Now that I have been working out, I have found that keeping the bad where its supposed to be and keeping it secure is a bit of an issue. There are a boat load of belts and other systems to keep your bag in place and I have used a few of them but I also know of a few others. Note: This is not about the Hollister/Coloplast/Whoever belts that hook to your wafer. Heres the run down on ostomy belts:
Stealth Belt – http://stealthbelt.com/
This is one of the first belts I found when I first had surgery and I was on the hunt to cover this stupid thing up. I have read a few reviews of the stealth belt and there are many people who say its a total bad ass. From their website I’m pretty sure that you can customize the size/pattern and they are waterproof for swimming. But I have never actually tried a stealth belt because they are expensive as all get out. Starting at around $80, I have found MANY other options that I think are just as good. Now if you’ve got a permanent ileo, maybe this is a good option because you WILL get your use out of it. For me, and the other temporary people. Meh, I’ve had better.
Phoenix Ostomy Belt – http://www.ostomysupportsystem.com/product.html
I heard SO many people talking about this belt when I first got my ostomy and started looking for ostomy belts. It seemed to be the perfect one for me, because I wear my ostomy bag sideways. I found a REALLY amazing guy online who had two that he offered to send me for FREE. Starting at $50, a free belt was the perfect price. So I got them shortly after my first surgery and much to my chagrin, they were to small because I was too fat. Boo. So…I found out, through edgepark.com they sell these and I got to bill it to my insurance company. BONUS. So months later I got my belt. Now call me a dummy, but I found this thing seriously complicated to put in. I found it bulky after it was on, and more than complicated to get it set and in order. Again, for $50 its a good idea, but I have and can find BETTER systems for much cheaper. Not to mention if you buy this one or the stealth belt, you’re going to have one, MAYBE two? We all know that you can and will get poop on them, so having multiples is a definite perk. When things are $50 and up, getting more than 2 gets really complicated. In fact, I think I’ve got a large and possibly a medium I’d be willing to send to someone else because it sucks so bad. Maybe you will like this belt.
There are a lot of other “knock off” Phoenix belts, they all basically do the same thing. They all look complicated and they are all expensive.
Protective Ostomy Belt – http://www.ostomycares.com/index_en.php?ostomy=2010023
I also have not worn this belt. Heres why. I wear my belt sideways (which I TOTALLY recommend) This belt is really long. I wanted something much smaller. I also feel like when you’re wearing pants with belts similar to this one, they are just going to get bunched up and move and will defeat the purpose. If you’ve tried one like this, or the ones over at Ostomy Secrets let me know if they work for you.
Belts That Actually Work
Here is what I have learned. Most clothes, underwear, pouch covers, belts and bands made FOR people with ostomies are totally impractical. Granted most of them are actually made by people with ostomies but often times I think there is a disconnect. They are also very short runs of almost all of the garments so they are really, really pricey. So this is what I do because I’m broke and I also think that these solutions are not as simple/practical as I’d like.
Two Words: Tube Tops or Belly Bands
Now for all you dudes outs there, I get that the idea of wearing a tube top is weird but whatevs, you wear your poop around in a bag, get over it. The tube tops that work the best are often times the cheapest ones. The ones that are specifically the bandeau are the right size to cover my bag sideways, and they also come off and go on really easily. They come in about a billion different colors, and most often are one size fits all, which is actually pretty great. Even if they are sized I’d say go small, because they stretch out and the whole point of it is to keep the bag close to your body. Tighter the better. These actually lay flat to your body, keep the bag flat, and have no stupid buttons, snaps, velcro, or do-dads. The one in the picture, I just ordered from Amazon for $5.50. I haven’t tested it yet but you can always get cheapo clearance bandeau tube tops. That seller on Amazon, has about 1000 colors and combines shipping prices.
The other thing I have used are pregnancy belly bands. I have a few that have lace along the bottom so they can stick out of the bottom of my shirts and look like just a layering shirt. Its actually kinda cute. The other thing I like about these is that if i fold them in half I get double the support when I’m running or something else in the gym. I have bought a few of these in the past (the cute ones) for like $12/ea. Again buy smaller, they stretch out and mine are a bit bigger than I’d prefer.
I’ve also talked about how maternity jeans got me through my fat days and post surgery days. I still stand by that. But obviously those wont provide support in times where you’re working out or doing heavier activity.
What I like about these bands/tube tops is that when you want them there, they willbe and when you have to empty your bag or move them its simple, you just lift them up. The other belts are all complicated. You can also have 10 of these if you want for the price of just one of those other belts. I personally think these are much better choices.
What do you use, if anything? Any great workout secrets for keeping the bag in place?
UPDATE 1.15.11 – I got my tube tops from amazon the other day. I ordered black and tan and they are AWESOME. They are tighter than I had expected but thats good it keeps everything in place. I’m gonna go work out in one right now!! I’ve also found that having a tube top on it, helps with leaks too. It doesn’t totally protect you but it gives you at least one last line of defense from getting all over your clothes.
