What is a Colectomy?

Colectomy is a medical procedure that is used for the removal of the whole colon or some of its parts. The part of the large intestine, the colon is a long tube-like structure at the end of the GIT. Colectomy is a necessity when there is any colon-related disease.

There are many different types of colectomy operations:

• Removal of the enter colon is called total colectomy

• Removal of any specific part of the colon is called partial colectomy

• Removal of the right or left part of the colon is called hemicolectomy

• Removal of colon and rectum both is called proctocolectomy

Typically a colectomy operation requires many other surgeries to reconnect the left portion of the body and allows waste to exit the body.

Why it is needed?

 Colectomy is used for the treatment of diseases that are associated with the colon, for example:

Uncontrolled bleeding: In case of intense and nonstop bleeding from the colon may need an operation for the removal of any specific portion of the colon.

Bowel blockage: If you have a blocked or obstructed colon, it indicates an emergency condition. In this case, a partial or complete colectomy is required, depending on your health condition.

Colon Cancer: If your cancer is at a very early stage then removing only a small portion of the colon would be enough. Cancer at the later stages needs surgery that involves more portion of the colon.

Crohn’s disease: Since there is no actual cure for Crohn’s disease but if you observe that medication is not enough for you then removal of some portions or parts of the colon may relieve the symptoms. If there is evidence of precancerous during the colonoscopy then colectomy can be a better choice.

Ulcerative colitis: If medication is not working in case of ulcerative colitis then proctectomy or colectomy may be advised to control the symptoms.

Diverticulitis: Your PCP may recommend a colectomy in case of diverticulitis.

Precautionary Surgery: If you have a higher chance to develop colon cancer because of several precancerous polyps, your surgeon may advise you to have a colectomy to prevent colon cancer in the future.

What are the risks of having colectomy?

There are many risks related to colectomy. The chances for these risks and complications are dependent upon your medical condition and the type of your colectomy.

Some common risks are:

• Loss of blood

• Formation of blood clots in the legs (thrombosis) or the lungs (pulmonary embolism).

• Damage to nearby organs, like bladder or small intestines

• Cuts or tears in the sutures that rejoins the remaining parts of the digestive system

You need to stay in the hospital for few days after your surgery while your digestive system heals completely. Your healthcare experts will keep you under strict observation and they will take care of any complication following the surgery. You may require staying in the hospital for few days to a week.

How can you prepare for the colectomy?

Before some days of your colectomy, you may need to follow these guidelines:

Stop taking some specific medicines: Some medicines develop the chances of more complications during the surgery that is why the surgeon advice to quit those medicines some days before the surgery.

Don’t eat anything: You should fast before the surgery. Your surgeon will recommend you stop eating and drinking many hours before the surgery.

Use laxatives or enema: It is advised to drink laxatives mixed with plain water. It will help to cleanse the bowel completely. This will lower the chances of any complexity during the surgery.

Use specific antibiotics: You are allowed to take antibiotics some days before your surgery. This will prevent any kind of bacterial or fungal infection and lower the chances of complications.

How can you plan your stay at the hospital?

You will need to stay in the hospital to avoid any complications and for the proper healing of the digestive tract. Your stay at the hospital depends on your condition. You should arrange a person that could help you at home and the workplace.

There are some specific items that you may need during your stay at the hospitals, such as:

• A robe and the slippers

• Toothbrush, toothpaste, and in the case of men your shaving supplies

• Casual clothes

• Some magazines or books to pass your time.

What can you expect?

During the colectomy:

On the day of your colectomy, you will be taken to the preparation room. The nurse will check your blood pressure, temperature, and breathing rate. In some cases, an antibiotic is given through the arm.

Then you will be taken to Operation Theater and anesthesia will be given so that you will feel no pain.

Colon surgery can be performed in two ways:

Open colectomy: In this type of colectomy a single and long incision is made throughout the stomach till the colon. Then the surgeon removes either the whole colon or some parts of the colon using some special surgery equipment.

Laparoscopic colectomy: In this type of surgery, surgeons make small and several incisions to access the colon. Then a small camera is inserted through one incision and the other incision is used for the insertion of surgical equipment.

