This may be a really dumb question, but I wear a 2 piece Hollister lock n roll system, and I'm curious about wearing my bag horizontally across my body. How do you empty it?

I don't exactly wear mine horizontally, but I do wear it at an angle so that the tail end points towards my opposite leg. Sometimes I've mis-placed it and it's ended up practically horizontal (couldn't move it again as I wear an adhesive coupling system) and had absolutely no problem emptying. I always sit right back on the toilet and empty between my legs.

Try it, it's really no different from wearing it straight down. In fact I love wearing it this way. It stops that lopsided feeling when the bag starts to fill and it's well supported in my lycra underwear.

Good luck.

Shell

I use Coloplast 2 Pc "wide easiclose" bags. They have a locking device. when unlocked I can "spin" the bag on the wafer so I can empty straight down, and wear it sideways with my phoenix belt.

Like Shell, I wear mine at an angle pointing towards my inside leg. That way I just sit on the loo and the bag is pointed in the direction I want it so I can empty between my legs

It also all fits neatly in my underwear.

ok, i think im just a bit retarded when it comes to clothing. my stoma is very high, right next to my bellybutton. so i cant wear my normal clothes without squishing it (i did that once and the stool couldnt come out into the bag and it exploded out the side!). so i usually wear my maternity shorts that have a small panel underneath it on my hips. VERY unflattering. i can wear regualr jeans if i leave the fly open and put a maternity band over it. (but again, have trouble getting stool out if i put anything over it). you all talk about lycra undies and pheonix belts...but how do they not squish the bag so much that stuff has trouble coming out? i dont get it.

Sarah,

I don't have any trouble with the stool not being able to come out, even when it's on the thick side. I wear stretch lycra underwear and stretch jeans and have never had a problem. I do get changed into some looser fitting clothes in the evenings to give Wee Willie (my perminent end ileo) some breathing space, but generally he will just do his thing whatever I'm wearing.

Wee Willie is a little on the long side and tends to retract and telescope slightly so I wear a convex wafer. Perhaps that is why I don't have problems as he sits in the bowl of the wafer so doesn't actually get squashed.

The other thing is that Wee Willie is also sited very low (2" across and 4" down from my belly button) and so I don't have the problem with waistbands that you do, however there are lots of folks here who have high placed stomas and they wear the Pheonix belt which then enables them to wear their regular clothes.

Good luck and take care.

Shell

I use the Hollister 2 piece also, and like using it Horizontaly also at times. My fear is that it dose'nt drain down completely, and the "Mess" will eat the wafer seal. Does anybody know if this may be the deal?? This is the only reason I don't wear it sideways all the time. Mike

i was thinking exactly the same thing as mike- i can't stand having any stool around the wafer seal and im always pushing the thicker stuff down to the bottom of the bag cuz it tends to pile up at the top for a while...gross i know lol...but if it is sideways doesn't it just sit on top of the wafer seal and end up leaking?

oh, and for anyone with a phoenix belt...i would like to try one...is it pretty bulky? i want to wear my tight tops...right now my stoma is sorta right wear my mid-rise jeans waistband is..but i hate wearing high waisted pants, and then a shirt over top...it adds like 10 lbs to my frame..i'm being vain and shallow but i would rather wear low pants and tight tops if the phoenix belt flattens things out. how do the sizes work? is the small really small? i think i wanna try one...

Niki,

I just bought another one and they revamped it. It has Velcro now so it can be as tight or as loose as you want it, they are now adjustable. Only drawback is the Velcro patch makes a thicker spot on the belt, not by much. overall I like the revamped version better.

Andy

Ok I forgot to mention that I always swish with water when I empty. This is because my stool is usually a bit too pasty to emty properly on its own. This makes emptying very fast and complete. Once I've emptied I swish a little more water around to get rid of any residue that is clinging around my stoma. I always carry a small plastic bottle in my handbag and fill it at the sink before going into a stall in public toilets.

Good luck folks. Hope this helps.

Shell

The water idea is brilliant. I think perhaps my bag is too long for me.. I am going to try to order the shorter size to see, it hangs far enough down my leg to be really irritating, and doesn't fit into my undies well. Otherwise, if i "fail" my dye test again I might just invest in a phoenix belt. I like the idea that if my shirt rides up a little or something, no one will be able to see my poo. Next to a public leaking issue, that's my worst fear with the ostomy.
One other question... when you went to a permanent end ileostomy, did they change stoma sites from your temp, or did you spend time with the pouch in between?

I wear my 2 piece sideways and use the Phoenix belt, you get used to emptying them, it's not much different at all. I was very worried at first also.

Hey !! I've just found this site. As I'm a new owner of a stoma, having just had an ileostomy last October, this looks like a great site. I've got lots of reading to do.

I wear my bag straight down, but I think I may change and try it on an angle !!

Angela.