Ileostomy vs. Colostomy - What's the Difference?

I have what I assume is a colostomy. I see lots of questions here about ileostomy. Trying to get educated. What is the difference?

Kim

The basic difference is a colostomy is formed from the large bowel, usually on the left side of the abdomen, and an ileostomy is formed from the small bowel (ileum), usually on the right side of the abdomen. 

So a colostomy can still have normal formed output, and an ileostomy output can be anything from quite fluid to quite thick and lumpy (but not usually anything that resembles regular poop!), which means an ileostomy has to be emptied several times a day. Although once you've had one for several years, it can slow down to about 4-5 times a day/night.

I found a YouTube clip from a nurse who can explain it better than I can.

And another more detailed clip from the UK which explains the ostomy types, including urostomy.

When you say several years, do you mean like five years or ten years, or what is the ballpark of several years?

Depends on the individual (and I can't speak for anyone else) but I've had a permanent ileostomy for 15 years and for the last 10 years or so I usually only empty 4-5 times in a 24-hour period (can be more depending on what or how much I've eaten, of course).

I must add that I've only ever had the one surgery (pan proctocolectomy - large bowel and rectum removed - after several years of Crohn's disease) so I don't have the scar tissue and adhesions that someone who has had several surgeries may have, and haven't had any blockages *touch wood* or any major health issues with having an ostomy.

Short version... you poop a lot more liquid stuff with an ileostomy and a lot more often than you do with a colostomy.

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Forgot to mention one of the benefits of an ileostomy is we often have days when we can honestly say our sh*t doesn't stink!

I was looking at one of the social media influencers, and she was saying that a nurse told her on social media that it's not true that her ileostomy output doesn't smell because the nurse works in the hospital and she has treated ileostomy patients and their output smells. I've talked on here about being in a nursing home after surgery and experiencing a smell that was really bad, but I thought it was from the food, and I still think it was from the food a little bit because the food was horrendous. Even my dog wouldn't eat the food. But what didn't click to me until recently is that I was on antibiotics. I got C. diff in part from antibiotics, but also antibiotics saved my life after, so it's a double-edged sword to say the least. But anyway, I say all that to say that the antibiotics, I think, is really what made the smell. I was able to keep my bag on for a week, and I left it out this morning. I thought I threw it away, but I left it out by mistake in the bathroom (it was one of those nights where I was so exhausted, but I had to change the bag because of the itching), and I didn't smell anything.

I had salmon in garlic sauce last night. So wee!!

Egad and little fishes! Sure would be nice if my shit didn't stink. But all I have to do is eat a bunch of raw onion or eat some fish, and things can get pretty stinky on my end. Even when I use bag deodorizers, things can get a bit smelly if I eat the "wrong" things.

i have a hard time believing our poop does not stink. with or without digestive issues..

foods contribute to this. i agree.

take any normal bm person with out digestive issues  at any given bm during the day and tell me  THEY don't stink.

like dog shit on a shoe.. it stinks.

if u guys don't experience that stink..u are lucky and blessed. thank you for sharing...

 

 

 

I can't speak to the antibiotics thing, but it doesn't surprise me that they would have an effect on output smell. What I can speak to is how different diets affect smell. When I first got my ileostomy (I had started with a colostomy) and was still in the hospital, I noticed when changing my pouch that my output did not have any detectable smell. I even commented to my ostomy nurse about it. I was eating only the totally bland hospital diet, of course. As soon as I got home and resumed my normal diet, everything changed and it got really stinky again. I eat lots of spices, onions, garlic, cruciferous vegetables, beans, etc., and stinky poo is the price to pay for it.

Terry