The camera allows the surgeon to watch the movements of surgical instruments in the abdomen. Then colon is brought out using another small incision, This type of surgery enables the surgeon to operate the colon outside the body. After the completion of the procedure, the colon is inserted back into the abdomen.

It depends on your health condition that which type of surgery will be best for you. Laparoscopic surgery saves time and lowers the pain. But not everyone is eligible for this type of surgery. In some cases, the surgeons start with laparoscopic surgery and end at open colectomy due to different situations.

The digestive system is reconnected when the colon is removed or repaired, this allows the normal expel of the bowel contents. Some options are:

Reconnecting the remaining part of the colon: your surgeon might sew the remaining part of your colon or in some cases colon can be reconnected with the small intestine, forming an anastomosis. Then your feces leaves the body just like before.

Reconnecting the intestine to an orifice formed in your abdomen: Your surgeon may perform Ostomy. This means he might bring the ileum or colon to a hole that is created in the abdomen and it is called a stoma. Then the waste leaves the body through this stoma.

Connecting the small intestine with the anus: After the removal of the colon and rectum; the surgeon involves a small intestine for the formation of a small pouch that is attached to the anus (ileoanastomosis). This will enable you to pass out the waste in a normal way, but you might experience many loose bowel movements throughout the day.

This may require a temporary ileostomy.

After the colectomy

After the surgery, you will be shifted to a rest room. You will be under strict observation until you get conscious. Then you will stay in a hospital room until you are allowed to leave.

You may not be allowed to have solid foods at once but you can start with a small portion of soft foods and then pursue the solid ones once your intestines recover.

In the case of ileostomy and colostomy, you will be introduced to an Ostomy nurse or expert. He or she will guide you about the basic care and hacks about the stoma.

You may feel weak following the surgery, but, don’t worry you will be alright within some days. In case of more queries feel free to consult your doctor.

Normal Stool Post Ostomy Surgery

After an ostomy, usually part of your large intestine or the small intestine are pulled out, and a stoma is created.  Usually, an appliance is put there to get the stool out of there. Ostomy surgery is scary for many, but it also is life-saving, since it can help you pass stool. Usually, you wear an ostomy appliance called a bag or pouch, in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes to accommodate your lifestyles. They usually are odor-proof and won’t smell unless there’s a leak and the appliance has to be changed. But what about the stool afterwards? How will it be?  Well, read on to find out. 

Stool after a colostomy 

During colostomies, large parts of the large intestine or even the rectum is taken out, and part of the intestines get pulled through an opening, and then, the stool leaves the body there. The colostomy bag is then placed to collect the stool.  Usually, this is from the point where the small intestine goes towards the large intestine. There are different types of colostomies available. 

The consistency of this varies. Those who have a colostomy will not control the bowel movement and when it’s pushed through the stoma, so you’ll need to possibly empty this a few times a day.  The more the large intestine is kept, the more formed your stools will be. 

Stools after Ileostomy 

After an ileostomy, the colon is partially or completely removed, and a stoma is created. With no large intestine at this point to absorb the water, you now have thinner stool. As the body adapts and the small intestine absorbs the water, there may be a chance that it’ll thicken up. The output will also be higher too after an ileostomy, and if part of your small intestine does get removed, it does impact the output, making it more watery and the output changing as well. 

The consistency definitely changes as well in some cases. Without the colon, foods don’t get broken down like how they normally would, especially veggies and fruits. This may be expected, but it’s a problem if you’re struggling to absorb the nutrients, based on what your physician says. 

Stools loose 

Another problem that may happen is that there might be a sudden output increase, which means diarrhea, and for many people, diarrhea from routine illnesses that are vial do impact a person especially after an ileostomy, especially if they’re not getting enough fluids. It might be challenging to know when you should see your doctor about this, but usually, being unable to keep up with the loss of fluid is a sign to talk to someone. 

It also might happen that you need to have more potassium and sodium, so you should try to eat more foods with this and have more higher sodium foods too. In some cases, you may need IV treatment as well, especially if you have a chronic condition. 

The color might also change as well. Foods that are brighter or natural may also change the color of the stool. Some may forget when they’ve eaten food, including beets and the like, and their stool may be a bright red color. With an ostomy, you may want to keep track of the types of foods that you have, and if you know that there is something that’s bothering you, you might want to change your plan for eating. It’s also recommended that you also keep a food diary of the different kinds of foods that you’re eating, so that also, if you struggle with this, it can help. 

