Best Parastomal Hernia Belt for Women with a Muffin Top?

I'm 28, female, and have a muffin top I've gained over 50 lbs since my last two surgeries. My last one was 6 months ago. I now have a hernia. I've tried ostomy belts prior to a stoma hernia, and due to my bigger belly, they all don't fit right or squeeze my gut in half. Are ostomy belts with the hole better than the wraps? The wraps make my bag just hang with no support and could potentially cause a leak. I need one that's support directly around the stoma itself, one that doesn't cause pain, one that doesn't roll or budge if I lay down on my side or sit normally. Something I can wear under clothing, one that's not so heavy it'll make me sweat, causing heat strokes.

G-Day trishydishy,

One of the main companies that supply belts says they will never sell the belt with a hole because it acts like a convex base and pushes the hernia out more, making it bigger.

Regards, IGGIE

I have a few different ones I use for different occasions. I have one that is like a C that overlaps each other—this one I use when I need more support, like when I am doing construction or weight-bearing things. Then I had the small one that works; it's the bags I use—using the loops on the flange. I don't really like the ones with the solid hole, and I'm not wild about the underwear or wraps. What I do use often is the little single belt that works with the bag. I will wear a cami; I get the longer ones in cotton with spaghetti straps. The best place for price and selection I have found is Walmart. The colors change with the season, and here they are like 4-5 bucks, and they almost always have them. They hold it gently but stop it from flopping around but don't constrict. If you feel you need a bit more support, if you get the longer ones, you can turn the bottom up and put a couple of stitches in both sides just wide enough for your bag to sit in…

Hope that helps! I'll try to add pics of the C one and the small one I use with the bag.

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The belt that attaches to the flange will support the bag but does not provide hernia support.

Lighter supports like underwear or a cami may or may not provide enough support. I haven't tried them.

A belt with a hole to pull the bag through can provide the underlying support without interfering with the bag itself. Be sure that the hole isn't too big. It should sit on the rigid portion of your wafer.

Stealth Belt and Nu-Hope are the most frequently mentioned. My personal favorite is:

https://ostomybagholder.com/

But I needed a custom belt with 2 holes, so your opinion may vary.

Look at Amazon for Corsinel Stoma-safe plus ostomy support garment. It is soft and comfortable; it doesn't ride up. It has two layers. There is a hole for your bag, and then there is a little gap in the bottom of the outer layer to put the folded-up end of your bag in. It holds everything securely, and then I pull my underwear over it. I weigh 235 pounds and bought the large/x-large, and it fits well. Also, it is easy to hand wash and hang to dry. It would work for men too.

All good suggestions. I don't wear a hernia belt. I wear my belt that attaches to my bag to hold my bag securely in place. But I don't think it helps with hernias. I can see where you might have an issue with rolling up or cutting off your tummy. I don't have a flat tummy, and I have lost 100 pounds. I still don't have a flat stomach at 157 pounds. It can be a frustrating prospect to find a hernia belt. I hope some of these suggestions help you out. Maybe let us know if you find one that works for you. I'd be interested to know myself. I don't want to get another hernia. I just had hernia repair surgery on May 15th of this year. It was not great. I had ileus after where my intestines didn't wake up, and I ended up back in the hospital from vomiting due to the ileus. So if I can prevent another hernia from happening, I'd love to. So do let us know if you find something that works.

I use a hernia belt with a hole for the ostomy pouch. I find it helps secure the pouch. It's a NuHope belt.

Hi Trish,

I bought a belt from Amazon that was designed with a hole for support around an ostomy. I made this purchase because I had a spinal infection, and the neurosurgeon recommended I wear a support brace for my back (a near impossible task with an ostomy). I found the belt easy to use, and it worked with my ostomy location. I have since had a reversal; the surgeon had to repair two hernias, one around the ostomy and the other an umbilical hernia. The surgeon said virtually everyone with an ostomy ends up with a hernia.

Here is the Amazon description: The U-shaped stoma belt can be adjusted to fit the wound size of the stoma patient according to the wound of the stoma patient. The U-shaped mouth can be adjusted to a minimum of 2.36 inches and a maximum of 6.88 inches.

Essentially, the belt ends consist of two U-shaped pieces that Velcro around the ostomy. The product name is: Abdominal Medical ostomy belt, Adjustable Stoma support belt. It would definitely provide some support as the entire item can be adjusted to the needs.

I hope this helps.

Really? Most ostomy nurses recommend those! I didn't go that route.

I got the Stomaplex belt instead.

Apparently, no one suggests the whole ones anymore. I ordered the Stomaplex hernia belt; look into them.

Stoma Guard | The Customizable Stoma Guard | Stomaplex https://share.google/6icU5LTK9vSEv670r

It looks interesting, but it doesn't appear that it would work for me. I have 2 ostomies, and the design has the "guard" working like a buckle.

