Seeking budget-friendly pants for ostomy needs

My ostomy is right on my belt line and about two inches to the left of my navel. I cannot wear jeans high enough to go above the Hollister two-piece. And I do not want the bag inside my pants anyway. So I have settled for Blue Mountain Utility Jeans from Tractor Supply Company - because they seem to have what I consider a mid-rise which makes it a bit easier to wear the belt about 2-1/2 inches below the flange or about 3-1/2 inches below my navel. But even the rise would be a bit too high if I pulled them up to the correct fit.

I'm 75 years old on a fixed income. Five feet eleven inches tall, 165 pounds with a soft belly and nothing much to hold my pants up but my belt cinched up. Elastic waistbands don't stay up sufficiently, so a belt is essential. The Blue Mountain Jeans are only about twelve dollars which is just right for my budget. I'm not interested in 'brand' or 'stylish'. I wear shirts that cover the bag. Nothing ever tucked in. The jeans I'm wearing do the job, but I have to pull them lower than designed which makes the crotch pretty droopy and the back pockets are pretty low on my backside. All things I can live with for now.

So, what am I looking for? Just suggestions from anyone who has had a similar problem and found a budget-friendly solution to a pair of jeans or similar pants that have a lower than regular rise and fit appropriate for an older man. And, if anyone wants more information about the utility jeans or other information I might be able to offer, please ask.

I've had my colostomy for 22 months and have worn the same style Hollister two-piece products successfully.

I've been there, Keepers.  Someone needs to clue in these surgeons about not placing stomas right at the naval line.  Due to complications not relevant to this topic, I had to have my ileostomy re-done in 2011 and it was moved from the right side to the left side.  I particularly requested of the surgeon that he place the stoma lower, and I drew an X to mark the spot where I knew it would be below my beltline.  What I did prior to that was wear suspenders a lot.  They held my pants up without the need for a belt.  I wore the shirt over the suspenders.  I also wore coveralls, which needed no belt, and a garage machanic type overall that accomplished the same thing.  These days, I'm wearing sweat pants a lot.  Ah, the benefits of retirement.  Good luck with your search.  Stay well.  HenryM

I usually buy elastic or stretch waistbands. I just came across a pair of golf elastic pants. They fit great in the waist and in the seat. I'm a 32-inch waist. They look 100 times better than any pair of pants that I have bought before.

Hi Keepers,

I have a higher ostomy but I like Henry's thoughts and I only had one addition to add: bib overalls. It's a thought. I also wear suspenders because I have a flat rear end and narrow hips. With a belt, my pants slide down like one of those rappers.

..mtnman.

Hello keepers51.

I do not wear jeans, as I find the material too hard for my liking. However, having had similar problems I don't mind chipping in with comments on my own solutions.

At first I tried all sorts of manipulations of trousers to try to get a comfortable fit. In the end I gave up with belts because no matter how they fitted to begin with, during the day there would be times when the belt would interfere with the stoma in some way. I then tried braces, but unfortunately, the fixtures on modern braces are simply not up to the job like the old fashioned button on braces so, eventually, I gave up on these as well.

I then started wearing overalls/boilersuits in the winter and bib & brace style in the summer. These designs require no belt-like supports at all and were ideal as a practical solution to the stoma problems.  They also have the advantage of being functionally accessible for toiletting purposes without the need for removal of the garment. I use press-stud and zip fasteners, but much prefer the zips because the press-studs tend to leave an embarrasingly too great a gap btween each.  The gap is wide enough to be visible when sitting down (or on my bike). The design of the boilersuit has been adapted for what I might call 'smarter clothes' for going out; I have a waistcoat with buttons strategically placed so that the wastcoat acts like braces and the whole set-up looks like an ordinary suit. However, this is very rarely used nowadays, as I (& everybody I know) has become used to me wearing boiler suits in almost all situations. I joke that I like this attire because it makes me look as if I am a 'proper' workman, rather than a paper-pusher. Also,I have never been shy to explain the 'real' reasons why the boiler suits are worn - as I think that anyone who is that interested deserves to be educated into the trials and tribulations of the ostomy world. 

I do hope you are able to find something that suits your own requirements.

Best wishes

Bill

Hello Bill,

I just wanted to mention that here in the great Northwest many people wear the button on braces, especially loggers, truckers, and many others. So they are readily available here, just for more options. Great thoughts as always Bill.

...mountain.  

A 32" waist??!!  Holy merde... I once had one of those... in another lifetime!

