How to Wear a Tux Shirt with a Stoma Bag?

Hi guys,

So I have a wedding to attend in March (so lots of time to prepare) and it is a formal event. So even here in the most southern tip of darkest Africa (yes we are having power outages again), formal means jacket and tie as opposed to khaki shorts and sandals.

Problem is, does wearing your tux shirt hanging loose to conceal your Jiffy bag (or as I refer to mine - Sakkie), still classed as formal dress.

I also wear a product called an Ostybelt made by a fellow Stoma adopter here in Cape Town which supports my bag and keeps it hidden from view. This has given me huge confidence to go out and enjoy life but will not solve the "tuck in shirt" conundrum.

So if any of you seasoned veterans have any advice to offer this novice Stomate, I would love to hear from you.

Stay safe...

Since both my kids got married this fall, I had the pleasure of having to dress up.....twice. I simply wore an Ostomysecrets wrap under the shirt and tucked it in like normal. Those wraps have a pocket to hold your pouch for support and are skin tight but not so tight to restrict output. I tried to post a pic of me in my suit, but of course it won't upload. I'll try to post it on my profile page so you can see that your bag doesn't show.

Hi cmort,

Alex's suggestion is the way to go, if that works for you. For me, even a wrap is still too restrictive, so I end up dragging out the sewing machine and cutting a hole in my shirt for my bag to stick through and then slitting the shirt under the bag to be able to fully tuck in my shirt. That won't keep your bag from being seen unless you keep your jacket buttoned, which is what I do. With your shirt fully tucked in, you can also wear a black bag cover to make it as inconspicuous as possible. I also try not to eat anything prior to the event and roll up my bag as small as is practical. It's all pretty much hit and miss, figure it out as you go. Just make sure to try out your solution far ahead of time to make sure it works. Nothing like going into panic mode the day of the event when you find the solution you thought would work... doesn't.

0)

Bob

Thanks guys for the tips.

Alex, I will have to check if we have the Ostysecret wraps available here in South Africa. My Ostybelt does keep my bag flat against my stomach, but obviously once filled, it starts to expand and my shirt will then pull out. Going to see my stoma nurse next week and will enquire with her as to what is available. Congrats on the kids' weddings, by the way.

Bob, love the idea. Nice thing about your concept is the fact I don't wear formal clothing for work, so I only need to have our housekeeper who is also a seamstress make up one shirt for occasions like this. The Ostybelt will then fit around the shirt and almost look like a cummerbund and will be almost unnoticeable with a black suit.

Really appreciate the support, guys. Have a great day in the good old USA.

The cummerbund idea is great.

The thing I have done is have the trousers a size or two too large in the waist, and then use suspenders (braces) to hold them up. That can leave plenty of room for the bag to fit under and not be restricted. If you get the right size, not too big so you don't look like a clown, it can really work well.

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I do the same as Bigal, wear trousers two inches larger. As I did not want to buy a new evening suit, I went to the local seamstress and she said there was plenty of material on the trousers seam, so she let them out a couple of inches... £12 job done. I do wear braces.

I too was going to suggest suspenders for formal attire. I actually have a device called EZflo Waistband by StomaFlo (not sure if available outside the US). It was designed by a fellow ostomate. It allows me to wear any kind of trousers/pants and belt since my stoma is right on my pants line. If I tuck in my shirt, I pull it up slightly to cover the top of the waist. I use it daily to protect my stoma.

Anxious to try.