Flying with an Ostomy - Tips and Advice

Hello all... I am traveling next week. I have flown before and didn't have much problems, except having to rub my hands over my ostomy site and then having my hands read for explosive material..(This was in front of the travelers waiting to be checked in). Any suggestions on flying, traveling etc. As always thank you for all the sage advice and suggestions, tips and lessons. Yaya

Hey yaya. I travel frequently and I deal with the same thing whenever I have to go through a scanner. Personally, it doesn't bother me and I usually have to explain that I have an ostomy. You have the option for a private screening but I know this is sort of inconvenient and time-consuming. Most TSA agents are very friendly about it depending on which airport you're traveling from.

Recently, I've enrolled in TSA Precheck. Not that it keeps you from going through a scanner but sometimes they have both the metal detector and scanner going at the same time, and most of the time, people enrolled in Precheck get to go through the metal detector instead of the scanner. Check it out at http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck. Hope this helps.

Thanks NJ... Yes, it did help. I don't think I have enough time this round but will certainly follow through the next travel trip. Take care, stay healthy, and God bless. Yaya

Hi Yaya. I did a lot of flying since I got an ileostomy five years ago. I never had any issue with TSA but that may be due to the big city airports I used and the quality of TSA training programs there. I have lots of recommendations but I will limit them to just three shorties. Don't eat much before departure or within an hour of landing. Your bag can fill up fast at a time you are confined to your seat. Buy bottled water once you are inside the security zone for use on the flight. Dehydration is an issue especially for ileostomates. Finally, make sure you have ostomy supplies and meds in your carry-on luggage as well as in your checked baggage as these items can get lost. That said, where are you off to? Have a great trip.

PB

Like Prime said, I flew from Melbourne to Malaysia and ileostomy me, but I had no problems emptying my pouch. But like Prime said, I still wouldn't eat too much as I have a liquidish output. Using my gel sachets are a blessing. But hey, I flew to Malaysia (Muslim) and they were sooo respectful. I accidentally had eyebrow pluckers in my pocket LOL (IDIOT), so I had to show my top. Also, all done respectfully lol. In Thailand, they just steal your stuff, not put into any big bin. As I did buy a crazy lighter from a street boy and it was taken off me straight into the lady/male/ladyboys pocket. HOW RUDE LOLOL. Take care, but most of all, live life, have fun. My motto - don't have the money anymore, but keep enjoying what life has given you. Easy for me to say, hey? I'm on pain relief. Cheers, Mooz

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Hi Primeboy! Thanks for the tips. I have flown before but it's been a few years back and I'm not sure I remember everything I knew then... Old age and too many operations.. (At least that's what I tell myself ) I am going to Las Vegas for 4 days with my fella. I have never been and it's on my bucket list. I hope everything goes smoothly.. but if not, I have handled "crisis" before. Take care. Stay healthy. God bless. Yaya

Yes. This has happened to me. I even got a letter from my physician. Didn't matter. You should tell them you have an ostomy and would like some privacy. I've learned to just not care. Good luck.

Hi YaYa,

Have fun in Las Vegas... I have been there many times and it's a lot of fun. As for flying, I've traveled extensively all over the world these last 20 years, and sometimes getting through the scans is easier than others. I always carry all my ostomy supplies on board with me in a carry-on, but I also keep a quick change package in my purse or tote in case of an emergency. I'm also a diabetic and am on a lot of medications/insulin. I have syringes as well as a BiPAP for sleep apnea. So if anyone is going to get checked, it is me. But I rarely have a problem. I fly to Australia every year to visit my son and his family who live there, but this last year was the first time I had difficulty being scanned. I'm also a bit "perverse". So when they couldn't see my ostomy/pouch clearly, they asked me if I could pull up my pants more (I wear pull-ons, not a belt). I looked her in the eye and said, no I couldn't. I didn't know what the issue was, but I had never had the problem before. They rescanned me and let me through anyway.

I take it all in stride, considering the number of syringes I need to take with me for a 4-week stay in Australia (8 shots a day). I'm a walking pharmacy, but as I said, I never really have a problem. As for eating and food, I don't worry about that either. I always use the restroom before I board, so I don't have to fight my way to the restroom immediately. Because I'm a diabetic, I also bring my own food snacks on board since the trip to Australia is 19 hours, and I never know what time they're going to feed us. But with the short trip you'll be taking, you don't have to really worry about it. I don't bother buying another bottle of water, but I bring an empty water bottle through the screening process and use a water fountain to fill it up. When I board the plane, I always ask for a bottle of water. They always have one available...

So, relax and enjoy your trip... and just go with the flow.

Marsha

Hi Yaya,

I contacted TSA last year when I traveled because I was concerned about going through security with my colostomy. I have copied a link below where you can print off a traveler card and just hand it to security when you're going through, so that you don't have to say anything to them. They asked if I wanted to get scanned in private. I was so thankful to have this card and not have to say out loud that I have a colostomy bag.

All the best and hope this helps!

Deanne

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/notification-card