Ok, so admittedly it took me a long time to find a pair of jeans that would work well with my ilesotomy. The unfortunate low-rise trend caused me all sorts of issues, since my ileostomy is placed fairly high on my abdomen. I know some people don’t have issues with their pouches appearing well above the waist line, but I seem to be rather…um…prolific in my output and really don’t care for the pouch expanding above tight pants, making my belly look lopsidedly pregnant.
I basically wrote of jeans for the longest time. And those I wore were either uncomfortable or so baggy to give me a high waist line that they did nothing to flatter my figure. And then one day the clouds parted and I heard angels sing and I found the right jeans for me. The ones that work for me are Ralph Lauren jeans. Just the plain old Lauren jeans they have at Macy’s, not the uber expensive type.
And now, thanks to some backlash over the low rise phenomenon, and the realization that women above the age of 15 have more success avoiding the ‘muffin top’ by having pants with a higher waistline that holds them in, there are many more options available! Another angel-singing moment for me was finding Levi’s 512 Perfectly Slimming Jeans. These jeans are awesome! I live in them when I’m not at work. They are firm enough that they hold my appliance in, and yet have enough stretch that they are very comfortable. They also look really sharp. I realize it is still a bit high for a waistband, but I usually don’t tuck on my outer top (I always wear a tank underneath and tuck that in though…it helps compress everything AND helps me avoid flashing my appliance to the world when I pick up my son).
Seriously, if you are looking for jeans, I highly recommend the 512’s.
Ostomy Chic 