Colostomy vs Ileostomy

Hey, I had an ileostomy temporaraly after my Surgery.  My Aunt has a colostomy.  So we compare with each other.  The main difference I see is with an ileostomy what is produced in the bag is very liquidy, almost no matter, it can easily be emptied.  The bag can be changed every 3 or 4 days.  My Aunt (who is a little nutty) changes her bag frequently. 

Changing the bag to me was very difficult so the prospect of changing it more frequently would bother me.

Hope this helps and I hope all goes well for you!

Is the ileostomy being recommended by your docs?

Another difference between the two ostomies is that with the ileo you have to watch for dehydration as it is the intestine which absorbs liquids.  That is why with the ileo there is more liquid. 

Also given the shortened length of intestine with the ileo, there is less time between ingestion of foods and liquids to output.

Some folks also have difficulty with keeping the barrier fitting tightly with the ileo which causes skin irritation due to acids expelled.  You may have to try many different supplies to help with the seal issue.  Also due to length you may need to change how you take any pill form medications since some are not totally absorbed in the stomach.  This is also true of nutrition absorption.

Marie who loves litties

Inspired2013 said:

Removing the remainder of my colon is something we talked about briefly last fall with my surgeon as a result of my Lynch diagnosis with an intent to discuss it further at our next appointment, about 8 weeks after chemo. I have new scans/blood work with oncology in two weeks. If they’re clear, I’ll make an appointment with my surgeon to discuss next steps. Having already dealt with Stage 4 colon cancer, I’m not wild about my chances of getting it all over again. 

I am unfamiliar with Lynch sydrome, but for the majority of us a recurrence in the colon is much less likely than other places like the liver or lungs.  

Annabelle41415 said:

Differences

Mine was an ileostomy and the one difference I'm aware of between the two is what you can eat.  Although with both you need to chew your food really well but with an ileostomy you can't have mushrooms, things with seeds like cucs, popcorn, corn on the cob, peanuts, skins on tomatoes, potatoes, etc.  It was a harder diet than a colostomy.  Although mine was only temporary some of those things were my favorite foods to eat.  Hope this helps.

Kim

I had a Ilio for 10 months. Took a while to get used to.I ate most foods but i took Lopiramide tablets, they were capsules that slows things down and you need to cut the end off and tip contents onnto a spoon and swallow. Easy as. 

Reversal done last September and Colonoscopy last week shows all clear , i had bowel tumuor.       I am walking on cloud nine so happy and every day is a blessing. 

Inspired2013 said:

Lynch leaves me at high risk

Lynch leaves me at high risk of developing more cancers, including a 50/50 risk of getting a second, unrelated bout of colon cancer within the next ten years. In Lynch, polyps turn to cancer in a year or two. I also had a rough experience with prep both for my colonoscopy and surgery last summer. There’s only so much I can do about most of my Lynch related cancer risks, but removing my colon is one thing I can do (as is a hysterectomy, which is another thing I’ll be talking to my surgeon about).

Ugh.  The challenges are never ending.

i can tell you that my iliostomy is very difficult to handle- pouches do not stick to my skin more than a day because the content is so fluid and corrosive- it just destroys the pouch seal adhesion to skin- Life for me was better when i had colostomy- could go a coupel of days with a pouch- I am lucky however inthat in the morning ,when i change the pouch, the bowel activity is very minimal- usually- almost always- and i can quickly change hte pouch without much problem or mess- but every so often, the diarhea is so bad that it's a nightmare to change- just have plenty of toilet paper handy to grab quickly if needed-  the fact that the seal doesn't last long means the skin aroudn stoma gets irritated and soemtimes so weepy that the pouch can't stick in that area- but i use stomahesive paste to give a very thin coating on raw red area to heal it it protects skin just a little whiell onger than with pouch seal alone I find-

You also have to take into account that with an iliostomy- you will be losing more nutrients, and likey lose weight, and struggle with gettign enough nutrients- dependign on how much of small intestine they take out- over time, your body will suffer the effects of improper nutrition- but it wil ltake awhile-

You have a tough decision with the Lynch disease- I think personally I woudl wait and keep gettign checked for polyps- if the devlope- then get the rest of large intestine removed- but I'd have to know the risk odds more- I think-

