat up raw, I think yur running too hard or appliance, the ring, flange, are too tight.

I don't have a uro. 

I have an ileo. 

Others will chime in though, more experienced. Sit tight. 

I agree it's mechanical. I imagine it's friction from the wafer on the stoma.

If you are manually cutting the hole in your flange, make sure it's really smooth with no sharp edges.

Are you using a barrier ring? If not, add one. If so, maybe consider switching to a softer ring that swells. I think this would help cushion the stoma.

I don't know how fast your bag fills. If you don't need the full volume, you could fold up the bottom and clip it shorter, then wear it vertically. The shorter bag should be more comfortable.

Morning Warrior, thanks so much! Running from body image changes and stress towards normalcy and health, lol. I really appreciate your response. I should have used this site earlier. Hope all is well with you.

Hi Susan. Wow, thanks so much for your suggestions! I'm going to try every one of them. I should have used this site months ago! Hope all is well with you. Have a good day.

My Ostomy Journey: Kimberly | Hollister

Susan, I use a Hollister Adapt barrier ring, a Hollister Cera Plus 2-piece skin barrier, and a Hollister New Image 2-piece pouch. Do you have an appliance you think works better? This has worked very well for me, other than the run issue. This is so helpful for me to have someone to talk with about it.

Welcome from Oz 🇦🇺

You should never run unless something is chasing you 🤣

After you cut your hole in the appliance, hit it with the hair dryer and/or run a finger around the cut to smooth any sharp edges. It may not be your problem, but it's good practice.

I'm using the same barrier ring with the SenSura Mio Click 2-piece system. I needed the deep convex because my urostomy is a bit below skin level.

I don't know that the system makes a huge difference, but it might be worth trying a different system. I used a Hollister system in the hospital, and it was much more rigid than the SenSura Mio. So maybe a less rigid system would be different. I can't quite wrap my mind around how it would help, so that's a desperation option.

Hi Kathy, just a suggestion, but maybe think about taking up cycling so there's less wear and tear.