8-7 days to go: Clothes and accessories with a stoma

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, because my best friend and I spent all day going round pet shops looking to get her a pair of guinea pigs! We were driving around for hours, because at this time of year a lot of girls are bought for breeding, and so are pretty hard to find. Eventually, we found a pair of tiny fluffballs and my mate was really happy! They're adorable!

I'm thinking carefully what topics I should cover over the next week or so. If there's anything you'd particularly like me to cover, then please drop me a message over Facebook or leave a message in the comments below!

Today's topics are slightly more female orientated, so I apologise to my male readers - but the accessories bit may still be useful to you.

8 days to go: Clothes with a stoma

Hiding a new bag under your clothes, you might worry that after surgery you'll have to throw away the majority of your wardrobe. Trendy, tight fitting trousers, skirts or dresses might seem impossible - won't tight clothes stop the stoma from working? Will my bag show through my clothes? And if it doesn't when it's empty, what happens when it starts to get full?

The worry that you'll be stuck in clothes resembling tents for the rest of your post-op life is a big concern to a lot of people. Even though what you can and can't wear might seem a trivial concern after life-saving surgery, it's more important than you might first think. What we wear is a big part of our image and individuality, and the thought that we might have to completely change our image post-stoma is a very real worry. "This illness has robbed me of so many good times - and now, just to top it all off, it's going to force me into baggy, unattractive clothes that will make me feel even more insecure about my new body than I already do. Fan-flippin-tastic."

The truth is, once you've got the hang of it, dressing with a stoma doesn't have to be baggy, oversized or frumpy. Yes, there are some things that don't work as well as they used to, but not many. Most of your current clothes will be just fine to wear post surgery, including crop tops, tight skirts and dresses.

Showing my scar but hiding my bag in crop top and high-waisted shorts

Things I've found that really don't work post-surgery are: (and this isn't the same for everyone)

- Low-rise or super low jeans - in fact, I only wear high waisted jeans: these are usually too low for me to tuck in my whole bag, leaving a bit of the bag sticking out of the top. Personally, this makes me feel self-conscious and I prefer to have the whole thing tucked in.

- Low rise leggings - same reason.

- Tight fitting skirts or shorts that are LIGHT in colour e.g. beige or white - even if you're wearing support pants, you can sometimes see the outline of your bag in a straight, tight skirt that isn't a dark colour.

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING else, works a treat!

There's actually only one set-in-stone rule to remember when dressing with your stoma: Never wear bottoms with a waistband that sits directly over your stoma, because this will cause stoma irritation/damage and possible bag leakage. However, other material can sit over the stoma e.g. tight skirts, the leg of a jean - just NOT the waistband. This does not cause a leak.

Bag? What bag, my Gucci?

There's different ways to deal with your bag when getting dressed, particularly into trousers or jeans. Some people prefer to tuck their bag into their jeans/tights/leggings (like me), or other people prefer to let their bag hang over the waistband of their jeans but then wear a long top to cover it. 

For looser clothes like leggings (which have become my best friend, they're so ridiculously easy and comfy), you won't need to wear any support underwear. However, for tighter clothes e.g. tight dresses or skirts, wearing support underwear can help to disguise the shape of a bag completely. See more in my next section on accessories!

While at first you might feel more comfortable in baggy, concealing clothes, try on new things one at a time and see how you get on with them. This is how I discovered that I now preferred high waisted jeans - for some people, the top of their bag sticking out of their jeans doesn't bother them, but for me, I found it irritating so went high-waisted all the way. Remember that modern ostomy appliances are designed for maximum discretion and a slim fit, meaning that pretty much anything you wear is good to go.

You could even try wearing clothes around the house at first, before testing them out in the great outdoors. Point I'm trying to make is, there's so many clothes you can wear with your stoma bag, even the ones you'd least expect. Don't rule them out just because you've had your op, because there's still chance to look glam with a bag in tow.

7 days to go: Accessories with a stoma

To make life generally easier post-stoma, there's a whole range of accessories out there to help with all aspects of life. I'm going to split these into categories: clothing, medical and other.

Clothing

1) Support underwear

Suitable for both men and women, support underwear is worn either on its own or over a pair of regular pants/boxers. There's a great range of styles and colours at www.comfizz.com, all of which are absolutely fantastic. I've got quite a few and absolutely love them, as they allow me to wear the dresses that I wouldn't otherwise be able to. They also come in varying degrees of tummy support - low level, for everyday wear, or high level, to prevent hernias when exercising.

They are quite pricey, so it's also worth looking in high street stores - their versions of support underwear are just as good. Primark does some fantastic ones!

You can get up to six pairs of support pants per year free on prescription via your stoma healthcare company.

2) Waistbands

Waistbands are a strip of material that literally covers the waist. They can either be stretchy and tight-fitted (see more on www.comfizz.com), or loose and more comfortable but less supportive (try www.nukunuku.co.uk). These can be great if you don't fancy stuffing yourself into support pants - which can cause indigestion and other gassy issues if worn every day.

3) Stoma bag covers

Covers made to fit your bag come in a variety of styles and shapes and can be found at www.stomawise.co.uk. Several people on the Crohn's and Colitis UK forum also make and sell them online. They don't do anything in the way of support, but they do cover a see-through bag, for people who are not comfortable with seeing inside. They're also quite trendy and some come complete with funny slogans ('my other bag is a Gucci!')

4) Intimate waistbands

More for the ladies again, sorry blokes - there's lots of products out there to cover your bag once you get back into intimate activity with your partner. Try the beautiful lacy waistbands from www.ostomysecrets.co.uk, or search 'waspies' in any good lingerie/corset store. You'll soon find what I'm talking about, and they work a treat! They can also really help to boost your confidence.

5) Swim band

Also provided by www.ostomysecrets.co.uk, the swim band is made of swimming costume type material and can be worn for extra support under trunks or a swimming costume.

Medical

When you start wearing a stoma bag, you'll realise that there are lots of different companies that make ostomy bags and accessories, e.g. Coloplast, Hollister, Convatec, Pelican etc etc... Your hospital will usually give you a certain brand that they prefer, but you are entitled to change brands at any time (just talk to your stoma nurse). Different companies make bags in different styles and shapes, and most companies offer samples of their products free online, so you can try lots of different things free of charge and see what works best for you.

As well as just your bag, there's lots of other useful medical accessories out there, for example...

- Mouldable rings. These are ring shapes pieces, with a marzipan-like appearance and texture, which fit like a 'collar' around your stoma before you put your bag on. These help to prevent leakage and skin irritation, and can make your bag last for longer. I use Coloplast's brava rings, and they work brilliantly.

- Extender tape. This is sometimes called 'banana' or 'half moon' tape. It's pieces of tape in a curved, banana-like shape that stick over the existing flange of your bag. They provide longer wearability, extra security and are more waterproof. I use Coloplast's brava range, which again are fantastic.

- Scented drops. These are put into the bag to limit and eliminate odour. They come in a variety of scents and are often handbag size.

- Travel bag. Some healthcare companies provide a free travel wallet for ostomy supplies, but if yours does not, buy yourself a small make-up bag and make yourself a little emergency kit of a spare bag, bin bag, any accessories, wipes and dry wipes. Take this out and about with you. This has saved my skin several times!

Other

- Seatbelt protector

Found on www.stomawise.co.uk, this fits onto any regular car seatbelt and works to protect your stoma from the belt with two small cushions sewn into a strip of material that velcros around the lapbelt - these cushions sit either side of your stoma and keep the actual belt away from the skin.

All of these items have been really useful to me, and have made life a lot easier!