I have been thinking about using the bellybands but have not bought any yet. Do you find that they roll up on you? That has been my biggest reason for not getting any. I am a little hippy with a small waist so am not sure if any of these belts will stay in the right place. I have been wearing control top ‘grandma panties’ which I hate and am so sick of and really, REALLY want to wear regular underware again!!! *(the granny pants really do keep the bag nice and flat to your tummy though 😉 3 pack at costco)
So I always have worn my bags pointing downward… what do you like about wearing your bags sideways? How do you empty them? I am using the sticker kind of system from coloplast so am not sure if I could put it on sideways if you have to slide the bag down to empty. Does your flang wear out quicker because the stool is sitting on the flang longer? All these questions 🙂
I am adjusting back to the ileo alright. It has been just over a month since the j-removal. I am so dang itchy-hate that!!! Anyway, thanks for posting this!
Sarah
It depends on the belly bands. They are clearly meant for pregnant chicks so you have to find the ones that don’t have an extra pocket for a bid ole belly. If anything the one i have roll down from the top not up, so its no biggy.
If you’re worried about the belly band, try that bandeau. Even if you wear you bag straight down, it will keep all the business in place.
I wear my bag sideways for literally 1000+ plus reasons. It started because no matter how small the bag, it would hit my leg and sorta scrape it over time. So it was super uncomfortable, I’m short and fat, so it just hit my thigh all the time. I always wore a 2 piece, so I just sorta had this idea one day to wear it sideways and then it stuck. Also, I find it much easier to hide, but I almost always have to wear a band (hence the main reason for the maternity jeans) But now, that I’ve lost some weight, I can wear all my old regular jeans again esp cause I dont have to compensate for rom for the bag or when it balloons. My jeans hit below where the bag sits on me when i wear it sideways. Also during “the buisness”, I find that sideways, with a band, it moves far less, and you can’t even tell its there.
I wear the coloplast 2 piece click (its in my bag review earlier in the blog). With this system its a 2 piece, that has a lick. So you can move it anyway you want and just re-lock it in place. I’ve tried that sticky system and it was AWESOME for being flat. It was handsdown the flattest system I found. BUT you can’t wear it sideways, because once you unstuck it, you could get poop on the sticky party. But thats what I didn’t like about it in general not just for the way I wear it. That system is a good idea in theory, but i didn’t really care for it. When Im in the hospital or in for a check up sometimes they put those dumbass 1 pieces on me, and I’ll have them stick em on me sideways. Its harder to empty that way…but for all the time I’m not emptying, its easier.
I have had zero problem with the flange wearing quicker. The only issue I really have is clogging the filters, but I think the filters are worthless anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.
Any more brain busters?!!? If you’re interested in a sideways system, I would consider the 2 piece click. It is bulkier than the sticky, for sure, but Its easy to hide, and it just works so much better for me. I literally cannot imagine wearing the bag downward, ever.
Hey Jackie!
I totally agree about the tube tops! I lived in tube tops for the year I had an ostomy. I wore my bag pointing down, but a tube top still worked. i just tucked the bottom edge under so it stayed secure and didn’t hit my leg at all. And yes, they are sooo much cheaper!!! 🙂
I know! Im really pumped for my new ones from amazon to get here. I hope they are tight enough, there was only one size. Hopefully they are made for super skinny girls so they will now slip off the way my old ones do!
I had to go to a Wound & Ostomy Center due to what turned out to be an allergic reaction to the material/adhesive used in the brand of flanges I was wearing. Also a touch of Pyoderma Gangrenosum. I was seen by 5 different WOCN nurses over a period of 6 months and each of them told me to never wear the pouch sideways as mentioned and as I had been doing. I explained that I moved the “product” away from the stoma at regular intervals and emptied the pouch when about 1/3 full. They still said no. They felt that the poo would sit over the stoma for too long and cause problems.
Hey Scott,
I’ve been seen by countless numbers of ostomy nurses and not a one has ever said anything about wearing my bag sideways. In fact, things like the Phoenix belt are created to wear the belt sideways. I wear a convex wafer, so regardless of the way the bag sits…there is gonna be poo over the wafer, it just nestles in there sometimes. Besides wearing the bag reglarly is about 10x more uncomfortable and has caused more problems for me. The way my waist band sits, it cuts off part of the bag, so the poo doesn’t move down anyway. Hence, causing the same problem from wearing sideways.
Besides, I can only imagine that the system I use, coloplast 2 piece click, was created for wearing the bag sideways or down. Otherwise, there is no other reason for the two piece click.
I’ve also learned that while some WOC nurses are amazing….many a totally retarded. They all get drastically different training, and most will always have conflicting arguments.
So I have one more sample to use up before I send in my Rx for my order. It is the click. I will try it sideways and see how it goes~sideways! My pants sit low too and I find myself always adjusting things so all my, um, stuff moves down.
