ileostomy

What is an ileostomy?
An ileostomy usually involves removing the whole colon and then bringing the end of the small bowel to the outside of the abdomen. It is done for people with crohns disease, and ulcerative colitis.

What is a stoma?
When you have an ileostomy, you have something that is called a stoma. A stoma is what you call the end of the small bowel (ileum) that has been brought through the abdominal wall.

A stoma will be a pink colour and will look shiney and wet. When I first saw mine, I thought that it looked like a piece of raw meat.

The stoma is usually located on the lower right side of the abdomen but the spot can sometimes change depending on a few different things such as:

             Scars from previous surgeries
             Natural body creases
             The belly button
             The waist line

Before your surgery, a nurse called an enterostomal therapist, or ET nurse will come and see you. She will talk to you about the bag, and maybe show you some bags so you get an idea of the size, and what it looks like. She will also be a great person to ask any questions that you may have about getting an ileostomy and life after it. She will then mark the spot for your brand new stoma so that the surgeon can put it in a way that is comfortable to you. Mine marked it with a purple smiley face which made me feel particularly good about getting it.

How do I care for my ileostomy after the surgery?
After the surgery, your ET nurse will show you how to empty and change your bag. Once you go home, it will be up to you to do it for yourself. It may take some getting used to but you will be able to work around that. At the beginning, it is best to change your bag every 3 days or so because the skin around the stoma is not used to having adhesive and a stoma on there all the time.

Some people like to change their bag when taking a shower. To do this, prepare all the things needed on the counter before going into the shower. This means cutting the seal to the right size, putting on the paste (if you use it) and anything else you use. Then just before getting out of the shower, take off the bag gently (with the seal) and just rinse the area with warm water. If you are going to use soap, make sure it is mild and non-irritating. It is best to check with your ET nurse first though. Then when you come out of the shower, pat the area dry with a soft towel or cloth, and just stick the bag on.

You can also change the bag when you are NOT taking a shower. I used this method. Any time i wanted, i pulled the seal and bag off gently, sometimes with the help of some adhesive remover wipes. I then wet some soft disposable dry cleaners with some cold water (I found that the cold felt nicer than the warm but i had to be sure to wipe more thoroughly) and with the wipes, i gently wiped around the stoma with a few wet ones, then again with a few dry ones. Then it was just a matter of sticking on the new bag.