Clothing
One of the most frequent questions a person with an ostomy has is, “will I be able to wear my usual clothes?”
The answer is yes! No more baggy sweat pants and oversized shirts. No need for special ostomy clothing.
The links below give both men and women fashion tips to make life with an ostomy easier.
Dressing guides for men
Vegan Ostomy has a comprehensive clothing guide for men that covers underwear, stoma guards, casual and dressy options.
Stoma guards
Stoma guards may help if the stoma is on the belt line. Convatec provides a free stoma guard, which allows the belt for pants to go over and protects the stoma. In Canada, call 1-800-465-6302.
There are many companies that make stoma guards. See the Accessories section for links to manufacturers of stoma guards.
Dressing guides for women
The Stoma Bag Lady offers 10 Fashion Tips.
From the Stolen Colon: Here’s a great video with very practical ideas and suggestions.
Jessica from Uncover Ostomy always has great suggestions and can wear anything except silky dresses but she is working on that.
Eric from VeganOstomy has compiled a great guide on dressing with the help of readers and friends. It’s a four part series that covers everything from casual to dressy.
How to wear tight clothing:
Reitmans Comfort Collection has soft comfortable waistbands.
Swim suits
There is no need for a special ostomy swim suit. Many styles work with an ostomy pouching system:
- One piece bathing suits are an option
- Tankini type suits work well especially when emptying the pouch
- High-waisted two piece suits can work for some
Or some women just wear their bikini!
- http://www.people.com/article/bethany-townsend-bikini-colostomy-bag-crohns-disease-inspiring-viral
- http://uncoverostomy.org/2014/07/01/itsy-bitsy-ostomy-bikini/
