Glamping with an ostomy

Glamping with an ostomy is a first for me. When I booked this and revealed all to my best friend, her response was to roll around laughing, as I am not known for my ‘at one with nature’ attitude. I am a girl that likes her toilet facilities nearby and creature comforts of heating and not having to cook.

I like to plan things. I can’t help it. The things you must make sure you pack i.e. stoma supplies just in case can be mind boggling and tedious. Last year when my stoma was only seven months old, Ben decided to treat us to a surprise trip to Bruges. I had what can only be described as an epic meltdown, because a hotel hadn’t been booked and I was in a strange country without knowing where the toilets were with a rather high output stoma. When he suggested sleeping in the car, I had a massive tantrum (childish yes), but I was so worried about having an accident in the leased car that I cried a fair amount of tears.

Glamping for me was a massive step out of my comfort zone, but one I decided to embrace and let my ‘wing life’ attitude take hold.

What to pack?

Packing for glamping is pretty much like packing for camping. You need things such as cups, plates, BBQ and a cooking stove, not to mention chairs and things such as games, to keep you entertained. I would also suggest packing bed linen, as you only get the bare bones of a bed and a rather cute wooden hut to shelter you. The huts have a little heater, kettle and fridge to keep your food in.

I took my stoma kit with me to cover for any accident or a bag change if needed. It’s always better to be overprepared than underprepared. Here’s what I took with me:

4 stoma bags
Adhesive remover
Barrier cream
Dry wipes
Adhesive remover wipes
Sterilised water wipes
Scissors
4 seal away bags
One freezer bag for showering
Baseplate extenders for swimming

I only changed once in the three days we were away and changing in the lady’s showers was easier than changing at home, as they had shelves and a bin close to hand.

My Experience

I went to a place called Cwmcarn Forest in Wales and the camp was lovely. It was very quaint and not like a camping away at the usual Haven places, as they only allow so many people onto the site due to the size. The toilets and facilities were just across from the pod and you had to gain access using a code. This at 3am was rather amusing when half-asleep.

I loved the experience, even though the weather was not my friend that weekend. We left Kent and the temperature was in the high twenties. We got to Wales and were greeted with rain and gale-force winds. Lighting the BBQ Saturday night was an experience, but thanks to some clever thinking and a rather big roll of tin foil, we managed to cook in what can only be described as a hurricane at the time.

The one scary moment for me was during the early hours of Saturday morning. I average two toilet visits due to my output in the night and being half asleep, I convinced myself that someone was in the toilet with me and following me back to the pod. Apologies to anyone who saw a grown woman in Supergirl pyjamas looking like she was running the 100 metres at 3am, but I have a habit of managing to freak myself out.