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9 Best Clothes to Wear When You Have a Stoma

clothes to wear when you have a stoma

My wife and I have been dealing with this issue for a while. She had her complete bowel removed and has an ileostomy bag just above her waist. Because she has a very small torso it makes it even harder for her to fit into some of her current clothes. Here are the best stoma-friendly outfits we have found for every occasion. Believe me, when I say we have done some intensive research on the subject of the best clothes to wear when you have a stoma. 

Neither one of us even knew what a stoma was until the surgery was completed. Now we are close friends with this little bugger. Handling the daily emptying and twice a week changing of the  illeostomy has become second nature. Finding the best clothes to wear when you have a stoma is a whole different ball game. We will be sharing the best pants, the best dresses and the best shirts to wear with a stoma in this post. 

What are the best Pants Clothes to wear when you have a stoma

With a stoma, wearing pants can be uncomfortable and even embarrassing. Many people don’t want to see the ugly pouch that covers the end of their intestines, and they’re afraid they’ll leak or smell bad. Some worry they will soil themselves. Here are our thoughts and the questions my wife ask as we began the search on what pants work the best.

Can I wear Jeans With My Stoma?

Yes. You can wear jeans with a stoma. You just have to find the right ones. I know that sounds like a weird thing to say, but you should consider this: When you have a stoma, there is no normal. There is no one else who has the same body as you. 

As I said earlier, my wife has a short torso. This means the jeans need to be lower than the stoma and the pouch will be on th eutside of it which means her shirt wil have to cover it. Or better yet they need to be higher than her stoma with a lot of stretch in order to let the discharge drop in the pouch.

She has found that maternity jeans work really well for her. They have the stretch that she needs to allow her stoma to do it’s job. Check these maternity jeans out.

Can I wear stretch pants with my stoma?

This is a great question because brings up the larger question of what you’ll be able to wear when you have a stoma. Let’s face it—when you have a stoma, you can’t always put on your “regular” clothes. So how can you dress comfortably? Stretch pants are a fantastic choice for folks with stomas.

While stretch pants may not be ideal for all women who have had a stoma surgery, they can be worn with confidence and style. My wife found some great ones that she loves and looks great in (she always looks great, just so you know) and enjoys wearing them. She told me to order two more black and a grey one. You know what I did? Of course you do, I ordered them here. These pull up over her ileostomy bag with no problems and are very soft and non-irritating. 

Can I wear shorts with my stoma?

Yes. When it comes to wearing shorts with a colostomy bag, there are no rules. As long as the bag isn’t visible, you are free to wear whatever you like. But if the bag will be seen, or you’re concerned about getting dirty, then wearing shorts just isn’t an option. Remember to make sure, whatever, shorts you wear does not block the ability of the stoma to release the discharge.

What are the best Dresses to Wear When You Have a Stoma

Many of us who have stomas have found the process of learning to cope with our new body parts very challenging. Wearing a dress is one of the easiest ways to hide the stoma pouch. Many dresses are also made of breathable fabrics, making them ideal for people with ileostomies or ostomies. There are also plenty of options available when it comes to finding dresses to wear with your ostomy bag. My wife looked at three of them below.

Can I wear sun dresses with my stoma?

My wife is a sun dress wearer. Half of her dresses are some sort of sun dress and she was concerned she would not be ale to wear them. We spent a couple of hours trying them on, well, actually, she tried them on and I was given the responsibility to let her know how they looked with her ileostomy pouch. Once we had seperated the good and bad ones and that was only based on her stoma bag, she looks good in anything, we boxed the bad ones up.

Next we headed online to find some new dresses that looked like they would work. Fortunately for me and my bank account my wife is very frugal. Here is one she liked, but she was worried that her stomach scars might show through the front opening. We did some measuring and it looked like she would be okay with it. She also found a few other stoma safe sun dresses as we searched. 

Can I wear Evening gowns with my stoma?

If you’ve got a stoma, there’s a good chance you’ve already spent some time wondering if you can wear evening gowns with it. In reality, any evening gown can be worn with a stoma. However, a couple of things need to be taken into account. First, it’s a good idea to avoid anything too tight or restrictive on the stoma site. Second, it’s a good idea to wear a stoma undergarment to help cover the Colostomy bag. Check out the ones on the left, my wife loves these. If you make the correct choices the chances of someone seeing your stoma are slim.

 Can I wear a Mini Dress with my stoma?

Now that my wife has had this major surgery and is adjusting to living without a large intestine and has her small intestine sewn to her side and her stoma emptying into a bag, things have changed a bit. Her body had to adapt again to a new look and feel of her belly and the new shape of her torso. After all, if there’s one thing we know about women who have a stoma, it’s that they’re always trying to find ways to fit into clothes, and adjust to life after this very private and personal surgery.

One of the things my lovely wife has decided is that mini dresses are a thing of the past for her. That doesn’t mean they cannot be worm with a stoma if you can find the right one. I give an example of one we think would work great. This is a beautiful mini-dress. 

What are the Best Shirts to wear with a Stoma?

You have a stoma and you need a shirt? We’ve dealt with this question many times, and we’ve had to come up with a definitive answer. So here it is: The top choice for a stoma patient should be a button-up shirt. The reason is simple: You don’t want to be seen with your ostomy bag, but you also don’t want to cover up your ostomy bag so it stops doing it’s job. A loose fitting, button-up shirt lets you dress comfortably and present yourself in a confident manner.

However, there are other shirts that can also be comfortably worn. They are listed below.

Can I wear a Tight-high wasted Shirt with my stoma?

This is a tough one, but I’m gonna give it a go. A tight high wasted shirt looks nice, but it isn’t always the best choice for someone with a stoma. First of all, they’re usually too short and the top gets bunched up because it isn’t designed for people with stomas. In addition, stomas are made to hold the waste away from your skin, not up against it, which makes the shirt an extremely uncomfortable fit.

However, if you look hard, you can find a tight-high waisted shirt that will work for you. Of course, it will depend on where your stoma is located. My wife has never worn them so she did not even want to look at them. It might help if you wore this StomaSafe Classic underwear cover to keep your stoma safe.

Can I wear a tee shirt with my stoma?

Sure! In fact, that is the general rule. You can wear any type of clothing that doesn’t show your stoma. Some women cover up their stoma pouch with t-shirts. If you wear a t-shirt, you should avoid wearing tight fitted ones and by all means do not wear ones that you can see through.

Can I wear a sleeveless shirt with my stoma?

it’s okay to wear sleeveless tops. Just make sure that you don’t have a stoma directly over your top button or seam. We would also encourage you to not wear a sleeveless shirt with a low hanging opening that might reveal your stoma bag. Something like this should work well.

Best Clothes to Wear When You Have a Stoma Final Thoughts

There is no “normal” for the stoma, and there is no “normal” for the clothing that you choose to wear. When it comes to stomas, there are just two options: wear whatever you feel comfortable in or wear nothing. So, you’re in charge of what you put on your body. If you choose to wear clothes that you like, the most important thing is that the fit is comfortable and that you are comfortable wearing them in light of your stoma.

Just make sure that your stoma is able to discharge into your bag or pouch so that those nasty accidents don’t happen. The discharge, when it cannot drop into the bag properly, will force itself out under the wax ring and through the barrier ring, making quite a mess. We learned the hard way and it is not fun. We also realize that it is now a part of our life and these things will happen from time to time. We make the best out of it, as we trust the Lord for the outcome.

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