Month: January 2013

The My Hip T: a great product for ostomy pouch coverage

Published on by ostomyoutdoors17 Comments

I have always been a bit of a gear junkie. I like having just the right backpack, sleeping bag or outdoor clothing for the specific adventure I am embarking on. This plethora of outdoor gear often comes at the expense of other things. For instance, our home furnishings are a hodge-podge of hand-me-downs. Living room color scheme—what’s that? New couch or climbing gear? The climbing gear wins every time.

I have found that just as I like the right piece of outdoor gear for a given objective, so do I like to have specific ostomy products for different circumstances. I love my Ostomy Secrets swim wrap for trips to the pool. My Vanilla Blush undies are really comfy under my jeans for everyday wear. Comfizz boxers are my favorite item for holding my ostomy pouch and hernia belt in place when I rock climb. Each of these products is unique, and I wouldn’t want to be without any of them. I always promised myself after surgery that I would not hold back on getting the ostomy items I needed to make me feel comfortable and confident—even if it meant cutting other things out of the budget.

Recently, I had the opportunity to try a product that has a very unique niche in my wardrobe and has become one of my favorite ostomy-related clothing items: the My Hip-T.  I had never heard of this product before, but last summer the designers of the My Hip-T sent me a few samples at no cost to test out and provide feedback. They have customers who wear the My Hip-T to cover ostomy pouches as well as diabetic insulin pumps and wanted my thoughts and feedback on the product. After testing the garment out, I loved it so much that I have wanted to write a blog post about it for some time. A deluge of difficult news lately put a damper on wanting to write about much of anything, but I am feeling more at peace with all the things that are happening and am ready to blog about all my favorite ostomy subjects.

Showing off the grey colored My Hip-t.
Showing off the grey colored My Hip-T.

As ostomates, we often hear about many of the products that are designed specifically for life with a stoma. However, there are many mainstream items out there that are very helpful too. The My Hip-T is a stretchy cotton wrap that is actually designed to help conceal the bum exposure and muffin top that so often occurs with lower-rise jeans. The tube-top-like garment goes over the upper portion of your pants and ends up looking like a nice layer when worn under a shirt.

Since surgery, many of my favorite shirts have ended up at the back of my dresser drawer because they are just a little too short length-wise and expose the part of my ostomy pouch that sticks out above the waistband of my pants. The My Hip-T has allowed me to re-introduce so many of these much-loved items back into my wardrobe.

I generally do not have good luck with the regular ostomy wraps that are designed to wear under jeans, skirts and trousers. My stoma is located lower on my belly, and the bottom of my ostomy pouch extends past the bend in my leg. When I try to wear an ostomy wrap to cover my entire pouch from top to bottom, it always rolls up near that crease in my leg. As it rolls up, it cuts off the flow to the bottom half of my pouch. The My Hip-T is different. Because it is designed to be worn over the top of your jeans, it clings very well to the fabric and stays in place. The My Hip-T fits snugly around my hips without being too confining and does not block the flow of output from reaching the bottom of my pouch.

Ostomy-specific wraps that are designed to be worn under my pants often cut off the flow in my pouch due to the crease in my leg.
Regular ostomy-specific wraps that are designed to be worn under my pants often cut off the flow to the bottom of my pouch when they roll up at the crease in my leg.

When I want to be absolutely sure my ostomy pouch won’t show when I reach for something and my t-shirt rides up, or if I am wearing something form-fitting, I usually wear higher-waisted ostomy underwear. They do a great job at hiding my pouch without rolling up, and I wouldn’t want to be without them in my clothing quiver. However, sometimes it is nice to wear my comfy non-ostomy undies and just let my ostomy pouch flop over them. The problem with this is that it leaves the top of my ostomy pouch exposed above my pant’s waistband. The Hip-T has given me another option for smoothing out and concealing my pouch when I don’t feel like wearing ostomy-specific underwear. It is so easy to throw one on at the last minute and have confident coverage. If I am traveling, I automatically put one into my luggage. I know that no matter which jeans or shirts I packed, my pouch will be easily concealed with the My Hip-T.