Colostomy

Colostomy creation is a surgical procedure that is used for the removal of the injured and diseased colon. Your surgeon will put out the parts of your large bowel (colon) to the abdomen. As a result, a small opening is created that is called a stoma. This stoma allows the bowel contents to leave the body and then be stored in a pouch outside the body.

What do you need to do before the surgery?

Some weeks before our surgery, you will need to follow the below-mentioned things:

• You should stop consuming blood-thinning medicines. This involves NSAIDs like ibuprofen and aspirin. 

• You should fix a meeting with your healthcare expert. He or she will decide the best possible location for your stoma. He will mark the site with a pen or a marker. He will ask you to sit, stand and lie at different postures. This will prevent chances of leakage in the future.

• You will be asked to take antibiotics for avoiding infection.

• A healthcare expert will guide you about the solid and liquid foods you should consume. He will tell you which food can cause problems. Mostly, it is advised not to eat pork and raw veggies.

• You should only consume simple water one day before the surgery. It is recommended to mix enema or laxatives in water. This will help to clean your bowl.

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What can happen during the surgery?

You will be under general anesthesia during the whole surgery, you will feel no pain. Then your surgeon will proceed and make a single and long incision in your abdomen in case of open surgery. But in the case of laparoscopic surgery three to four small incisions are made and tools are inserted in the abdomen and it is filled with Carbon dioxide. This helps in the lifting away of the abdomen and the surrounding organs away from the colon and lessens the chances of damage to nearby organs. Then he will cut the colon and observe your injured or diseased colon very carefully.

Then your surgeon will divide the colon into two portions. He will remove the injured or the diseased part. One of the terminals will be brought to the stoma and stitch with the abdomen near the stoma. The other terminal of the colon will be brought to the second stoma or it will be closed. In case if the colostomy consists of two stomas, then a rod is located under the stoma to hold it above the skin. The remaining incisions are closed with the help of stitches and staples. The healthcare expert will attach a bag over the stoma and he will cover your stoma with a bandage.

In case of the removal of the rectum and anus, you might have a posterior wound. You will be given some pads and bandages to prevent drainage.

What can happen after the surgery?

You will be under strict observation until you get fully conscious. You need to stay in hospital for a week following the surgery. During this time you will learn how to take care of your stoma and how to use an Ostomy bag. 

What are some risks of colostomy creation?

Your colostomy can come back even after the treatment. There can be excessive and unexpected bleeding. Nearby organs and nerves may get damaged. The stoma can become narrowed or obstructed. A blood clot occurs in your leg or arm that can be fatal.

Due to the weakness in abdominal muscles, you may develop a hernia after the surgery. IN some cases the blood supply to stromal tissue is not adequate and as a result, those tissues die. There are chances of leakage of the colon into the abdomen. This may lead to a fatal infection. In such cases, more surgeries are needed.

When to call 911?

• If you experience dizziness, difficulty in breathing, chest pain.

• You experience blood with a cough.

• When do you need immediate care?

• If you are urinating very little or not at all

• If there is no bowel movement passing through the stoma.

• You experience a bad smell from your stoma or wound

• There is bleeding, blood vomiting, and blood is bowel contents.

• If you feel a hard or tender abdomen

• If your legs and arms are tender and swallowed

Medicines:

You may be given painkillers. Your PCP can guide you about the safe usage of this drug. Some painkillers have acetaminophen; you should not take these types of drugs without the permission of your doctor. If you take acetaminophen in large quantity it may damage your liver. These medicines can also cause constipation.

Take your medicine with the proper guidelines. In case if you observe that your medicines are not enough for you can ask your doctor. If you are allergic to that medicine discuss it with your doctor. Always keep with you a list of medicines, herbs, and antibiotics that you take. 

How to take care of yourself after the surgery?

You must not lift a weight more than 10 pounds four weeks following the surgery. Don’t bend or twist too much. 

You should avoid blood clots and pneumonia. If you need to walk, walk inside your house.

Observe and examine your stoma daily. Look for any kind of changes, soreness, or discomfort.

