Here’s the deal – many people worry that once they get an ostomy, their life will be changed forever. They worry that, apart from the difference in appetite and array of activities that they are able to participate in, they will have to change their entire wardrobe. Too many times have I seen people start to throw away all their old clothes right after getting an ostomy because they are worried that they won’t be able to wear them anymore. It makes me so sad to see people do this, because I know how upsetting it can be to have such a significant change in your life like getting a stoma put in. While this is totally an understandable reaction to such a significant life change, I am begging you to have a little patience in this area! Just because you have had an ostomy does not mean you cannot wear your old clothes anymore. In fact, with a little bit of shopping and a few tips and tricks, most people end up completely able to wear their old wardrobe. 

The first tip that you will need to know as a new and fellow ostomate is that, if you feel the need to get some new clothes in addition to your old ones, there are definitely clothes made specifically for people with a stoma pouch in mind. In fact, today’s modern and consumer focused market has a plethora of ostomy supplies, gear, clothing, and accessories that are specially tailored for people like you and me. So start poking around in your local department stores for clothing that is made for you and your new ostomy pouch. The best place to look for this stuff though, is online. Ecommerce stores offer an insane variety of goods and services that cannot be matched by any brick and mortar store. You can truly find anything online these days, and that is why it is good to spend some time researching ostomy supplies and clothing that you can add to your wardrobe. Again, remember that you do not need a complete wardrobe change, and many of your old clothes will still work just fine!

The key to this whole thing is that you just need to find something that makes you feel comfortable. And I do not mean just comfortable as in physically comfortable, but I am talking self confidence wies. Many people who have had an ostomy struggle with being comfortable in their own skin and with the fact that they have a stoma. Your confidence in your clothing starts with the fact that you have to make it your own and that you can’t be worried about what other people are thinking about you. 

If you are worried about people noticing your ostomy pouch through your clothes, I want to inform you that there exists special wraps, undergarments, and clothing that can help to conceal your ostomy pouch if that is something you are concerned about. These types of accessories work to make the ostomy pouch fit tighter to your body, making it much easier to hide your ostomy pouch’s form factor. I have had a tremendous amount of success finding these types of things online, as most department stores or supermarkets do not tend to carry the kind of ostomy supplies that I’m looking for.