Seeking advice on ostomy-friendly clothing

Hi all,

I hope everyone is safe and well. I can't wait for my shielding to finish on 16th August.... Nervous, excited, worried and happy all at once.

I wanted some help with clothing for people with stomas. Something suitable to swim, exercise, and casual clothing. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks all. Stay safe.xxx

Have a look at the Vanilla Blush website. They have some great stuff on there. x

Hi Zed,

I can only share my experience and most of the clothes I used to wear are still an option with the exception of jeans for me. They just aren't fitting me as they once did. They are either too low on my hips or way too high on my waist. I might have just outgrown them too. I prefer loose fitting clothing these days.

Best wishes

Try OstomySecrets.com

Ostomy Secrets has good clothing, but they may not ship to the UK (they don't ship to Canada). Vanilla Blush has great clothing and hernia support products; I would definitely give them a look. Their hernia products can be covered by the NHS too. For casual wear, yoga pants are my favourite; for something dressier, you will have to find pants that don't interfere with your stoma - that will be trial and error. Loose blouses that aren't tucked in help cover the ostomy area; clingy fabrics tend to show the outline of the ostomy, so best avoided. Let us know if you have specific clothing issues that we can help you with.

Laurie

Hi Zed, sorry if this is a stupid question but what do you mean by 'shielding"? One tip I would like to give you regarding clothing is that breathability is important. This is my first summer as an ostomate and I've found that I can wear very high-waisted panties that cover my pouch and have enough support to make my stomach look almost completely flat, so I can wear just about anything including clingy or tight-fitting tops. There is always a BUT though. These panties are always made of some type of synthetic fabric and do not breathe well. Especially in hot weather, you will find it gets pretty sweaty and that can make it uncomfortable but also will, in time, speed up the breakdown of the adhesive that is keeping your flange stuck to your skin. If you wear these a lot, you will probably have less time between pouch changes. What I do is wear cotton panties that are hipsters and don't cover my stoma. I probably wear these 90% of the time, particularly in these "stay at home" Covid times we are living in. If I am going out and want to wear something that is a little more figure-flattering, I will wear the synthetic panties, but they are the first thing that comes off when I get home! Hope this helps.

Regards,

Terry

Hi - Hope you are getting used to your new 'strawberry' (Well that's what I call my stoma). You can buy nice swimwear in the UK that is specially for ladies with a stoma - it has an inside pocket for your pouch so it doesn't show. I've had two for years - good quality and nice design and fabric but so sorry I can't remember the name of the company I got them from but I'm sure if you Google stoma swimwear you will get results. Also, the company I get my supplies from has a 'pouch' for swimming. It is just a 'disc' shape with an absorbent lining so no worries about the 'tap' showing!! I wouldn't wear one all afternoon but certainly for a few hours or a 'pool swim'. Hope this helps X

Hi Zed,

I have the same question as delgrl... What is Shielding? I've had my ileostomy for more than 55 years and have never heard that term. As for clothing... I've had problems with that since I hit puberty (12) and had my surgery at 15. I'm short, 5'2", have always been somewhat overweight, and have a very low "waistline" when I did "have a waist". After extensive weight loss and gain, due to medication, and then the ostomy surgery, poof... had no waist at all. I have always had to hem (cut off bottoms of pants), underwear was always too high up on my waist, and hip huggers (pants or underwear) didn't cover my stoma. I was a 15-year-old fashion misfit and hated to go shopping. But I learned to accept my body, especially the changes that came with pregnancy (2x). Jeans were always a problem, as were dress pants with zippers. I learned to look for forgiving fabrics with some "stretch" and wore sweaters or shirts "out" instead of tucked. The empire-waisted "dresses" were a dream, and they were in style when I was working in "the city". That was the best wardrobe I had. I also looked for comfortable skirts with loose-fitting "blazers". But that was more a weight issue than a stoma issue. Underwear was something else... I tried brand after brand and found ones that worked for me. I wear a light synthetic/stretchy fabric during the day (when I'm out and about) but comfortable cotton at night or when I'm home during the day. The best advice is to shop with a good attitude and know what it is you're comfortable wearing. I love yoga pants and wear loose-fitting tops. I've found soft jeans with pull-on/elastic waist. I learned to sew... to accommodate my needing to hem clothes or cut off waistbands and redo them. For more expensive clothing, I always had a seamstress. When I vented to one, she lectured me that not everyone is born with a perfect figure. For everyone else... get a seamstress. She was right. The first thing I did after my surgery was buy a bathing suit. We were a beach family, and I hadn't been swimming for 4 years. That's an ongoing challenge (again, more for weight issues). But I found brands that had an extra supporting "belly control panel" and that worked great. Before I discovered that, I wore panties under the bathing suit. Best of luck to you... Marsha. By the way, I'm now 72, still chubby, but Maxine of Hollywood is still around. I just bought a new suit, even though we're still in lockdown for COVID...