I know some folks can wear pouches with ilio for days- i can not- and it's exhausting havign to deal with goign to bathroom 10-15 times a day- that's another thing to consider with an ilio- frequent bathroom visits- and you have to plan your trips around bathrooms- as pouch can fill up rapidly with such loose bowels- I carry a soda bottle with water in it to flush pouch out with- and always carry tiolet paper- a few wads in back pocket just incase- If I have a long trip- i can dart into woods if i can't make it to restroom- but that is last resort-

I had much easier time with colostomy to be honest- and felt i was gettign better nutrition and health was better- iliostomies can be tough to deal with- but soem folks are lucky and don't get real watery output- and do good with wearign pocuhes for a few days- but i haven't found a pouch seal yet that can withstand the output for more than a day-

well like i mentioned, some folks do fine with ilios- some like me do not- the output is so liquid that pouch seals simply do not stick for very long at all- the output beign so liquid works it's way under the seal- and when i change the next day, the output has crept it's way to the edge of the pouch seal- I can't wear these with any confidence- I just put a new one on and hope they don't leak out in public- not a very pleasant way to go through life- and like i mentioned- the lack of nutrients has weakened me- it'sd liek starting a day with only a 1/4 charge, and running down so bad by 2 in afternoon that i have to nap every day just to recharge enouigh to make it through rest of evening- -

I'm not tryign to talk you out of it- just want to give you soem facts abotu what can happen with iliostomies- and to state i was healthier with colostomy, and had better wear time and feeling of security with pouches- I never had leaks with colostomy evne going 3 days with a pouch- and I worked hard- sweating all day- in summer- hard physical labor on farm- logging etc- I wouldn't even attempt thsoe now with iliostomy, even if i did have the strength now- as i know the exertion and sweating would result in leaking- just somethign to take into consideration- the output is goign to be very loose and watery- but hopefully the pouches will stick strong to your skin unlike mine- Good luck with your decision- it's an awful one to have to make- but might just be worth it because of the disease you have-

I had an ileostomy for only six months.  This was my experience:

1) It filled constantly and sometimes rapidly.  I was forced to go to a bathroom 3 to 5 times during the night and even more during the day.  Consequently, my sleep cycle was interrupted and over time my level of fatigue increased.

2) I was cautioned about my diet and I adhered to the recommendations because I did not want to suffer a blockage.  Some items like nuts, popcorn, corn, types of meat, etc. can be swallowed without being reduced sufficiently by chewing and subsequently clog the ileostomy.  The list of what I shouldn't eat seemed longer than the list of what I could eat.  My nutritional intake was affected.  I lost weight and energy.

3) It is easy to dehydrate when you have an ileostomy because that fluid never makes it to the large intestine, where most of it is absorbed.  One of the initial symptoms of dehydration is constipation.  Since that is a non-issue with an ileostomy, the symptoms of dehydration are more subtle, and must be monitored.  This is especially important if you are comorbid or take prescribe medications.

4) When an ileostomy bag leaks it does just that - it leaks.  I had it run all the way down my leg before I realized what happened.  Fortunately, I was at home.  I had other minor leaks in public but I was able to contain the social and physical damage.  When that affluent contacts your skin it immediately irritates it because of its acidity.  The health of the skin surrounding your stoma then becomes yet another issue with CRC.  The worse it becomes the more likely that the pouch will leak.  It can turn into a downward spiral.  I once returned to the hospital and sought the assistance of one of the WOC nurses.  Her help was immediately beneficial and so appreciated.

5) Changing an ileostomy pouch is totally dependent upon your affluent.  You will be hard pressed to change it while it is active because the affluent will be running down your stomach.  Consequently, you will not be able to clean and dry and prep the skin in order to apply the wafer.  If you apply the wafer to wet skin then the wafer will immediately leak and you get back into that downward spiral.  I discovered that my stoma was somewhat inactive early in the morning and early in the evening.  That's when I had to rearrange my life to adapt to what my small intestine determined.  One of the homemade remedies I came across that is suppose to stop an ileostomy temporarily is marshmellows.  Yes, eat a couple and wait a few minutes and your stoma is suppose to slow down and stop.  I never tried it because eating marshmellows early in the morning was not something I could swallow.  I averaged 4 days with a pouch/wafer before I had to change it.

Other than all of that, I adjusted to my temporary new normal.  I kept telling myself that there are so many others who have it so much worse; I just needed to put on my "big boy" pants and live with it.  However, my ileostomy was so close to my belt line that I could not pull my pants up all the way.  Instead, I wore them high on my left hip and low on my right.

Good luck in your decision-making process.  CRC curries no favors with anyone.

Jim