Ileostomy versus colostomy

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Hi all

I'm in a bit of an unusual situation and have two stomas at the moment (ileostomy and mucous fistula which will be my colostomy as of next week) . More details on my profile.

So my reversal surgery is booked for Tuesday 9th Oct and I will then end up with a permanent colostomy. The stoma nurses says this is much easier to manage. I guess like any reversal the bowel will take a while to settle and to start with they said I would be using drainable bags.

My question is, does anyone have experience of an ileostomy and a colostomy? I'm just keen to know if it really will be better. The ileostomy is a nuisance as I keep having to empty the bag (don't like it anywhere near full as it weighs down and is uncomfortable so I tend to empty it at every toilet visit). Also I have to get up a couple of times in the night to empty it. But it is easy to drain and I am just a couple of minutes longer in the loo and no major problems when out and about. With the colostomy you have to change the bag every time so this will mean using the disabled loo if I'm out, which so far I haven't had to do.

The stoma nurses did say that if I'm changing the colostomy bag more than twice a day it's worth considering irrigation which is an option, though time-consuming. My husband doesn't think that's a good idea and reckons it can't be good for the bowel (I think he's imagining the celebrities with their colonic irrigation for better health fad!). I'm quite tempted by this and have heard it can be very successful.

Cheers

Camelializ

FormerMember over 6 years ago

Hi Camelializ,

I only have a permanent colostomy but wanted to pick up on a couple of things. With a colostomy your poo will be much firmer and you won't be contstantly changing your pouch. Nor is it a must to use a disabled loo when you're out - you'll develop your own routine for changing pouches, but for me, I rarely use a disabled loo as I can often manage in the ordinary loos. As for the irrigation, the time you take with the process is so worth it. From start to finish, I'm around 45 mins a day (first thing in the morning). This empties my bowels and I then have confidence for the rest of the day that the pouch that I put on after irrigiation will be the pouch that comes off at night or the next morning. Some people even get a couple of days without having to irrigate again, but it's all down to individuals.

Hope this gives you more of an insight into a colostomy. Good luck for Tuesday!

Linda :-)

FormerMember over 5 years ago in reply to FormerMember

This advice is a little late for this thread but I was 46 when I had APER surgery. I was slim, a runner, too body conscious but there was more to it than that. I opted for irrigation and it took, 30 mins max a day and I could still swear a bikini with just a plaster on , when on the beach. It did change my outlook, happiness and I always had a flat stomach... before that I felt lost, lost my spirit...

Camelializ over 5 years ago in reply to FormerMember

thanks for your post. What a lot can happen in a year since I wrote that post! I’ve had my permanent colostomy for a year now. I started irrigating in May 2019 and all is going well. It is a life changer if you are able to do it (I know not everyone can.). I sadly don’t have a flat stomach but I can wear a stoma cap or mini bag and if the irrigation has gone well I can forget all about my stoma for 24 hours.Of course it has its odd moment when it plays up but the freedom and freeness of spirit I now have is worth every minute in the bathroom in the mornings.

I hope you are well now.

All the best.

Liz x

Everything is rosy in the garden.

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Ileostomy versus colostomy