The presence of severe diseases such as ulcerative colitis or adenomatous polyposis can make it impossible for your bowel function properly. Having such a condition may necessitate you to undergo a surgical procedure involving the removal of the colon and rectum so that you may prevent further, painful complications. After the removal of those parts of the bowel, you will need to have an ostomy, which refers to an intestinal diversion to reroute the passage of waste materials.

There are three ostomy options.

Ileoanal j-pouch

If your anal canal and a part of the rectum are still intact after the removal of the diseased part of the bowel, you may have an ileoanal j-pouch, which involves the creation of a reservoir by folding the end of the small intestine into itself. The bottom of the reservoir opens onto the anal canal to allow waste content to pass out through the anus.

The advantages of a j-pouch include the following.

• You will have some control over your bowel movements.
• You will not have to wear an external ostomy bag to manage stool evacuations.

There are some disadvantages to the j-pouch as well.

• There can be leakage, which can irritate.
• You may have to visit the toilet 6-8 times a day.
• You will not be able to defer bowel movements for more than one hour.

Brooke Ileostomy

A Brooke or traditional ileostomy is old-fashioned but a tried-and-tested option that you can consider for the treatment of severe bowel conditions. The surgical procedure to create this ileostomy involves the creation of a stoma by pulling out a part of the small intestine through a cut in the belly. Because a stoma doesn’t have sphincters to help you control over when to evacuate stools, you will need to wear an ostomy bag over it to prevent leakage.

Advantages of a Brooked ileostomy include the following.

• With a bag attached snugly attached to the skin around the stoma, you will find it convenient to manage your stool evacuations.

There are some disadvantages too, and those can be overwhelming, depending on the case-to-case scenario.

• You will have no control over when to eliminate waste materials.
• You will need to wear an ostomy bag over the stoma the entire time.
• Leakage can occur underneath the skin barrier of the ostomy bag, which can be quite irritating.
• You may need to stick to some dietary changes.
• There will be a high risk of obstruction.
• The stoma might protrude.

Barnett Continent Intestinal Reservoir (BCIR)

The BCIR is an internal reservoir that connects to an opening in the abdomen through a valve made of tissues from the small intestine. The surgeon will take another part of the small intestine to make a collar that will secure the valve further. The collar will consist of living tissues to make the valve self-sealing, which will prevent the leakage of waste materials. To draw waste content out, you will need to insert a catheter into the internal reservoir through the abdominal opening. By far, a BCIR is the most secure ileostomy option to consider.

The advantages of a BCIR include the following.

• It is easy to hide the flat stoma.
• The self-sealing valve prevents the stool from coming out of the opening.
• The process to empty the reservoir is an easy process.
• The patient gets complete control over when to evacuate bodily wastes.
• The number of times to evacuate bodily wastes will also be reduced.

The only disadvantage is that you are going to have to use a catheter to empty the reservoir, which will be quite manageable.

Urostomy

A urostomy is a type of ostomy surgery to create a hole in the abdomen of a patient. When a person suffers from the bladder infection, bladder blockage, urinary tract infection, or any other chronic disease related to the kidneys and bladder, surgeons perform a urostomy to change the natural passage of urine. They construct an opening in a circular shape for the flow out of the urine. This hole or opening appears on the lower right side of the belly button. A patient covers it with a bag, called an ostomy pouch. This pouching system protects and holds urine from the stoma. A stoma is a hole or opening of the abdomen in a patient.

Urostomy Stoma

A urostomy stoma is moist and red. If it changes its color, then it is catching another infection, disease, or any other problem related to an internal organ or stoma. Moreover, it can start bleeding if you do not handle the hole and its appliances gently. Therefore, do not rub it, hit it, or pull the devices from the skin. Another necessary information is about the stent. These are small tubes, your surgeon will place in the stoma at the time surgery. After a few weeks of the operation, it will drain out in your pouching system.

Urostomy Peristomal Skin

When it comes to the peristomal skin, a patient must care for it. It must be rashes free. It should not get dry. There should be no creases on the surroundings of the stoma. Moreover, you should not feel itching or burn on the skin. The peristoma skin should not turn red or bleed. These are a few symptoms of healthy peristomal skin. Thus, a urostomy patient should take care of the stoma and the skin around it to keep it hale and hasty.

Output From the Urostomy Stoma

At first, the output or discharge will come in pink color. It will be the merger of urine and mucus. A patient will feel the change in the color of pee for a few days after the surgery. But, with time, it will come out in the natural yellow or half-white. Moreover, a urostomy person will face the odor, it could be a major problem of all the ostomates. So, you need to wear an odor-free or filter pouching system.

Care at Home

After saying goodbye to the hospital, your surgeon, and nurse, you are the one who will babysit yourself. Therefore, you possess all the information and knowledge regarding healthy urostomy stoma and peristoma skin. The first thing is emptying and changing of the pouching system. You do know when to drain it and when to empty it. When a urostomy drinks water or any other fluid, after 15 to 30 minutes, he/she should go to the restroom to drain the stoma bag. As you are not in the organic procedure of peeping; therefore, you will not realize that urine is coming out. So, the easiest way is to empty it after drinking water, juice, or any other drink.

Moreover, when the stoma bag is one-third or one-half full, go to the toilet and drain your pouching system. While you are emptying it, make sure the discharge does not touch your skin. Furthermore, place a tissue paper in the commode to get rid of the splashes of urine.

Always use medicated wipes or a soft towel to clean and dry the peristomal skin. The skin around the opening cannot afford dampness. Therefore, wear a leakage-free pouching system. Use a high-quality skin barrier and adhesive. Use a stoma belt or cap to halt the urine to come out. Drink less water to control the frequency of urine. Change the entire pouching system two to three times a week.