Comfizz Briefs Review: Hiking and Biking with Support

As soon as I heard that I was going to have to have another ostomy revision, I was immediately concerned about my risk for getting a hernia. This most recent surgery was one of my biggest surgeries yet with a 4.5″ midline incision, a gaping wound on my right where my old stoma was, and the new stoma on the left that was made out of dilated intestine (luckily not as dilated as we originally thought-my intestine was dilated to 10cm a few weeks before surgery from chronic bowel obstructions/Crohn’s/an abscess, but shrunk a bit by surgery).

In addition to the incisions and opening for the new stoma increasing my risk for a hernia, I also lead a very active lifestyle both in my hobbies and in my work as an Occupational Therapist. When I started walking after surgery without any support, my abdomen felt like it was being dragged down to the ground. It was very uncomfortable. I’m 11 weeks out from surgery and able to walk around without that level of discomfort, but if I’m on my feet for more than 2 hours, hiking up or down something steep, biking, on my hands and knees, or an other awkward position moving around, I start to get quite sore around my stoma and healing wound.

I know that gaining strength in my core will help with my comfort level, and I’m dong pelvic floor therapy and some light strength training. But while I’m working on building strength, I decided that I wanted to feel a bit more comfortable while being active.

I ordered my Comfizz support garments a couple of weeks after surgery, but had to wait about a month for them to ship from the UK to Alaska. That being said, customer service was very responsive in keeping me up to date on the whereabouts of my purchase. However, I would suggest that if you want them right after surgery, that you order a bit ahead of time.

The Supportwear came with some basic informational cards and information on NHS prescriptions for those living in the UK. The Level I garments come in a variety of colors, and I opted for the pink. The level II come in black or white.

I ended up ordering size Medium in both the Level I and Level II support briefs. They both fit well. My first impression was that the Level I felt tighter than the Level II. However, after wearing both, I do feel that the level II provides more support. The level II also comes up a bit higher as noted in photos below.

The level I brief claims to offer “gentle all around support” and is described as “versatile light support wear.” The level II brief is meant for ” supporting hernias, or for extra support during exercise activities” according to Comfizz.

Comfizz Level 1 Support

So far I’ve worn the Level 1 brief on a 2 mile hike, a 5 mile hike, and biking near my house. My ostomy bag and stoma felt supported, but by the end of the hiking day, I was still sore around my stoma. I liked the fit and comfort of the briefs. I typically wear ostomy underwear with a pocket for my bag when I’m exercising, so I did get a little bit of chafing on my leg from the end of the bag rubbing. Next time I’ll have to remember to tuck the end of the bag up (I have the Coloplast Mio that folds at the end). I’m sure an ostomy cover would help too. I’ve decided that I like the Level I brief for every day use when I’m not as active.

Comfizz Level 2 Support

I wore the Level II brief on a 6 mile bike ride, a 7 mile hike, a 12+ mile hike with steep terrain, and on a shorter hike in town. I can definitely say, I appreciated the support! The last time I had gone on a bike ride of similar mileage without the briefs, I was quite sore when I got home. With the briefs, I wasn’t as sore. I noticed this with hiking too. After back to back long days (wearing the briefs both days), I surprisingly was not as sore as I thought I would be. And then two days later, I went on a short hike in town without the briefs, and I was sore around my stoma. Whether it’s the placebo effect or the briefs are doing their job, I’m happy to have them.

I have used NuHope belts in the past, but my old belts don’t fit my current stoma/bag. I’ve also looked into the Stealthbelt or MrColitisCrohn’s support belt, but have not actually tried either of those. As a female with a butt and hips, I don’t tend to like belts as much because they ride up. The underwear seems easiest for me to manage; although the belts probably provide a bit more support.

Overall, I’m like both the Level I and Level II briefs. I think I will get more use out of the Level IIs. I will continue trying out the Comfizz supportwear to see what I think for a variety of activities/conditions.