You are not allowed to drive until you get permission from your PCP.

Work with your Ostomy expert:

You should talk with your Ostomy expert. He will guide you on how to take care of yourself and your stoma. You will need to change the size of your bag after the healing of your stoma.

How to take care of your stoma?

Always look at your stoma each time you change your pouch. Your stoma should appear moist pink or red. You may notice some blood while cleaning your stoma. You will notice that after 8 weeks your stoma will get smaller.

Ensure that the skin barrier fits properly. The skin barrier of the flange is the part of the Ostomy pouch that adheres with the skin. It should be not much bigger than your stoma (1/8 inch) If it has a large opening there is a chance of leakage. This can cause skin discomfort, itchiness, and soreness. 

Soothe the sore skin: If you notice that your skin is turning red, it may indicate that you have placed the skin barrier for a long time. You can ask your PCP about the root cause of this irritation.

Take care of your posterior wound. Use soap and water to wash your soup every day. You can use pads to control the drainage.

Dietary changes after colostomy:

You should eat a lot of healthy foods after stoma surgery.. Increase the number of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and lean meat. Avoid eating foods that cause cramps and diarrhea.

You should reduce the consumption of foods that cause gas and odor. Such as veggies like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Fish and other proteins rich foods can cause odor and gas. The foods that may help you to avoid odor and gas are:

• Parsley

• Yogurt

• Buttermilk

You should eat in portions and very slowly.

Drink the advised amount of liquid. You can ask your PCP how much water you need to drink daily and which fluids can work best. This may also ease constipation.

Why I Buy My Ostomy Supplies Online Now

Anyone with an ostomy knows how hard it can be to find the right ostomy supplies. Even way back before I actually had my surgery, I really hated having to go to the store on a regular basis. There’s nothing worse than having to hop in my car, drive all the way to the store, stroll through the busy aisles, and wait in long checkout lines just to purchase my groceries or supplies for that week. Honestly, there is nothing worse than trying to go to the store after work. Not only is it a huge time waster after a long day of working, but it also adds to the frustration of dealing with traffic and crowds of people at the end of the day. To tell you the truth, there would be another plague if it were up to me - there are way too many people on this planet. Okay, that may have been a little intense and I do not mean it. However, my complaint still stands that buying ostomy supplies in-store is way too much work and just not worth it. That is why I have simply started buying my ostomy supplies online. Have you ever bought something online? If you have, then you know that there are pros and cons to buying different types of products online. Honestly, the online shopping experience differs greatly from product to product, so I was doubtful about how buying the ostomy supplies I needed online would be. I am happy to report, however, that buying my ostomy supplies online was a super good decision that I will continue to make as long as I have this dang stoma with me.

Along with what I talked about earlier (the crowds, the time wasting, etc.), buying ostomy products online is better than shopping in stores for several other reasons. The first reason is that most in-person stores do not actually have a very good selection of ostomy supplies or products available for purchase. This makes me incredibly angry whenever I see this; after all, ostomates are people too, right? Well, some people don’t think so.

You would not believe the amount of times I have gone to a Walmart, Target, Walgreens, RiteAid, or any other big store that has simply not had ostomy products available for me to purchase. I mean, do ostomates really not matter at all? I eventually got so sick of it. I decided to start looking for alternate methods of purchasing the stoma supplies and accessories that I need. Some people with ostomies actually purchase their products through various hospitals or medical institutions - this is usually a very good option, as most hospitals have fairly decent prices on their ostomy products and also offer a good selection; however, I do not live close enough to a large hospital to make the trip to buy ostomy products worth it.

After I started looking for ostomy products online, I knew that I had struck gold as far as I was concerned. Online shopping is great because I can do anything I need from the comfort of my living room couch. No longer do I have to deal with long checkout lines or people wondering what type of products I am buying. Plus, shopping online offers a much wider selection of ostomy related products.

Is Your Ostomy Pouch Leaking?

There is truly nothing worse than having to deal with a leaky ostomy pouch. Those people reading this who have had to deal with that in their lifetime know exactly what I mean. If you’ve never had to deal with an ostomy life, then count your blessings. Seriously, you are probably one of the luckiest people on this planet. Having to get an ostomy is probably the worst thing that could ever happen to a human being in the history of time. There are a lot of different reasons that could cause an ostomy pouch system to leak, so it is sometimes hard to know just exactly what is causing a leak for that specific occurrence.