I am so bummed with this stoma!!! It is my 3rd and it is way longer then any of the other ones hence showing threw my clothes like I have a… well no other way to say it then- penis!!! My first stoma was perfect (an end)!! Never leaked and I could hide it really well even if my bag filled up to the top. I hated to loop with a passion, but with a convex flang and practice I got on with it just fine. This is the last of my surgeries and I HATE it!!!! I almost wish I had a hernia so that I could get this thing revised. I so accepted having to go back to a ostomy due to the fact that I adjusted really well to the other ones and after it healed it wasn’t that big a deal. Now here I am, supposed to be all pumped that I am finally done with all of this and I all I do is regret not going back to the Doc that did my first 4 surgeries. Total bummer. It is one thing that I know it is there, I don’t want everyone else to see it!!! And believe me you can see it~like I have a big one!!
Anyway, there is my vent…sorry for all that. One of those moments. Moving on now….
I will let you know how it goes on the side. Hey, maybe we should put together a little meeting for all the MI’s out there… start a ‘young support group’ of sorts?!? At least we could all relate together and laugh it out~
Sarah
Hint for the sideways, I do wear the midi bag which is the smaller one. I wear it for a lot of reasons but it works far better when doing the sideways thing.
Can you get your stoma revised? Is it worth even asking or doing some surgeon shopping? Dude I would be PISSED if I had a weiner stoma. I looked at a few of those before my first surgery and it terrified me. That would be a priority for me.
Also, I’m gonna send you an email about meeting up with other people in the area…I know a ridiculous amount of people with ostomys or Jpouches in Michigan. I’m sure we can get together.
Whether it’s temporary or permanent spending anywhere under $100 is a no brainer. Imagine everything you have to go through because you wanna save a few bucks. We deal with enough problems, being uncomfortable for the sake of a small amount of money isn’t worth it. That’s a problem I do have control of. There are alot more than those that you listed. Anywhere from underwear (seems a waste to have to buy so many for the purpose), to hugely terrifying waist wraps/leg wraps( not sure what goes through some designers heads). Stealthbelt seems decent if you wanna go out in public and show off your ostomy or there’s pouchwear (ostomybagholder.com) for everyday use. Whatever you find, invest a little and make yourself and ostomy a little happier. From one ostomate to another, I lived the route of make-shift items and cheap fixes and it doesn’t even come close to a real product designed for an ostomy.
Whelp Micah, like I said in the first paragraph that there are boatloads of other products out there. Also, I don’t consider special underwear and pouch covers to be ostomy belts. If you feel the need and want to go out there and spend $100 plus dollars on a belt, knock yourself out. I’ll stick with my $5 fix that works better for me than anything else. Also that same $5 fix has made me, my ostomy, and all of my stupid leaks very thankful. Just sayin, from one ostomate to another.
This is a great review. May I use this link on my website UCVlog.com? I think many ostomates will benefit from this. I know I have. Also, one thing, what do you do about the bottom rolling up (on any wrap or tube top?) Do you just deal with it and pull it down every once in a while? That’s what I have been doing–it really isn’t a problem. email me: nadia@ucvlog.com
~Nadia
There’s a company called Trio healthcare that do some great products that have really helped me out, I’ve linked their best product in my name. It’s called Niltac, it’s an adhesive remover that stops my skin getting sore. Amazing stuff.
My uncle is a recent ostomate. Since the stoma for his urostomy is on his belly and his pants sit below his waste, he cannot secure his ostomy bag with his pants so he was letting it hang loose and supporting it with his hand when he walked. I have an ileostomy and can’t imagine living that way so I decided to do some research for him about ostomy belts. Thankfully, I came across this post which saved me a bunch of time. Between the cost, the complexity, and the need to wear the bag sideways when dealing with commercial ostomy belts, trying a tube top was a no-brainer. I found some on amazon that are 11″ wide so that the ostomy bag can be worn vertically. My uncle folds up the bottom of the tube top just a bit in order to provide a pocket into which he can tuck in the spout of the bag. It works great. Thanks so much for the idea.
SHABIR Hye I have a colostomy surgery just one month ago so please give me your emails for dealing with my permanent stoma .Plz help
Hi I am patti. Dec.2015 I had major cancer surgery and ended up with both Urostomy and Colostomy bags. Double Whamee!! I am going to try my bags sideways as soon as I get some tube tops. Both ideas sound awesome and almost anything has to be better than 2 bags hitting my legs, because I am tired of wearing baggy clothes to hide them.
Thanks for the ideas and I will keep you posted if it works.
Have you ever had any problems with the poop flowing down in your bag when you wear the belly band or tube top?
My doctor had recommended that my wife get an ostomy belt and I haven’t been sure about how helpful it would be. I liked that you had mentioned that getting the right belt can be important to make sure you can get the most out of everything. I’ll have to start looking around for an ostomy belt that will work for her situation.