A ileostomy is an operation that creates an opening for the small intestine, through the abdomen, called a stoma. A ileostomy may be temporary or permanent, depending on the reasons that it was required in the first place.
For more information about ileostomies, the best ileostomy products, and how to adjust to life with an ostomy, watch the video below.
Video Transcript
Hi, my name is Siobhan and I lead ostomy education here at Better Health. I’ve had my own ostomy for six years. So I know the ins and outs and ups and downs of daily life with an ostomy. One of my jobs here at a Better Health is to be a coach, to other people who have just recently had ostomy surgery and might have questions about what life with an ostomy is like.
So I’m here with Duncan and Duncan recently had a colostomy. Now, Duncan, you were telling me about your aunt who has an ileostomy, and you were wondering what’s the difference between the two. Exactly. She had a daily asked to be, and I know that my surgery is a colostomy. So I have an ileostomy.
That’s my particular brand of ostomy, if you will. And the way that it’s different from a colostomy is just it’s about where the stoma is constructed from. My ileostomy stoma is constructed from my small intestine and that was because my small intestine was so dizzy.
I had to have my, sorry, my large intestine was so diseased. I had to have my entire large intestine removed, so I don’t have a colon anymore. And so an ileostomy is basically functions the same way as a colostomy. Okay. It’s still different though. What is the output from an illeosteomy like?
The output from an ileostomy is different from a colostomy and that it will tend to be more liquid. It might not it might have some formation to it, but it’s, it’s pretty much all liquid and you might need some special products. Hmm. So there is a difference between the products used for ileoestomy versus a colostomy.
Yes. So the main difference between those products is around what kind of barrier you might wear and what kind of pouch you might wear usually? They’re pretty interchangeable if it depends on some people might with a colostomy experience, more liquid output, but with an ileostomy, your ostomy is always active.
Your small intestines are always active and so there’s yeah. A small amount of output happening. With that being the case in a an illeosteomy, you might need a barrier called an extended wear barrier. Now that doesn’t mean that the barrier will last 20 days, although I wish that were the case.
It means that that barrier can stand up to the high amount of output and the high amount of acidity. In that output with an ileostomy, you might also wear a high output pouch and that pouch can accommodate a more, a larger amount of volume of liquid, and it will have a special tap to drain that you can use for liquid, as opposed to using what other pouches have, which is kind of a wide mouth.
Hmm. Thank you. Siobhan that’s good information. Duncan. Thank you for asking. I know so many people don’t understand exactly what kind of ostomy do they have, and it’s important to know for more information about all things ostomy join us for the rest of this video series or go to http://www.joinbetter.com
