Recovering From Ileostomy

End or loop ileostomy

Following an ileostomy, the speed of recovery will depend on the nature and severity of the condition, the complexity of the surgery, and the age and overall health of the person having the surgery. The average stay in hospital is around 10-12 days after the operation. The abdominal wall will initially be very sore, but this will soon settle down.

Normal activities are usually possible 4-8 weeks after an ileostomy and an ileo-anal pouch .Keeping active can help to reduce your risk of developing complications, but strenuous activity should be avoided for about three months. Your surgeon will be able to give you further advice about this.

Living with an ileostomy

After you have had an ileostomy, you will be referred to a stoma nurse. A stoma nurse specialises in helping people with a stoma. They will be able to inform you about the equipment that you will need, and advise you about the best way to manage and care for your stoma.

At first, living with an ileostomy can be a distressing experience. It may take several months, or even a year, before you get used to it.

However, with practice and the support of your stoma nurse and your family, using the pouch will become routine, and you will be able to live a normal life. Many people with a stoma say that their quality of life has improved since having an ileostomy because they no longer have to cope with the symptoms of the condition that made the ileostomy necessary.

Stoma pouch

Choosing the right stoma pouch for you is important. The pouching system should be fitted in order to make it feel as comfortable as possible. Your stoma nurse will be able to provide you with advice about this.

Pouches are made from odour resistant materials and they can be easily drained through an opening in the bottom. If fitted properly, it is impossible to see a stoma pouch under everyday clothes.

It is recommended that you empty your pouch when it is one-third full because this will prevent the pouch from bulging underneath your clothes. Stoma pouches usually have to be replaced every 3-7 days.

Stoma care

The output of your stoma (which is a continual flow of a pasty liquid) can cause irritation to the skin surrounding the opening, so it is important to keep the skin clean. You should regularly clean the area using mild soap and water.

You may notice small spots of blood around the stoma when you clean it – this is perfectly normal. It is caused by the delicate blood vessels in the tissues of the stoma which can bleed easily. However, the bleeding will soon stop.

Burning, or itching skin, is a sign that you need to change your pouching system. Occasionally, larger areas of the skin can become inflamed. If this occurs, you should contact your doctor, or stoma nurse, who will be able to prescribe a powder, or spray, to treat the inflammation.

Ileo-anal pouch

If you have had an ileo-anal pouch created through surgery, you may find that you need to empty it (by going to the toilet) up to 20 times a day during the first few days after the operation. However, the number of times that you need to go to the toilet will slowly reduce as the pouch expands and you get used to controlling the muscles that surround it.

Most people find that their ‘pouch activity’ settles down after six months to a year. However, the number of bowel movements will differ from person to person. For example, some people will only need to empty their pouch twice a day, whereas others may have to empty it 6-8 times a day.

Leakage

Almost half of all people who experience leakage from their pouch do so during the first few weeks after the operation. This problem is usually resolved as they get used to having the pouch, and as their muscle control improves.

Pelvic floor exercises, as outlined below, are a good way of improving your muscle control.

Sit, or lie, comfortably with your knees slightly apart.
Squeeze, or lift, at the front as if you were trying to stop the passage of urine, and then at the back as if you were trying to stop the passage of wind.
Hold this contraction for as long as you can (at least two seconds, increasing up to 10 seconds as you improve).
Relax for the same amount of time before repeating.

Ideally, you should aim for 10 short, fast, and strong contractions.

Continent ileostomy

For the first 3-4 weeks after surgery, the catheter (thin tube) will be left permanently connected to your pouch and will be connected to a drainage bag that will be strapped to your leg. This is to allow the pouch to heal.

Most people are well enough to leave hospital 7-10 days after surgery. While you are in hospital, you will be taught how to use the catheter to drain your pouch, what to do if the pouch falls out, and how to regularly irrigate (wash out) the catheter using tap water.

By the third or fourth week after surgery, your pouch should have healed enough to remove the permanent catheter, and you can then drain the pouch at regular intervals into a basin or other container.

For the first few weeks, you may need to drain the pouch every 2-3 hours, before attaching the catheter to a drainage bag when you sleep in order to prevent any leakage.

Over time, the amount of times that you will need to drain the pouch should reduce. By the sixth week after surgery, most people need to drain their pouch 4-6 times during the day, and once before sleeping. By this time, you will probably not need to wear a drainage bag when you are sleeping.

As with an end, or loop, ileostomy, it is important to keep the skin around the catheter clean in order to prevent irritation or infection. Therefore, you should regularly clean the skin using water and a mild soap.

Related Articles:

You have permission to reprint what you just read. The only requirement is including the following footer with it… ”Article by allvitalpoints.com, visit http://www.allvitalpoints.com for more original content like this. Reprint permission granted with this footer included.”

All Vital Points: Health and Fitness Issues

Reliable source for information on health conditions and treatments