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Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
In your bag you've got lipstick,
In mine I've got poo.

Row of Handbags

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Friday 28 August 2015

Stoma Pants and Wraps

Today, at long last, my prescription underwear arrived. I think it says something about my life at the moment that I got really excited – I know, I know, I should get out more…

They are made by SupportX and I got them on prescription, free of charge. I ordered two of each to start with. Your yearly allowance is six pairs of pants and three wraps, but I’ve got enough to be going on with for now, because the pants will not be worn against my skin but over my normal pants, so I can have “one on, one in the wash,” as they say.

I have to tell you, these are NOT the most glamorous underwear you’ve ever seen by a long shot. The pants are enormous! I couldn’t stop laughing, especially when my hubby said they were sweet! lol lol!!

Are you ready for this?

Stoma Pants

The pants are deliberately made really high waisted so that the top doesn’t interfere with the stoma, and everything is adequately covered up.

Turned inside out, there is a separate pouch affair that runs across the front, attached at the sides, and you wear this closest to yourself, and slip the bag into the pouch, so that it is sandwiched between the pouch and the outer layer of the pants, keeping it away from your skin. It supports it and stops that dragging feeling when the bag is filling, and distributes the contents a bit so that bulges are less likely to show on the outside.

Stoma Pants Inside Out

You an see that there are two holes at the bottom. These are for drainable ostomy bags so that you can, in theory, empty the bag without removing the pants. However, I am not doing this because I am afraid of making a mess!

I got the wraps to wear at night. They are similar to the pants, but more stretchy and tight. Again, they support the bag and keep it flat against you. I find that in bed, the bag does tend to flop about a bit and it sometimes wakes me up, and with the wrap, this should no longer happen.

Stoma Wrap

Inside out, the wraps also have an inner layer so that the bag is sandwiched between two layers of fabric and held away from your skin. The hole is there to push the bag through – it doesn’t look very big but the opening is very stretchy, and there’s no problem getting the bag through it.

Stoma Wrap Inside Out

What did I tell you? Not the sort of thing you see in Vogue lol! I think I am getting old… Before I went into hospital I got some new bras and was horrified that they had THREE hooks at the back – I told my hubby they reminded me of the “ladies’ foundation garments” that my mum used to wear in the 1950s and he said that sounded like concrete blocks! He wasn’t far wrong.

I think it’s rather funny that I have multi-coloured hair and wear quite funky clothes, and nobody (except you lot of course) will know what horrors lie beneath!

Hope this has given you a good laugh. It has me. But at least I know that my “medical appliance” (doesn’t THAT sound awful – but it seems to go with the pants lol!) will be held secure and will be more comfortable, and it should help with the prevention of leaks, too.

Oh, the joys of being a Gutless Bag Lady… Whoever would have thought Shoshi would come to THIS…

2 comments:

Lesley UK said...

Hi, I'm sorry I didn't get back to you after your very sweet e-mail. Just to remind you, I understand about the ME, because my cousin suffered with it, but she got no help at all from the medical profession. I have MS, so I have many of the same symptoms. In 2011, my white blood cell count went dangerously low, and after many tests //you know the rather unpleasant ones where cameras go where you would prefer them not to. Anyway the docs discovered I had an enormous hiatus hernia, and diverticulitis, A few weeks ago my blood count was down to a dangerous level again, so I'm having the tests done all over again. The consultant says there's a good(?) chance I have colon/bowel cancer, so your blog has literally been a lifeline to me. I'm back to the hospital on Monday. I hope I can be as brave as you. Blessings
technoturt@yahoo.com

Lesley UK said...

PS, I love your hair. I'm an old age hippy/goth, and I've now let my hair grow out to be grey (thinking I could dye it whatever colour I wanted,) And what's happened, my new hair is coming out black, and I've never had black hair. I was always what my mother loved to call 'a glossy chestnut red'. What's happening? Guess what? I don't care. blessings