But for me, I was on the hunt for everyday undies that made me feel comfortable, sexy and frankly, didn’t put me into shock whenever there was a breeze!
We’re very lucky that there’s lots of stoma support wear available these days. I for one couldn’t be without my “Level 2 Hernia Support”, otherwise known as “Super Pants”, in our house.
They offer fantastic support to the stoma itself, as well as the bag and its contents, plus they’re basically a dupe pair of Spanx, so they’re a winner for me!
When I first got my stoma in 2009, pretty, matching underwear sets or sexy stoma- friendly lingerie, was so scarce, Indiana Jones was looking for them.
I used to attend coffee mornings run by hospital districts where they would show you stoma-friendly underwear, but the knickers were nearly always crotchless. I once asked if they made knickers with crotches, and they looked at me like I had a few screws missing.
I can see the thinking... you’re getting down to sexy time and you might not want to show your partner your bag or scars, so would like to keep your knickers on and therefore a crotchless option is helpful.
But for me, I was on the hunt for everyday undies that made me feel comfortable, sexy and frankly, didn’t put me into shock whenever there was a breeze!
Thankfully, we’ve come a long way since ‘09 and although it took a good while, we now have such a wide range of clothing and underwear available.
Prescription underwear alone is much nicer than what used to be on offer!
As for the lingerie side of things, there’s so much more choice now including an option to have a crotch in your knickers! Woo!
There are many companies that have been started by people with long-term health conditions, that cater for those whose health condition may mean they have to more specific needs from their clothing. This can mean that on top of the usual challenges a start-up faces, their businesses may be put on pause due to their health condition and so supply can sometimes vary.
However, as we move into a more inclusive society, allowing everyone to choose how they want to wear their clothes whether that with shapewear or without. We have seen a huge rise in shapewear in mainstream fashion, allowing us ostomates to try and adapt some of the items to support our stoma.
Swimwear has also had a bit of a change. A few years ago, saw the introduction of an ‘invisible tummy wall’ in some swimsuits. But with many differing opinions on body positivity, and what that means for different people, the ostomate friendly ‘invisible tummy wall’ seems to have disappeared from the shops!
Luckily, I have found some great places online that do gorgeous, stoma friendly swimwear and I’ll share some of my favourite shops for swim and underwear below
medicalsupplies.co.uk/ostomy-swimwear.html
I hope you find this helpful! 😊
Michelle x
Article by Michelle Williams
About the author
My name is Michelle; I live in Kent with my husband and son. I have a permanent ileostomy as a result of Ulcerative Colitis. You can follow me on twitter.