An opening or stoma made of the small bowel onto the surface of the abdomen is known as an ileostomy.
After ileostomy surgery, your stools will pass out of the stoma instead of your anus. Because there will be no sphincter muscles in the stoma, you will have to wear an ostomy bag over it the entire time. Stools passing out of an ileostomy usually have the consistency that of water.
Why you might need an ileostomy
Your surgeon will choose to give you an ileostomy if your colon is too unfit to process digestive wastes due to an illness or injury. Sometimes, a progressive bowel disease might become life-threatening. In that case, your doctor will give you an ileostomy to save your life.
Depending on your illness, the surgeon will decide whether or not you need a permanent ileostomy. In case of a temporary ileostomy, the surgeon will fix another surgical appointment to join the small bowel to the rest of the lower intestinal tract.
You might need a permanent ileostomy if a large part of your colon is unfit to function. This ileostomy is required when there is no chance to reconnect the bowel. Your surgeon will want to avoid a permanent ileostomy.
The appearance of an ileostomy
The shape of a stoma is generally round or ova. It is red and moist, and it resembles the inside of the mouth due to the mucous membrane. Because it doesn’t have any nerve endings, it doesn’t feel anything. You will have to be careful not to injure your stoma while changing your ostomy bag or cleaning the skin around it. Right after surgery, the stoma will have swelling. It will get smaller and flatter over time, though.
The stoma care nurse
A stoma care nurse plays a significant role in your ileostomy care regimen. They will tell you how to look after your stoma and ensure your bowel health. During the hospital stay, a specialist nurse will visit your ward to check the status of your stoma. He or she will clean your peristomal skin and change the ostomy bag during the first few days to help you get accustomed to the procedure. They also tell you what ostomy bag will work best for you.
At the time of hospital discharge, you will receive the first supply of ostomy bags from the hospital’s nursing staff. You will also be given contact details of the top ostomy supplies dealers.
Looking after your stoma
It will take a bit of time for you to get accustomed to ileostomy care, but you will get there eventually. Although it may be a bit hard to cope on your own, you have to make sure not to be overwhelmed by the initial inability to do everything right when changing or emptying a bag. Just keep in touch with your ostomy care nurse or doctors for proper guidance. You can also discuss your concerns with other people with ileostomies. You will learn a lot this way.
