Can you explain this?

lightnin62
lightnin62 Member Posts: 3
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
This is my first post so bear with me, please. After you have had an ileostomy reversal and you have to be so careful with what you eat if you don't want to stay in the bathroom, but, if you have an colostomy then you can eat whatever you want and not have to worry about having to constantly empty the bag. Why is this? What is the difference since the stool takes the same route through the digestive system either way but with different openings?

Comments

  • HollyID
    HollyID Member Posts: 946 Member
    #2
    With an ileostomy...
    the stool is still quite liquid. Very soft. You see, when the stool passes into the large intestine, it's job is to help extract that liquid and kinda dry things out. That's why normal stool isn't so liquid, the large intestine's job is to help pull the water out, so therefore, the stool is more formed than that in the small intestines where the ileostomy is formed and takes longer to be excreted.

    I really hope that made sense.
  • AnneCan
    AnneCan Member Posts: 3,673 Member
    #3
    Welcome lightnin62! I think
    Welcome lightnin62! I think Holly has answered your question but I just wanted to say hi..
  • lightnin62
    lightnin62 Member Posts: 3
    #4
    I still don't understand.
    I still don't understand. Either I didn't word my question correctly or I'm not understanding your replies so I'll try again. Right now I still have most of my colon after an ostomy reversal but I have to watch what I eat. The way I understand it, a person with a permanent colostomy and most of his colon still intact doesn't have to watch what he eats nearly as close as a person with a reversal with most of their colon intact. What I want to know is, why or what am I missing?
  • taraHK
    taraHK Member Posts: 1,952 Member
    #5
    lightnin62 said:

    I still don't understand.
    I still don't understand. Either I didn't word my question correctly or I'm not understanding your replies so I'll try again. Right now I still have most of my colon after an ostomy reversal but I have to watch what I eat. The way I understand it, a person with a permanent colostomy and most of his colon still intact doesn't have to watch what he eats nearly as close as a person with a reversal with most of their colon intact. What I want to know is, why or what am I missing?

    let me try
    Let me try. I have a permanent colostomy. Presurgically, you have a sphincter, over which you have control (well, most of the time! after about age 3!). With a permanent colostomy, you have zero control. Some people try to control thro diet. Some (including me) control thro irrigation. I haven't had a reversal but what I understand is that after reversal people have to relearn/regain control over that sphinter -- which can take some time and can be a challenge. Does this make sense? Please let me/know if I have misunderstood...And, I wish you all the best as you tackle this particular challenge -- there are many others on this board who have gone through reversals and I'm sure you will get practical advice as well as support.

    Tara
  • coolvdub
    coolvdub Member Posts: 408 Member
    #6
    taraHK said:

    let me try
    Let me try. I have a permanent colostomy. Presurgically, you have a sphincter, over which you have control (well, most of the time! after about age 3!). With a permanent colostomy, you have zero control. Some people try to control thro diet. Some (including me) control thro irrigation. I haven't had a reversal but what I understand is that after reversal people have to relearn/regain control over that sphinter -- which can take some time and can be a challenge. Does this make sense? Please let me/know if I have misunderstood...And, I wish you all the best as you tackle this particular challenge -- there are many others on this board who have gone through reversals and I'm sure you will get practical advice as well as support.

    Tara

    Hi lightnin62,
    As a new
    Hi lightnin62,

    As a new ostomate I also go to the United Ostomy Association website. I have found good information at that site. Here is the URL for it http://www.uoaa.org/ . Also welcome to the CSN boards, this is where I started out last year after my resection surgery for Colon cancer. You will find plenty of information and lots of friendly, knowledgeable friends here.

    Don
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    #7
    coolvdub said:

    Hi lightnin62,
    As a new
    Hi lightnin62,

    As a new ostomate I also go to the United Ostomy Association website. I have found good information at that site. Here is the URL for it http://www.uoaa.org/ . Also welcome to the CSN boards, this is where I started out last year after my resection surgery for Colon cancer. You will find plenty of information and lots of friendly, knowledgeable friends here.

    Don

    lightin62
    When a person has an illeostomy or colostomy the use of the spincter muscle is a mute point so the bag catches all of the waste, it is free flowing, no need for the spincter, it never comes into play. The illeostomy is normally on the right side where the intestine is just starting to form stool and the waste is still very much liquid. It then is passed through the ascending, transverse, and descending colons, where most of the moisture is removed before it passes through the sigmoid and then into the rectum where it is stored until ejected.
    The illeostomy is an opening where the intestine is just starting to break its foods down so it will be pretty much fluid, the colostomy is an opening normally on the large intestine where the food waste is almost used completely up by the body and is ready to be ejected...
    Although, if a person has had a reversal on either the illeostomy or colostomy the relearning of the use of their spincter muscle is sometimes a long drawn out affair. A permanent bag is when there is no more room for a spincter to be saved or the person opted to not have the reversal done for whatever reason...I have a permanent ostomy and I eat anything I want, only because it doesn't matter to me if it runs me off or constipates me, its all caught in a bag and disposed of sanitarily as can be, where as if there has been a reversal the control issue usually depends largely on diet because there is sometimes no stopping it if it decides to move. With a bag, it doesn't matter when it goes.....Hope this helps ya......Buzz
  • lightnin62
    lightnin62 Member Posts: 3
    #8
    Buzzard said:

    lightin62
    When a person has an illeostomy or colostomy the use of the spincter muscle is a mute point so the bag catches all of the waste, it is free flowing, no need for the spincter, it never comes into play. The illeostomy is normally on the right side where the intestine is just starting to form stool and the waste is still very much liquid. It then is passed through the ascending, transverse, and descending colons, where most of the moisture is removed before it passes through the sigmoid and then into the rectum where it is stored until ejected.
    The illeostomy is an opening where the intestine is just starting to break its foods down so it will be pretty much fluid, the colostomy is an opening normally on the large intestine where the food waste is almost used completely up by the body and is ready to be ejected...
    Although, if a person has had a reversal on either the illeostomy or colostomy the relearning of the use of their spincter muscle is sometimes a long drawn out affair. A permanent bag is when there is no more room for a spincter to be saved or the person opted to not have the reversal done for whatever reason...I have a permanent ostomy and I eat anything I want, only because it doesn't matter to me if it runs me off or constipates me, its all caught in a bag and disposed of sanitarily as can be, where as if there has been a reversal the control issue usually depends largely on diet because there is sometimes no stopping it if it decides to move. With a bag, it doesn't matter when it goes.....Hope this helps ya......Buzz

    Can you explain this?
    Thanks,guys. That clears it up for me. Stan

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