Comfizz support wear review

The helpful team over at Comfizz sent me a support wear belt to try out as an 'active ostomate' and it was great to be involved with reviewing something from the point of view of someone who uses support wear and has a good idea of what they're looking for.  

After a few emails to find out what I wanted from a support wear garment, Lorraine from Comfizz suggested I tried out the level 3 support wear belt. This level provides firm support and according to the Comfizz website is, "ideal for holding hernias, protecting hernia repairs and giving extra support during strenuous activity." Unfortunately, a hernia formed during the operation for my first stoma and that stoma also prolapsed, so I wear support wear to prevent another hernia forming and to prevent my stoma prolapsing. I don't have a hernia at the moment and am happy with how much of my stoma protrudes from my abdomen - enough to empty waste into my bag but not so much that it prolapses and causes issues. 

To find out what would be an ideal support garment for you, the different types of support level are explained on the Comfizz website here.

Lorraine from Comfizz helped with what size belt I would need - I am a 10-12 UK womenswear size and so a M size belt was sent out to me and it fit perfectly - tight enough to provide the support required but not too tight to potentially cause a leak from too much pressure over my stoma bag. I also had to provide an aperture size for Lorraine, this is for a separate piece of material that goes around the baseplate and adheres to the main belt that wraps around your abdomen. A benefit of this belt system is that it comes with two of the front pads so if you have one in the wash you are still able to use the belt and don't have to wash the entire belt system every time. 

A two part support wear garment: 

I used the belt for a week after receiving it....and will continue to use it for exercising. I trialled the belt whilst going for a run, taking my dog for a walk and tidying up around the house. I use support wear for any activity I do including just sitting at my desk at work and choose the level of support depending on what I am doing. This level 3 belt is ideal for exercising, any sort of lifting around the house and any fairly strenuous activity like a workout or gardening. 

Below is the belt on myself - with the black front pad section placed around my stoma bag and then the grey belt part wrapped around my abdomen and velcroed to the black section. There is a large section of elastic that then pulls over your stoma bag and velcros to secure in place. I didn't ever feel this become loose or detach from the velcro and my stoma hadn't become too flush with my abdomen or prolapse after wearing the elastic section over it. 

There is some boning to the belt which I hadn't had experience of before in support wear garments. The boning provides structure to the garment and a good level of support without being restrictive, I could still freely move and felt the belt allowed flexibility rather than feeling anything like a constraining corset. 

Something that can happen with support wear is riding up your abdomen or slipping down towards your bum. I didn't feel either happen with the belt and felt it was quite a breathable material as I was trialling it in very warm temperatures for the UK!

The belt is machine washable at 30 degrees and I would always wash something like this after a workout or a run as I will have gotten sweaty. 

I've been recommended to continue to wear support wear by my stoma nurse, due to previously having a hernia and prolapsed stoma - as with most things it's a personal choice and down to what suits your situation. I have spoken with ostomates who have no need for any support wear. I like the feeling of support that garments like this belt give me and the seamless look under clothes of not seeing the outline of a stoma bag or a bulging full bag. 

If you're thinking about support wear for the first time, take a look at FAQs on the Comfizz website here and you can email the friendly support team at info@comfizz.com 

An optional add-on for this belt is a semi-rigid stoma protector which has been designed to shield the stoma from any unwanted forces which could be anything from discomfort from a car seatbelt on longer journeys through to impact sports like rugby.

I'm off to plan my next run with this belt and you can explore the different support wear belts Comfizz provide here.