Swimwear

hi all
does anyone know where to get a swimsuit .i m due to go on holiday later in the year and have never managed to get a decent swimsuit that does actually hide the bag,i did buy one from a company in the uk  who make ostomy products but it was no good and really old fashioned,any suggestions welcome i wish i was good at dressmaking i d do it myself
isabella

Hi isabella,
Have you looked at www.whiterosecollection.com  click on womens and they have swimwear

Know what you mean about the ostomy clothing company lines, always seem to be for the "older" generation!  And they are a lot more expensive than the ordinary bathers.  I'd go for the chain store varieties cos they're just as good as the brand names.
I have always used just the bathers I wore pre-surgery, a one-piece black cossie (speedo) that do have a bit of extra give/lycra around the abdo area, which can withstand even west Oz's surf beaches!, and bag always remains unseen.   
Never felt anything but confident with 'em on, and now have a lot more energy just to dive in!     
Cheers and I hope you find what you're looking for!  

I've tried on the bathing suit I wore prior to my new ostomy ... it will work fine.

It's a tankini, black bottoms (regular cut with a higher waist) and a slightly longer (ends about 2 inches past the waist) patterned top with a plunging neckline (if someone is looking at my bag area while the 'girls' are on display ... their problem

Patterned suits are better than solid colors for disguising the bag. With my solid black bottoms, yes you can see the outline, especially when wet. Go for higher waists and even regular-cut legs -- not the high cut. I have one high cut bottom, the edge of the bottom of the pouch pokes through.

I too looked at the ostomy suits - ugly. Would also be reluctant to buy a bathing suit on-line -- at the best of times, it's hard to find a good fit.

Remember that most people have rolls, dimples, imperfections, etc. and we end up not really seeing them.

Enjoy your holiday!

hi all
thanks for advice and tips and beatrice i liked your reply ha ha good one i ll need to remember that trick,i have a tankini but as you say when its wet you can see the outline i wear a convex flange and as its quite rigid you can see it but i ll keep searching i ve got plenty of time to find one
thanks to all who replied
isabella

Hi all, I am also going to a warm place next month.  Oh, three weeks actually.  I looked on line too and then went and tried on my tankini.  It looks o.k. but maybe the ostomy tankini's are better?  Has anyone bought one?  On another site I read a suggestion for trying on your own bathing suit and getting into the tub for a half hour soak then get out and look at what it looks like.  Haven't done that.  I also have a cover up and a sarong so thought I could use those and then take off when it is time to swim and then get out and cover up quickly.  At least waist down.  It is unnerving to think of this for the first time.

hi cee
the tankini s from the ostomy seller s are very expensivei bought one yrs ago and it is no better than the ordinary one s, the only difference was the bottoms had a pocket for the pouch but it really didn t help much to hide it, last year i also bought a swim skirt to wear on top of bottoms and this was ok but it kept slipping as i was getting in and out of the pool.it would be great to get a suit with either a frill or scarf attached across that are to hide it, i know that would def make me more confident,
isabella

Thanks Isabella,  I appreciate the heads up.  You confirmed what i suspected about the ostomy suits.  Truthfully I find the belts to be much the same way: ridiculously overpriced and the dumb pockets aren't much good.  An ace bandage for a few dollars would probably do the trick.  Or we could take the approach of a young girl I saw on a site who was photographed in her bikini with her bag hanging out for the world to see and a huge smile on her face.  Don't think I can carry that off though.

I saw that too -- but can't carry it off either.

One option I read about was to get a nice tankini top and then wear a board short as the bottoms. The idea being that board shorts sit away from the body and aren't a clingy material.

Board shorts usually have a longer leg, which to me doesn't really look the best with a tankini top ... so, I would probably shorten the legs a bit. I would probably wear a panty as well, to hold the pouch against my body -- as most board shorts are a looser fit.

I'm going to try this option for times when I'm in the water for extended periods (like snorkeling where the only ones who will be looking at me are the fish!).

For pool swims, I like the idea of having a short sarong that can be taken off just before going into the water. Or even just a towel that you leave right at the pool edge.

Hi, I bought my swimsuit at Sears.  I found a tankini works best, something that has a pattern in it with a full bottom.  I just love mine. I have looked for a long time and this one just jumped out at me.  Thank God! It is sexy too.

Swimsuitsforall.com

One more thing.  I bought a maternity suit from Target last year for about $30.  It's kind of cute.  It has a couple of strings on each side that gather it up around the bottom of the top, so it isn't hanging all loose, and won't rise up when you are in the pool.  The bottom goes up high enough over my pouch. the website I posted above had some pretty reasonable prices and some sale prices.  I never did make it to the pool last year because of the cool temps in Michigan last summer.  Hopefully we'll get some heat this year.  Have a great trip.

what about a regular suit and purchase a cammy over cover up type shirt for when in the water or walking the beach and off whilst soaking up the rays.....

Have a great holiday hun

Tracy