Nevertheless, it would be a good option for people with 1 ostomy.

Started to develop a para-stomal hernia. "Stealth Belt" custom made me a belt with a support band built in. My Osteo RN helped me design the right pattern and sent it in. I can easily adjust the tension, so my gut doesn't squirt out. My "little buddy" is quite comfortable. Their CEO, Richard OHamill, is an Osteomate and has insight. He's a weight lifter (yikes) and looks like Jason Momoa. Read his story. I own 3 belts. $120-135?

Are you looking for a good stoma protector? This is the one I use.

And like, it comes with little Velcro strips you put on your bag, and most of the time I can peel them off and use them again. It comes with several, and you can order more, so I think it will last a while. It's hard plastic but not a huge profile, so it doesn't stick out that far.

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Hope this helps.

SIIL Stoma Guard Shield (Beige)..

. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DZVDDL5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Try the new hope belt. I wear the 7-inch wide belt; it won't feel like it's cutting you in half. They go to 9-inch widths to 52-inch lengths.

Can you still get a chastity belt? Probably not.

I've read this opinion about support belts with a hole for the appliance. I wonder what type of hernia support is available without the ability to thread the pouch through the hole to free the stoma to do its job. Wouldn't a solid belt restrict that?

What is a muffin top?

LOL, they mean a little roll of fat that sort of spills over the top of pants like the top of a muffin spills over the bottom.

I tend to agree with Iggie. However, your mileage may vary depending on your pouching system.

Using my hernia belt with the SenSura Mio Click wafer has enough rigidity to keep it from puckering outward. Using it with the 1-piece version, it puckers outward, and I will leak underneath within a couple of hours.

I use a belt with holes to pull my bag through with no issues. But I'm using the Sensura Mio Click wafer, and the holes are snug on the rigid part of the wafer.

I had an experience with a belt that had holes bigger than the rigid portion, and the puckering was bad. I took it off immediately; it was obvious that this belt would cause problems.

It's interesting that the 1-piece of the same brand won't work with the hole-style belt. I guess it makes sense because there probably isn't a rigid portion. It goes a long way toward explaining why people have such different opinions on the belts.

I stand by my opinion that anything tight enough to provide hernia support will impede output flow unless there is a mechanism to prevent that. I really like the belt that trishydishy suggested. It's too bad it won't work with 2 ostomies. But it's a great option for all the single ostomates.

I also have a hernia, very large. I use and wear a much larger girdle instead of a belt. Works for me :)

Could be true for some osteomates, but not me. I started to prolapse 4 years ago. My stoma/wound RN helped me custom build a Stealth Belt. It supports my whole peristomal area. Along with specialized PT, my "little buddy" mostly stays in place. I can lift 45 lbs. Check out their CEO, Richard O'Hamill. He looks like Jason Momoa. He ran 8 miles without applying the stickum on his wafer. No poop leaked. I tried in a hot tub near Mt. Fuji; it worked.

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I'll ask her mom, Cher Bono?

Susan. You piqued my curiosity and found this on Stealth Belt's website. "If your ostomy bag does not have a drain opening in the bottom of the bag, you will need to remove the Stealth Band from your body when changing your non-drainable bag. Once you reapply a new bag, simply put your Stealth Band back on. Please mention you use a one-piece non-drainable appliance when ordering." They might custom-make a belt for double ostomies. I have not heard back from them yet. Cost about $20 more?

Hi Hunny. I used to get the wide white ones for free on Medicare every 6 months. They restricted my body movements. The large Velcro was awkward. Free skinny belts, too. They dug into my belly; I'm skinny from Crohn's. I found wraps or stealth belts convenient and comfortable.

I tried repeatedly to get measurement information for a double ostomy belt from Stealth Belt. Crickets. This is after both calling and emailing a total of at least 6 times over a 6-month period. The most response I got was a canned email saying they'd get back to me.

Now I can't even find double belts on the website. Obviously, I had to go a different route. I try not to trash them because the belts are so popular, and I think you're fine if you only need a 1-hole belt. Those instructions are available on the website. But I am fed up with them. The ostomy bag holder site was responsive, and their belts are similar to the Stealth Belt. They'll be getting my business.

Hi Susan - How long ago did you try to interact with them? My ostomy nurse gave me a card for them that turns out to be outdated. They're under "new" management now. https://stealthbelt.org/pages/about-us - they apparently had issues in 2024 and have "new" management under a new URL (.org).

I'm about to order a belt, as my doctor has approved me to finally resume normal activities, and my ostomy nurse recommended I get a stealth belt before restarting things.

Hope that helps and good luck!

The last time I contacted them was after the management change... March maybe? More recently, I checked the website and saw nothing about 2-hole belts.

Thanks for the compliment. Considering how sick I was for years, just skin and bones, I'm very lucky to be alive, and to occasionally be accidentally confused for Jason Momoa is a huge honor.

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