Wearing an Ostomy Belt at Night: Is It Necessary?

Should I wear the belt, the one that connects to the appliance at night when sleeping? Does it keep the appliance a lot more secure?

I definitely do. I never, at first. It is definitely a game changer.

Yes, it definitely keeps it more secure. I also wear my ostomy belt most of the day.

Yes, I wear a night mask at night as well; it feels a bit more secure to me.

I think you got your answer.

24/7, in agreement with all of the above. 👍💯

Living with Your Ostomy | Hollister

Hi AL77,

At night it does keep things more secure, but you have to cinch up the belt when you lie down or it will go slack due to gravity distorting your body... and then it's not doing much. Then when you get up in the morning, you'll need to loosen it up a bit. I wear mine 24/7 and always have... purely for 'peace of mind.' Being short-gutted with frequent output, it could be really hard for me to change my barrier in the event it got ripped off at any time other than first thing in the morning. I also never carry those supplies with me... so I belt up! But there are lots of folks that don't. To each their own, obviously.

;O)

Wear excellent Nu-Hope belts.

I guess I'm an outlier.  I never wear a belt, awake or asleep.  I used to years ago but it bothered me.  I have no problems or issues as a result of being beltless.  I will wear a wide support belt sometimes when I exercise, but that's it.  

I wear it 24/7, but you need to be cautious at night. If you slide sideways, it can stretch the belt and cause some slack where the hook attaches to the bag, and the hook can disconnect. Several times, I have woken with the belt disconnected at one end. No issues, but just something to be aware of.

I have two anti-hernia vests; I have one for night and one for daytime.

I pretty much use the night one as a PJ top. It helps keep the bag secure when I'm rolling over at night, and if there is a leak, it generally prevents the sheets from becoming soiled.

Thanks for the advice about tightening the belt for sleeping. I haven't done that, but I will certainly start.

Hi all, the only time I wear a belt is right after doing a change, and then it's only for a couple of hours.

Slide as you sleep? 🤔 Are you in a water bed? 🤭 Are people from Oz prone to sliding sideways as they sleep? 🤷‍♂️.. sounds like a slippery spot 🤔 to be in.. 😊

Just busting you. 👍

I wear my belt all the time except in the shower. I feel more secure with it on. I think it does make the appliance more secure, too.

I have some wild weekends ... 🤪

Photos! Or video, please!😆

Otherwise, it never happened!!!😀😆🤔🤣

My husband definitely does. We've had a few leaks before doing that.

I wear my ostomy belt 24/7. It really has stopped my leakage.

Agree. I wear mine all the time. I also do some serious taping down with Hollister barrier extenders. I use 5 of them, yes, 5 and the belt. My beast stays caged.

Yes! Since I switched to a bag with tabs worn with a belt, I've had no more leaky accidents during the night. I'm not a restless sleeper, but I do turn from lying on my right side to my left, and that's when the bag would loosen, and I and my bedding would end up in a mess, even when worn with barrier tape plus surgical tape. Since using the belt (I wear it 24/7), I've had no more accidents. Try it and see for yourself. Good luck.

I agree with the security part. I get gas, and sometimes the wafer will leak, especially when constricted. I've woken up at night to empty, and my pouch looks like a football. "50-yard dash to my Super Bowl (Kohler Cimarron)." Tried filtered bags, but the filter leaks bits of poop after a few days. I use pillows and sleep on my left side.

I find it very helpful, also. I wear mine 24/7.

I use Hollister extenders also. They are the best tape. I wear a 2-piece Hollister appliance, and before I put on the flange, I use a skin barrier called Tens Aces. That really makes a difference in the flange sticking to my skin, so I do not have leaks. I always wear my ostomy belt. I wish the Hollister filters worked better. Other than that, the Hollister bags work best for me.

How long have you had your stoma? While I was in the hospital, the nurses tried the belt on my pee bag (I had both colostomy and urostomy) because it leaked at night about a dozen times during the first month in the hospital, but it did not stop the leaking. Despite having nurses who were all stoma trained, plus a head stoma nurse, none of them apparently noticed that the leaking was caused by a complete mismatch between the contours of my stoma mound and belly button and the backside of my bag. I noticed it one day when it popped open near my belly button, which was quite deep, told them about it, and the head stoma nurse got me a completely different bag (Hollister with soft tape-like flanges). We tried it out and never had a leak again despite not using the belt. I hated the restrictive feeling of the belt, and it also rubbed my back raw and red in some spots, made my back itch all the time, and interfered with the function of my poo stoma bag.