For Valentine’s Day I treated myself to a bag of ghost pepper chips from Trader Joes and a 90 minute massage. It was amazing. I ate almost the entire bag on my way to and home from the massage, and I enjoyed my massage thoroughly. While on the table I realized I’ve had quite a few massages in the time I’ve had an ostomy, but the last time I wrote about getting a massage with an ostomy was nearly five years ago, so I thought it would be fun to circle back with an update.
Though not much has changed in how much my body yearns for massages, a lot has changed in how I approach getting them. I’ve built up a lot of trust with my body and while I may have still been a little bit apprehensive when I wrote that first post, I am now totally comfortable getting a massage with an ostomy.
How my Comfort Level Receiving a Massage with an Ostomy has Evolved
While I was healing and getting comfortable with laying on my stomach, I would go to massages and tell them about my ostomy and was hyper-aware of it. I would figure out special accommodations, like putting the headrest thing around my ostomy (with the opening where the pouch opened) and a pillow for the other side of my body. The massage therapists were all really accommodating and everything was fine.
As I got more comfortable laying on my stomach I began ditching the headrest and pillow combination and laid flat, just like I’d done before my ostomy surgery, but I would often put my hands under my hips to “lift” them up a little bit. This served my emotional comfort more than actually doing anything to relieve pressure from my ostomy.
Gradually I became even more trusting of my body and its ability to withstand pressure and no longer use my hands as an emotional crutch. I lay there and trust that my body can handle what the massage therapist is doing to me and completely give in to how nice it is to have all those kinks worked out.
My most recent massage was with a massage therapist I hadn’t tried before. We did my intake quickly and discussed my cranky problem areas and then she stepped out for me to get undressed. As I was undressing I realized I’d completely forgotten to tell her I have an ostomy. I mentioned it when she came back in and she asked me to tell her a little bit so I just said “my small intestine sticks out of my abdomen on my lower right quadrant”. She mentioned that she’s had other patients with colostomies so she was a little bit familiar but neither of us expected it to interfere with my massage either way.
Notes on Disclosing Your Ostomy & Laying on Your Belly
Do you have to tell your masseuse about your ostomy? No, but I believe the more they know about how your anatomy might differ from joe schmoe’s anatomy, the better job they’re able to do for you. I’ve had massage therapists who are familiar with ostomies and have had others who’ve never heard of any ostomy but are fascinated in learning more (one might even follow me on Instagram now, I think!). When you get a massage, you’re trusting your body in the hands of someone else, so it’s important that you feel comfortable communicating with them so that if something does hurt, or feels weird, or just isn’t quite right, you can let them know.
Not everyone is ready or able to lay on their belly, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from getting a massage! Another option beyond my makeshift methods includes looking for massage therapists who do prenatal massage, or at least have a little bit of training in prenatal massage. They could have a table that accommodates a nice, big pregnancy belly that might also work for a belly down massage with an ostomy (I think they have a hole for the belly area). They’d likely also be better versed in massaging you while you lie on your side or sit up.
Do you have any tips or suggestions for getting a massage with an ostomy?