Ostomies

Different Types of Ostomies


Ostomy is a surgical procedure for an artificial opening on the outside of the abdomen. The hole or opening on the belly wall is called a stoma. The purpose of the ostomy is changing the natural path of excretion. After this surgery, a patient has to discharge liquid and solid waste through the pit in the lower side of the belly. It collects all the pee or poop in a sack or container, called stoma pouch or bag. Apart from the pouch/bag, there are a few more appliances for the ostomy. Such as adhesive, flanges, barrier, wipes, deodorants, sprays, sanitizers, and medicated soap.

Furthermore, ostomy or stoma has three types. The types depend on the roots of the disease. The ostomy surgery belongs to the intestines. Therefore, the name of the stoma depends on the part of the intestine such as colon, rectum, and ileum.

The three kinds of ostomy or stoma are colostomy, ileostomy, and urostomy. Every ostomy has a different purpose and reason. However, every type creates the same hole or opening on the abdomen of the patient for excretion or discharging of waste from the body.


What is Colostomy?

The word colostomy shows the surgical procedure of colon (a part of the large intestine). A patient has to go through the operation if he/she has any disease in the colon. Sometimes, after a road accident, a person suffers from severe injury in the large intestine; therefore, doctors perform this surgical procedure, until it gets healed. Well, sometimes, there is permanent stoma for the colon malfunction patients. Due to some acute medical issues, doctors remove the colon and make a permanent stoma.

The stoma of the colostomy collects the stool of a patient in the bag or pouch. Sometimes, the hole discharges solid waste and sometimes liquid (in the form of motions). Moreover, stoma appliances control leakage, gas, and ostomy odors.


What is Ileostomy?

An ileostomy is the incision of the ileum (a part of the small intestine). In this method, surgeons create an opening on the abdomen of a patient after changing the path of the small intestine. Moreover, it also happened due to any blockage or injury in the ileum. Some patients of cancer have to go through the same process. Some people will have temporary stoma; however, in a few severe cases, the opening will be permanent.

The opening of the ileostomy collects the liquid stool from the intestine. Moreover, in this surgical method, sometimes the surgeon bypasses the ileum to the abdomen. In a few first weeks of the ileostomy operation, a patient discharges liquid form of stool but by the time it gets thick. Once the stoma and the small intestine gets healed, a patient can get back to the natural process of excretion. But in the permanent stomas, a person will have to live the entire life with the ostomy and its appliances. However, the ileostomy is usually temporary.

What is Urostomy?

Urostomy is a type of stoma that collects urine in a pouch through the opening. In this operation, doctors remove or bypass the bladder of a patient. When there is a disease in the kidney or bladder of a person, then urostomy happens. Right after the surgery, the discharged output is in the form of mucus; however, after healing or with the time, it releases the urine with the natural color and form. Moreover, it can be permanent or temporary. If a patient has some minor disease in the bladder, then the process will be reversed once the disease gets cured. However, for kidney patients, it can be permanent.

The opening of the urostomy appears on the lower right side of the belly. A urostomy patient has to change the stoma pouch four to five times a day because of the leakage.