When I wear t-shirts with shorter hem lines, my pouch often shows above my jean waistband.
When I wear t-shirts with shorter hem lines, my pouch often shows above my jean waistband.
Th My Hip-T provides coverage for my pouch.
The My Hip-T provides great coverage for my pouch.
When worn under shirt, the My Hip-T looks just like a layering piece without all the extra bulk.
When worn under a shirt, the My Hip-T looks just like a layering piece without all the extra bulk or warmth.

My Hip-Ts are made out of a thick spandex cotton fabric. It is soft and looks just like a layering t-shirt or tank under my shirt but without the added bulk or warmth of a whole second layer. The product comes in basic colors, prints or an option with lace on the bottom. The one with lace looks pretty with some of my dressier shirts.

The My Hip-t comes in a version with lace on the bottom edge.
The My Hip-T comes in a version with lace on the bottom edge.

As soon as I discovered how handy My Hip-Ts were for everyday wear, I decided to give them a try for active outdoor sports. I wore one over my running tights on a trail run and was pleased with it. It held my hernia prevention belt in place well and kept my pouch from flopping around. It concealed my pouch well with my running tights and tank.

I always wear a Nu-Hope hernia prevention belt when I run.
I always wear a Nu-Hope hernia prevention belt when I run.
The My Hip-t held my hernia prevention belt in place well and helped conceal it-- even in form-fitting running clothing.
The My Hip-t held my hernia prevention belt in place well and helped conceal it — even in form-fitting running clothing.

Overall, I am impressed by this piece of clothing. At $19.95 each, the price of the My Hip-T may seem a little high at first glance, but the quality is great and mine have held up well through multiple washes. It is also made in the USA. The product can be purchased in a two-pack which reduces the cost per item. My Hip-Ts can be found at: www.shophip-t.com.

Thanks to the My Hip-T, I won’t have to part with some of my favorite t-shirts and blouses that had hemlines that didn’t work well with my ostomy.  However, that doesn’t mean a trip to Goodwill still isn’t in order. Hmmm–maybe it is time to get rid of that dress that I sewed to wear at my friend’s wedding back in the late 1990s!

Prayers for a friend

Published on by ostomyoutdoors11 Comments

I had been planning all week to write a post today about a great product I tried out, but my mind isn’t in it. Yesterday, I found out some devastating news. One of our friends, who happens to be my age, is battling brain cancer.  In a matter of 24 hours, he went from thinking he just wasn’t feeling well to being rushed off to emergency surgery and getting the shocking diagnosis.

After finding this out, Doug and I drove to a quiet place to talk and reflect on it all. We cried for the unimaginable fear and uncertainty my friend and his wife and young daughter are facing right now. We reflected on how strong our friends are and how much we love and care about them. Doug and I talked about our own love and life together, knowing full well that what is happening to our friends can happen to anyone. There are simply no guarantees. I spent last night in a strange swirl of vivid dreams featuring my friend and his family, doctors, and my own family. I woke up knowing that my mind is going to be struggling with all of this for a long, long time. I am sad, angry at the unfairness of life and hopeful that my friend will recover.

It is strange how life seems to “package” experiences sometimes. I have been thinking so much about uncertainty lately due to my own health issues (which now seem like a minor inconvenience compared to what my friend is going through).  I have been thinking about how necessary it is to live in the moment and take things day by day. Last week, my employer brought in an amazing speaker at one of our annual staff meetings. He talked about leading an authentic life and the things that make us happy.  I had been reflecting a lot on the message of that talk since hearing it—trying to figure out how his words fit into my own experiences and what they meant to me. It just became more clear. One of his key points was how important relationships and people are in our lives. More and more I am coming to the realization, that for me at least, life isn’t about getting off to exotic locales, or climbing this peak, or hiking that trail. Sure those things are fun, but when it comes down to it, the things that give me the most joy in life are spending time with those I love and helping other people in the ways I am able.  I feel that I am in the beginning stages of shifting my life to better reflect these priorities.

So give those you love a big hug today. Call that friend. Write that letter. Help out another person. And if you are willing, please say a prayer for my friend and his family.

