Are hernia support garments meant to be just for comfort, or do they stop a hernia from getting worse?
Just got my first and don't like it at all - two reasons:
1) It's extremely uncomfortable and keeps rolling up at the bottom - maybe I should try and get a narrower one?
2) I'm sure it inhibits the "flow" into the bag.
I deliberately time my meals, planning to change the bag morning and evening, but the belt seems to throw my timing out.
Thoughts, please?
I use Nu-Hope belts. I'm a little guy, so I mostly wear a 3-inch wide belt. I also have a 4-inch wide belt I occasionally wear. They fit excellently and are comfortable to wear all day. Very good quality.
The belts flatten out my peristomal hernia.
The 4-inch wide belt has a prolapse strap. This strap goes across the bag, flattening my protruding stoma. Works well when I wear tighter shirts.
I don't know if belt use will prevent a peristomal hernia or shrink it. It might help to stabilize a hernia, preventing it from getting bigger.
Nu-Hope is located in Pacoima, California. I order the belts from my medical supplier. They are then shipped to me from Nu-Hope.
Many Ostomymates develop peristomal hernia. The ostomy itself is a hernia. If the hernia is not causing trouble and is just unsightly, it's usually left untreated. Repair surgery has high recurrence rates. It's hard to fix.
If your stoma changes color from red to gray, you experience constant pain, or have no output for an extended time, go to the hospital immediately.
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Thanks for your reply.
The one I've been prescribed is eight inches deep. Maybe I should get a narrower one!
Have you found that your belts inhibit the flow into the bag? This is something that worries me.
Flow is the same when I wear the 3-inch wide support belt.
The 4-inch wide belt has the prolapse strap. The strap doesn't restrict flow, just redirects it. Usually, output accumulates near the top part of the bag. But it does not cause any problems. As soon as I remove the belt, I can move the output downward.
Output from your stoma is fairly strong. Wearing a support belt won't affect it.
8 inches is very wide. The max width I can wear is 4 inches.
A few variables here - size, output consistency, stoma restrictions, and most important - comfort. Some say they are comfortable and in fact, it sounds like some wear the restriction over the stoma. I would think this would cause pancaking or worse yet, force output under the barrier and onto the most sensitive skin. Pancaking tends to be painful for me on the few occasions I have experienced it as it pushes against my stoma and hurts until I can have the privacy to push it downward - like an empty aisle at Home Depot (ask me how I know).
I was measured, by two stoma nurses, for a “proper fit” although I would not call it a proper or even a good fit. When placed, it encircles my stoma a good distance from the stoma itself, seemingly causing a larger bulge which after a couple of hours becomes uncomfortable. So my experience with a hernia belt is less than positive.
That being said, I am guessing this apparatus is no different than all the other products out there for our ole' stomies - gotta search and rescue the right ones for each of our own selves. Here is a lovely picture of the one I own as we all know a picture is worth - oh well - whatever it's worth to you. Merry Christmas stoma friends! jb
Still finding the support garment extremely uncomfortable, although I now have a 15cm belt instead of the original 18cm. Is it just for support and comfort, or can I cause any internal damage by not wearing it?
Along with a severely restricted diet, the "belt situation" is really getting me down. Life isn't much fun at the moment.
(Sorry to be a moaner!)
