Is it safe to smash down stoma with tight clothes or a stoma guard?

My three month old stoma is about 1" high and is consistently described as textbook "beautiful" by stoma nurses, and indeed it is working fabulously. The one thing for me that is a bit of a nuisance is that itis located right on (or very slightly below depending on the pants) my beltline - I almost cancelled my colectomy for a second time when that was the only position they could find that would work, but vowed that I'd figure something out. (and I dont regret it- I absolutely love how i feel with UC gone vamoose- this minor tinkering with getting past this little tech problem is really my last hurdle).

I recently have been trying two stoma belt/guards- the "stomaplex" one and "ostomy armor". I followed the instructions for the stomaplex which meant a shield around 1.25" thick which, with the wrap belt on top just adds way too much bulk on my belly. The ostomy armor one is much lower in profile because evidently it is meant to squash down onto the stoma- either that or I am a freak for not having a flat stoma lol. My 1" stoma gets pancaked down to about a third of an inch with that thing on. I have been thinking about having the ostomy armor guy build me one with more clearance but then you lose the low profile. I was wondering what do others with protuding stomas do if you wear a guard belt- do you get a humongous guard that sicks way out, or do you just let the stoma get squished down? I notice that it does empty, though it seems to empty much slower, as if I have a sort of stoma cap on and I can feel a bit of pressure backing up as stuff tries to squeeze out- is that unhealthy for the stoma?? Doesnt it also put a lot of pressure on the wafer seal? I do see many here say they wear tight clothes. But for me I dont like the feeling of the beltline literally squashing the stoma and like to have something guarding there when wearing jeans or work pants.

Post Edited (Probiotic) : 8/1/2013 11:26:44 AM (GMT-6)

Thanks, summerstorm. For me it is more a question of a belt or stoma guard squashing down the stoma- that is where I am worried about blocking flow- because below that there is generally going to be plenty of room for flow to the bottom of the bag. I guess I am just going to have to break down and upsize all my pants one size at the waist. I wish I could just live the rest of my life in sweat pants and stretchy shorts lol...

Thx Equestrian- so, when you are wearing the pants that sit right kn the stoma, does it feel ok? So far if I wear my pre-surgery pants, or any pants with the ostomy armor on I can "feel" the struggle going on for output to squeeze through. Maybe it is just a different feeling that I have to get used to and realize it isnt going to harm the stoma or cause a blockage or anything, but I swear that I can feel pressure backing up, as well as a little discomfort from my stoma being squashed into a pancake, and by contrast I love the feeling at home (or when out but wearing loose sweats or shorts pulled up high with a t shirt to conceal my steve irkel style) of it just being open and free, and I'd like that feeling with regular clothes too. I'm sure it's just a matter of tweaking things just a bit more.

I had the same issue with the stoma guard (had it shipped to the UK and I only wore it once or twice because I also have a prolapsed stoma (sticks out further) and it restricted by stool flow. I simply wear stoma/pregnancy waistbands which simply stop the rub of my trousers on my stoma but still let the stoma free. I find that works much better and I only wear my stoma guard (uk version) when I play football now to protect from direct contact with the ball or players.

I'm still trying to figure this out, though because of complications with my liver, my stomach is still pretty distended and I'm not sure what I'll be wearing in another month or two.

I suppose the easiest thing to do is adopt a hip-hop look and start wearing my pants several inches below the waist line. :)