A new year!

Published on by ostomyoutdoors7 Comments

Happy New Year everyone!

Ouch! It has been an achy start to the New Year for me. No, not because of avascular necrosis (AVN), but because I went sledding yesterday. Doug and I are up in Wyoming visiting his brother and family for the New Year holiday. Even though there is not much snow, we took our sleds out to the local hill and tried to make the best of it. On my second trip down the hill, I spun out of control and hit a rock with my shoulder and twisted my back. Fortunately it wasn’t my bad shoulder. After taking a little break, we all found a better hill and spent the afternoon building jumps and zooming down the slope. I am sure I could have found a more gentle activity, but I hadn’t been sledding in years and it was so fun. And the doctor did say I shouldn’t sit on the couch waiting for things to get worse, right? I hardly thought about AVN all day and that was a blessing.

In between fun activities up in Wyoming, I had some time to look back and reflect on 2012. Other than the bad news at the end of the year, 2012 was simply amazing. It was the first year I really got into the swing of things with my ostomy. Having one now feel so routine that I barely even think about it most of the time. I also thought about the goals I had set for this past year. I was successful in reaching some of them and was unable to attain others. Here is a summary of those goals:

  • I want to do a better job of keeping in touch with my friends and family.
    I worked hard on this one, but there is always room for improvement. Having a more introverted personality, I am not much of a phone-talker. In keeping with my love of writing, I usually prefer to email and write long letters to those closest to me, but when I do call my family and friends, I always feel so uplifted. I need to add more phone calls into 2013.
  • I want to continue sharing my thoughts on this site.
    When I started this blog in the spring of 2011, I had no idea how large a part of my life it would become. The comments and emails I get from everyone mean so much to me. You are all so inspirational! I also could not foresee how important this blog is to my own emotional health. Writing here helps me process the events in my journey with IBD, my ostomy and now AVN.
  • I want to get back into working on art.
    This is an area where I fell short. I LOVE doing art,  yet there was seldom time this year to squeeze it in between work, my outdoor and fitness endeavors and blogging. On the bright side, I did write and sketch in my nature journal quite a bit this year. Seeing that this is my favorite activity of all my art-related pastimes, I am super psyched that I was at least able to do this.
  • I want to go on a climbing road trip.
    Doug and I did go on a two-week-long rock climbing trip, and it was the highlight of my year. I have trouble finding the words to describe how amazing it was to be out on the rock again with Doug day after day. Memories of that trip are going to fuel me through any hard times that lie ahead with AVN.
  • I want to run in the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America’s Team Challenge Half Marathon next December.
    When I developed hip pain in the spring, I took this goal off my list. I didn’t feel that my body was up for it. Though this was very disappointing, I was happy to follow the Team Challenge adventures of several of my fellow bloggers. To all of those who participated this year: Good job! I loved reading about your Team Challenge successes.

So what is on the goal list for this year?

I have only one: to try to live in the moment as much as possible each day. I know goals are supposed to be more specific than this, but being in the moment is one of my biggest challenges. I am a person who has always planned for the future and worked hard to achieve the things I longed for in life. It seemed reasonable that if I did a and b it would at least somewhat lead to c. Barring a few surmountable obstacles, life felt like it was in my control. Lately, things feel a little different. With a chronic health condition, there are so many more variables involved. It can really make it hard to visualize the future.

In light of this, I decided that the perfect goal for the upcoming year is to focus on the present. There are so many beautiful moments in each and every day. In fact, this trip to Wyoming has been full of them:

  • Sitting down yesterday afternoon to write stories with Doug and his brother and then hearing my niece read them out loud, carefully sounding out each new word.
  • Taking a nap and having a contentedly purring cat curled up next to my chest.
  • Flying over sledding jumps and giggling like a little kid.
  • Dancing with my niece in the kitchen to Katy Perry tunes.

So here is to a great 2013! I may not know what the year will bring but I do know that by focusing on the present, I won’t let any of the joy it holds slip by unnoticed.

Catching air on the sled hill.
Catching air on the sledding hill.