However, I am going to be writing about a short comprehensive list for some reasons that could cause your ostomy pouch to leak and how to avoid and fix them. A leaky ostomy pouch can often create a lot of social embarrassment and anxiety, mostly because you may find yourself stinking up an entire room all at once. So without further ado, here are some tips and tricks on how to prevent or fix a leaky ostomy pouch.

Firstly, like I mentioned already, there are a lot of different factors that could explain why your ostomy pouch is leaking. That being said, it is important to keep looking for different solutions until one of them seems to be working. So, what I am trying to tell you is that you should not feel discouraged just because you tried one method and it did not work out the way you wanted it to. One of the first reasons as to why your ostomy bag may be leaking is because the skin around the stoma is uneven. This can happen for a variety of reasons, so you might have to check a few different boxes before you can completely rule this solution out. The first thing might be that your stomach hair is getting in the way of you forming a good seal on the skin barrier - everybody has those fine little hairs on their stomach, and some more than others. So in the case that you are not getting a good seal on your skin barrier, it may be a good idea to shave the area around your stoma often. Remember to shave very carefully so that you do not harm your stoma!

Another reason why your skin might not be totally even around your stoma is because you have some skin folds or scarring that doesn’t allow for the skin barrier to get a good seal around the stoma. In this case, output and odor can leak in those tiny gaps of skin and pores and whatnot. Some tips that I have for you in this case is to use various products like stoma powder, paste, or adhesive gel that can help even out that surface around your stoma and seal on the skin barrier more effectively.

Another reason that your ostomy pouch may be leaking is because it is getting filled with gas too quickly, so you might want to look for ways to avoid gas. Unlike normal people who get gas, people with ostomies cannot control when the gas comes out and therefore can balloon up their ostomy pouches to the size of the Hindenburg at full capacity.

How To Empty and Clean An Ostomy Pouch

Let’s face it - everyone who has ever had to wear an ostomy pouch in the history of the world absolutely hates it when it is time to change the bag. Talk about bad smelling and gross looking output! Changing the ostomy pouch is probably the most frustrating part of having to wear an ostomy pouch, even more so than trying to hide it to prevent people from noticing that you have a stoma. To make things worse, it is actually quite difficult to get the hang of changing an ostomy pouch at first, so people who are new to the life of ostomy may struggle quite a bit at first.

It is honestly one of the most disgusting things that you can do. My girlfriend is a nursing student right now at the college we go to, and during one of her clinical rotations she had to change some overweight guys’ ostomy pouches and clean his stoma - she said it was probably one of the most disgusting things that she has ever done and it smelled awful. She said it took all of her strength to stay in the room and not gag while she changed the pouch and cleaned the stoma. That being said, there are some things about changing an ostomy pouch that make it a lot easier compared to what the novice methods contain, so I wanted to come on here and talk for a little bit about how to properly empty and clean an ostomy pouch.

So the first thing that you are going to have to do when you go to change the ostomy pouch is find a good place to do it. Obviously, (and I think most people know this, but I want to just make sure) you are going to need to find a private place to change out the pouch. Believe it or not, most normal people do not want to witness you removing your ostomy pouch and wathcing your stoma leak output everywhere onto the floor of the mall food court. That being said, being next to a toilet is the best place to be when you go to change your ostomy pouch.

You can either stand over the toilet or try to sit on it, whatever works best for you. However, it is worth mentioning that your stoma will likely leak output at some point while you are changing the ostomy pouch. Keep in mind also that it is going to smell absolutely awful to change out your ostomy pouch, so you may want to make sure that no one else is around so that you don’t make anyone lose their lunch or something like that. 

Most drainable ostomy pouches open up from the bottom of the pouch, so while you are leaning over the toilet you can just open that sucker up and let fly with all your contents from the past few hours or whatever. Keep in mind that the toilet water may splash up and onto your exposed abdomen while you are draining your ostomy pouch, so it might be a good idea to put some toilet paper down to prevent too much splashing. All this being said, this was probably one of the grosser articles that I have had to write and I wish that I didn’t have to know any of this information about ostomy.