Keeping hydrated is an important aspect of living with a stoma, especially in warmer weather. Here are some top tips to keep hydrated:

• If you are perspiring more, you will need to drink more water.
• If you experience diarrhoea, try to measure your output over 24 hours and within that time try and replace as much as you are losing.
• Fizzy drinks can cause wind, so a good tip would be to open the bottle or can letting some of the fizz go out before drinking it.

If you have a colostomy, you can experience episodes of constipation. This can happen if you aren’t drinking well. Try drinking cool, boiled water in the morning with a dash of orange or lemon juice. This will help produce a more normal bowel function.

An indication that you aren’t drinking enough would be your urine becoming cloudy. You should increase your fluid intake if you experience this. Even though you have a stoma there is absolutely no reason why you can’t drink alcohol. However things to note would be:

• Red wine can cause you to have slightly looser bowel motions.
• Some beers and lagers which are fizzy can cause you to have a lot more excess wind in your pouch.
• Drink in moderation and ensure you keep managing your stoma and pouch.

Drinking more could lead to increased output and potential leaks. Our eakin Cohesive^® seals and eakin freeseal^® are designed to prevent leaks giving you the confidence to enjoy the summer. They can easily handles extra fluid keeping you secure and protected as well.