If you have had an ostomy at any point in your life, then you have successfully joined a group of people that have holes coming out of their body and funneling bodily waste into medical pouches. That’s right, the world of ostomy is a lot grosser than what people think. In addition to this, there are actually more people with stomas than you may think. It is completely possible to hide your ostomy pouch in public, and you may be surprised to hear that people do it all the time. Especially if you come into contact with someone who is embarrassed about the fact that they have an ostomy pouch, there is actually a really good chance that you won’t even notice the fact that they have an ostomy pouch. With the way the medical industry has evolved over the last decade or so, it is really insane what people are able to do. I mean, how crazy is it that you can reroute someone’s intestines to produce waste out the side of their abdomen? That procedure would basically be viewed as black magic 200 years ago. Anyways, with the advanced medical supplies and ostomy gear that is available on today’s market, it is actually fairly easy to hide an ostomy pouch and appear to be a completely normal human being to people passing by in your everyday life.
One of the most common ways to hide an ostomy pouch is underneath clothing. Since you are most likely going to be wearing clothing wherever you go (but hey, if you don’t, I don’t judge), it makes sense that this would be the easiest and most convenient way to go about hiding your ostomy pouch. If you ask anyone with an ostomy pouch about the best type of clothes to use to hide the pouch, most people would confirm that the most efficient way is to use some tight underclothes paired with some loose fitting clothing overtop. What do I mean by this? Well, wearing some tight underwear, spandex, or yoga pants will help tuck your ostomy bag into place and keep it more form fitting against your body.
Obviously, you do not want to go with something that is too tight, because then you will have problems with your ostomy pouch leaking or your skin barrier becoming agitated. If at all possible, wearing tight clothes underneath will definitely help your ostomy pouch be less pronounced out from your body. What makes this concept even better is if you wear loose fitting clothing over top. Then, not only do you have tight clothes holding your ostomy pouch close against your body, the loose clothes over top will also aid in making the ostomy bag basically undetectable.
This can be a really convenient way to hide your ostomy pouch if you do not want people to notice that you have one. Personally, I would hate for anyone to notice that I have an ostomy pouch. That would be super embarrassing and make me feel awful about myself. Another thing that people with ostomy pouches like to do is wear an unsealable ostomy pouch that allows for quick releases of gas. If you have a lot of gas buildup in your ostomy pouch, the bag will bulge and become more noticeable. Hope this helps!
Stoma Care Corner 