Clothing Challenges After Ileostomy Surgery

I am wondering if other women and men have had issues with their clothing once they had ileostomy surgery? I am a 34-year-old female, and when I had my ostomy surgery, the stoma was in a different place when I woke up than the mark that was made on me. It is lower, so the waistband on most of my dress pants goes right across the top of my stoma. Has anyone had any issues with this, and if so, could you please give me some ideas on how to correct this problem?

Thanks!

Hi Shelly, I understand your dilemma. But mine is a colostomy, not an ileostomy, so my stoma was placed low, right about where the waistband of some of my pants are. I was told to make sure that waistbands either fall under the stoma or above the stoma. But it's okay if it is over the stoma as long as the waistband of your pants is loose and doesn't compress it. I just make sure that the waistbands are not tight and can allow for my stoma to do its job. Don't worry, you don't have to wear old lady jeans; they just have to fit a little looser around the stoma.
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Donna

With my ileo ... it's just been a matter of trying on lots of different waistbands. Many of my 'pre-ostomy' clothing items just didn't work anymore.



For me, the best is  a waistband that is right at the waist.



Hope you find things that work for you.

I have the same problem and now wear leggings that come higher up - above the stoma. I'm also very short, which means that most of the time the waistband is just under my bust!

Hipster knickers are good as they fit under the stoma.

I've found that clothes designed for pregnancy are quite good - especially jeans. The actual jeans part is usually just under the stoma and then they have a knitted band that pulls up over the "bump" - in this case the stoma - which keeps the jeans up.

I've more or less given up wearing skirts and have switched to dresses.

I guess slim, young people could get away wearing the low-slung styles that are in fashion...sadly I'm neither young nor slim lol!

My experience, and since I'm male, will be different, but associative, was that I didn't have to change any of my clothes. My ileostomy hasn't hampered my fashions, but due to adhesive failures, I have more changes of clothes than before, and darker colors are easier to manage when it comes to laundry.

It's true that you adjust your waistband a bit, now and then, and the device you use for collection may change as you adapt. The hospital I went to started me on a two-piece device which was an utter failure, so I adapted. I can still rescue SCUBA, perform my job, and wear my Levis any time. It just takes some getting used to.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

I am loving leggings with a dress. I am not usually a dress person, but the high waist of the leggings comes up and holds down the top of my appliance bag, and then the dress is loose-fitting and not hindering anything. I wear flats or heels with the outfit, and it seems to work fine for most events. It's all about comfort in my book, and a bonus if it turns out looking good and even stylish
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. Target and Kohl's have great selections.

Good luck.

Kohl's has a nice collection of Dockers type pants with expandable waists. I wear pants with stretchable waist lines along with a stretch belt. Here's the secret. I wear a really nice shirt which draws attention to itself so no one wastes time looking any lower. This afternoon at duplicate bridge I got a ton of compliments for my shirt. No one noticed my slightly higher waistline. Not sure if I am an artful dodger but there are many more important things to worry about. Good luck!
PB

yep, keep em looking up top and they don't look down low...

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I  seem to be looking for tops that are "busy" and have decided that if I keep moving, nobody will notice the "poof" at my waist....

My husband found the perfect thing for me to 'hide' my ostomy. They are seamless tube tops! The short ones are great in the warmer weather so you aren't so hot, however, I love the longer tube tops to totally hide my ostomy and scars! I also like wearing the longer camis because they stay better around the chest
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. With the lower pants and the shirts that are longer, every now and then you just need that 'little' extra to feel more comfortable! The shorter tube tops are also great during intimate times... hides the bag and doesn't have it 'flop' all over
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I know that I am a little late jumping in on this - but I was faced with the same dilemma recently after my unexpected ileostomy. I found a great solution on ostomysecrets.com! It is like a "tube top" but has an inner "pocket" to slide the bag into - this helps to keep it all smoothed out and helps to reduce the friction with the pants rubbing against it all day. Also, some days I am able to go without a belt now that I have these. I ordered two and as long as you don't spring a leak, you can swap them out all week and wash them with your regular laundry on laundry day. Dresses and loose-fitting skirts (Old Navy has tons for $12.99) still seem more comfortable, but I would still be in sweats or leggings if it wasn't for my wraps!

I've recently tried tube tops for intimate times, and my new sweetheart and I have been very happy with the results - no floppy pouch, and I feel lovable again! Ordered online for very little cost - I ordered 6" and 8" bandeau - the shipping costs more than the clothing - best mail order purchase ever!