Can anyone please tell me what the belts are that you are all talking about? last time I had an illeostomy(now got a J pouch but soon going to return to illeostomy)I was never shown anything about a belt. How do they work? It may have changed alot since I last used all the stuff 20 years ago. Also with my first illeostomy I had a loop, have since read an end illeostomy is easier to control, can any please explain the difference, I see my surgeon end of January, and want the right questions to ask him. The loop caused me alot of hassle and may have been there because the J pouch had to be constructed, since the reverse is now gonna happen, should I insist on an end illeostomy, or would that just happen anyway, Thanks for your help, Heather

There are several different belts. I've only tried the Phoenix Ostomy belt. It's just some type of fabric that goes around your waist/stomach and has a pouch for your bag. You end up wearing your bag sideways, which sounds strange at first, but works great. It's adaptable to left or right side stomas. Works great for me, I take it off for showers only. Good luck to ya.

I have a loop ileo now (reverted back in sept) and had an end ileo with my original jpouch surgery 5 years ago and find the loop a lot harder to control, the output is higher and a lot more liquidy --- i had leakage issues with both but much worse with the loop. i am not sure u can insist on the end, as i think my surgeon wanted an end but when they were in there there was a lot of scar tissue and the part of the intestine they grabbed from had to be a loop. an ostomy belt has saved me in so many ways. i love them and cant live without them now. i order them with my ostomy supplies at edgepark.com. also the ostomy nurse should give you one in the ostomy care package. good luck....and keep us posted.

There are actually many different belts on the market now.
Nu-hope has an extensive variety. You can google them and see for yourself. There is also the phoenix belt which was already mentioned that is pretty popular.
There are also some belts that are simply a piece of elastic with hooks on the end that hook onto belt loops that some appliances have built in. Belts can extend wear time, keep things more secure and help prevent hernias or help a hernia if you already have one. They also can help to hide your bag better under clothes or during intimate moments.

I am sure that there is a ton more stuff available now then 20 yrs ago. Do a google search and you will find wraps, belts, special underwear, ostomy armour etc.....

My son had an end ileo and now a loop. The only big difference we have noticed is that the loop has a mucous fistula which can leak a clearish fluid and was causing our wafers to leak. We started using an eakin seal made by convatec and have not had any more problems. Our doc explained it like this: An end ileo is like cutting a garden hose clear in half and bringing that one end up through the belly. A loop is like cutting a garden hose half way through and bringing both ends up through the belly. One opening lets stool out and the other mucous. In our experience both of my sons ostomies looked almost exactly the same and I really can't even see the second opening or mucous fistula. Everyones experience is different though and no two stomas are alike. If you are going for a perm ostomy I would suspect they will do a loop.

You should also go to the UOAA (united ostomy assoc) web site. They have a list of all ostomy companies and most will send you samples and some will even send you a new patient kit with scissors and a bag for your supply along with lots of good info. I think you will find that things have improved a lot in the past twenty years. We have seen new things in just the past three.
Good luck.

Heather,
i meant to say they will probably do an end ileo. I don't know how to edit my posts on here!!!

You should also check out ostomates.org run by another Aussie

Thanks everyone for your replies, the belts sound live heaven, when I had my bag I used to make my own glove like cover to fit over it, but it wasn't that good and didn't hold the bag on at all, the adice I got from the stoma nurse was wear it sideways with tight fitting panties! I'm glad things have got better!!Thanks for the advice

The best belts I have found are from ostomycares.com. They are nylon and lycra, very comfortable, and just slip on. The is a pocket for your pouch and you don't have to wear your pouch sideways like a lot of belts. It gives you a lot of support without a lot a complexity or having to change how you wear your pouch. The are out of Quebec so you get two confirmation emails, one in French and one in English.