Hey guys,

Good info. Took me a second to figure out what you were talking about when you said "braces". So for anyone reading this who's confused.......in the UK, clothing "braces" hold up trousers (pants). "Suspenders" hold up stockings. So "braces" over there are what we Americans call "suspenders".

Keepers........what you are looking for are called "low rise jeans" or "ultra low rise jeans". Amazon sells a bunch of brands of them, but they're fashionable right now.........so not cheap. And definitely not 12 cheap. Wranglers are probably the cheapest, but what you may need is something even lower than they offer. For that, your best bet is to hook up with a seamstress. If that's not possible, your next best bet is to have jeans custom made for you. Not cheap, but you can get exactly what you want and put this one behind you. There are lots of folks who can make you custom pants, this is the first one I found to give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

https://www.makeyourownjeans.com/low-rise-jeans

Again, not cheap.......but you have a pretty unique situation in fashion terms. The other option is to learn how to sew.......trust me, it's not hard.....and make your own. You can teach old dogs new tricks. I'll keep an eye out for low cut jeans and if I see anything on sale.......I'll PM you and let you know.

Regards,

Bob

I didn't look to see which are the cheapest, but I know Wrangler makes them as well......and I think Wranglers are the cheapest you'll find. The specific Wrangler jeans you want to check out are called "Wrangler Retro Slim Boot Cut Jeans". I've never tried them, as my stoma was placed just above my belt line, so I'm just going by what I'm reading online.

I knew I'd seen you somewhere before ............ Snoop Mane Mtnman

Hi keepers, I never wear belts. I was told by my ostomy nurse not to. I buy trousers with a 2-inch larger waist to accommodate the pouch, which I usually wear inside my trousers. I think this gives support to the pouch and less pressure on the pouch seal. I wear joggers or lightweight trousers that can be rolled up below the stoma and will stay up okay. I do not carry anything in trouser pockets, so not heavy. I do wear braces (suspenders), and there are some that do the job okay. Not flimsy ones but strong quality makes. I always wear my shirt or pullover, jumper, cardigan over the stoma, so do not worry about fastening trouser buttons or zips all the way. Good luck. Patrick

Greetings,

Yeah, same boat. I've had to get new pants a couple inches wider to have less pressure on the pouch. I tried the standard suspenders, but getting them off and on is a pain. So I found the 'Hikers' suspenders. Best thing since sliced bread. They have a single hook for the loop in the back; and the front hooks onto the pant's button. Easy to rinse out and dries fast. I wear mine under my tee-shirt, on my skin. Highly recommend it for those who want wider pants and to keep them up and easy to take off/replace when necessary.

https://hikersco.com/

Gary

Good one Gary! That is a pretty simple solution! Darn easy to make yourself too!!!

Much appreciated!

Regards,

Bob

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and info. I now can see there are a couple of options I can try.

Cheers,

Keepers51

Since four days ago when I last replied with a thank you for all your suggestions, I have done several hours of internet research on a possible solution. I chose Gary's recommendation: the Hikers suspender. It should do what I need and is especially good because I have to resort to sitting on the toilet pretty often, and the Hikers should allow me to do that with just a single unhooking of the back, according to a couple of reviewers on a popular shopping site.

So this choice may work out just fine. But in research and comparing various design possibilities to my needs, I will continue research. I hope to find a y-back three-point with a snap clip in the back and two tension clasps in the front. Why? You ask... because the snap clip will be fast and easy for manipulating the back for when I need to lower my jeans to sit, and the clamps in front will allow me to position the attachment where I want to avoid interference with the pouch system. The spring clip arrangement on the front requires I catch the belt loop, which will place the suspender right across the hook point of the pouch belt, so I need to be able to move it over a couple of inches to clear that problem. I think I saw what I needed once in the hundreds of pictures I looked at but can't find it now.

I've worn jeans my whole life, except for a couple of brief blocks in my work career when I wore some Haggar slacks. And I've only owned a couple of ties all these years as well. One was a pretty dazzling Jerry Garcia! I'm plain and happy.

Anyway, for now, I'll be expecting some enjoyment from this Hikers adaptation. If you're interested, I will keep updating these results.

Regards for now,

Keepers51

Thank you for the help. After all, I have decided to keep my Blue Mountain jeans I have been buying from Tractor Supply and go with the Hikers suspender idea that Gary posted in his reply a couple days ago.
Stay well.

There's a belt made that only goes from hip to hip around your waist, leaving your stomach area belt 'free'. You tighten/loosen the belt along the side. It connects to your belt loops on each end and goes through the other belt loops like normal. A guy that I work with showed it to a bunch of us because it came up in conversation about belt buckles digging into your stomach.