One of the biggest problems I have with my stoma bag is when I go swimming, it can blow up pretty quickly and you end up having to get out of the pool to empty the air out quite a lot so you don't have a balloon on your belly. When we booked our holiday to Lindos we decided that we'd spend a day at the waterpark so I headed to the ostomy support group pages on Facebook to ask whether anyone had any tips to stop the bag blowing up, but they didn't. I then found out about the Comfizz Waistband's which you can wear swimming and they have revolutionised how I go swimming!
What I liked about the comfizz waistband most was that it was discreet. I have always worn tankini's and the waistband sits comfortably underneath and you can't tell it's there.
It keeps the bag in place really well as well as stops it from filling up with air as quickly. I also found that it helps the adhesive too and the bags don't unstick like I sometimes finds happens when I go swimming.
The waistband comes in either the standard 10" depth (available in black, white, neutral), or the shallow 7" depth (available in neutral only), and the neutral waistbands are also available with an internal silicone strip to prevent the band from moving. The shallow waistband we usually recommend for smaller people, and the standard for taller, however the shallow waistband is better if you're wearing a bikini.
As well as wearing the waistbands to go swimming in, I've also been wearing them under my clothes especially with skinny jeans and a shorter top or more fitting clothes. Because they're seam free, they're really discreet and it just gives you piece of mind about you're bag. I actually wore the waistband under my outfit when I went to a concert earlier in the week and it really helped!
You can get more information about the waistbands and order them here.
Let me know in the comments below your tips for going swimming with an ostomy.
I found the waisted band rolled up on my hips.... Have you had any issues with that
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that! I didn't have an issue with that - were you using the ones with silicone strips or not?
DeleteHey,
ReplyDeletethe 7" waistband is also available in peach. It doesn't differ that much from my skin colour, which is nice.
Andrea, could it be that your waistband is too tight for you? I had this problem with other waistbands and solved it by ordering a larger size.