Posted 11/13/2011 8:16 PM (GMT 0)
DonewithUC- they are not big and cumbersome. They are lightweight and made out of a surprisingly thin odor-proof plastic. Companies actually make mini-pouches too which are much smaller but need to be emptied more. I just stick with the regular sized appliances and they lie amazingly flat under clothing... especially if one wears a wrap or ostomy briefs made by companies like Ostomy Secrets and Comfizz. These compress the pouch a bit and really help to conceal it. I don't always wear wraps or ostomy underwear, but when I really want to hide my appliance I do, and I can wear skinny jeans and fitted shirts or tank tops with no visibility issues. Sure, I suppose if someone really stared at my abdomen intently they could find it, but no one does that.
As far as seeing myself naked. Yep... no getting around viewing the appliance in that situation:) I can honestly say I have not had many issues with being that down about the way the appliance looks. Sure, I have had my moments where I look in the mirror and miss my pretty bare belly and get a little sad for a brief moment, but it was never a big concern of mine from the beginning. I was mainly concerned with the ability to do the active things I enjoyed and not so much what an appliance would look like. Everyone is different in this regard though, so it is something you have to terms with in your own way. I like to wear printed cloth pouch covers over mine to make it look less medical. Somehow it is easier for me to see an appliance on my belly when covered with a fun print:) I sew my own pouch covers, but they are similar to this company's: http://www.cspouchcovers.com/products/index.html
As far as intimacy, my husband and I have no issues with the pouch. I wear a pouch cover as mentioned above because I think it looks a little better that way. In the beginning I wore a wrap to hold the pouch down, but lately I haven't been bothering with that. I just empty before. For me the ostomy has been a blessing in this department though. I had very bad colon pain with my disease so intercourse was often painful. It feels so much better now.
Best wishes and keep asking questions as you continue to do your research.