Continent Ileostomy

        Ileostomy is a rather complicated and dangerous surgical procedure. Just like any other medical method out there, it applies to a series of illnesses, some more life - threatening than others. In the case of ulcerative colitis, the type of ileostomy that is used to cure it is called continent ileostomy. If you find yourself wondering what ulcerative colitis is, well, here is the textbook answer: an inflammation of the bowels that can lead to pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Patients suffering from this type of colitis have reported that the pain is excruciating and that dizziness and weight loss usually accompany the classical symptoms.

       Basically, when talking about continent ileostomy, there are two things a patient must know. The first one is that continent ileostomy is a life saver. It is true that the aftercare is very difficult and that your life will be changed completely, but without this surgery, you might not have a life to enjoy. The second thing that any patient must be made aware of is the steps of the procedure: the surgeon cuts open the abdomen and carefully removes the damaged part of the intestine. He or she then takes the remaining part of the intestine (usually the small one) and pulls it towards the lateral abdominal wall. Where the intestine meets the wall, the surgeon creates a hole called a stoma. This hole is covered with a pouch known as an ileostomy bag. Basically, the stoma and the bag become the patients' new way of removing wastes from his or her body.

       In all honesty, a continent ileostomy is all about giving the patient a new lifestyle. There are some very important adjustments to be made after the surgery, but nothing that cannot be overcome. For example, you will have to learn how to take good care of your pouch, what are the signs that should get you worried and how to reintegrate into society after such a traumatic event. Usually, after the continent ileostomy procedure, patients might require some psychological therapy to help them understand that there is nothing wrong with the way their body functions at this moment in time and that they should not hide from friends and family due to the pouch.

       Of course, just like with any other type of surgery, there are some risks to the health of the patient, both at the moment of the procedure and afterwards. Excessive bleeding, infection and skin rashes can be a direct result of a faulty surgery, but all that can be avoided if you pick an experienced team of surgeons and a good hospital. However, most of the complications that appear afterwards cannot really be predicted. If you are an obese, older male, you should expect to suffer from some sort of constant diarrhea for the first year after the operation. Other than that, only about one in three patients present with pouchitis (inflammation of the interior of the pouch, formed by live tissue from the intestine), which can be easily overcome with the proper antibiotics.