Ostomies are surgically created openings that divert body fluid and waste materials through the abdominal wall. Ostomies are used to divert waste products from the large and small intestine, and from the urinary tract, after parts of the intestines or urinary tract are removed due to cancer or other disease. A special bag fits over the stoma, the entrance to the ostomy, and is attached by adhesives; the bag holds fluid that drains through the stoma until it can be emptied.
Colostomy
A colostomy is an opening made from the large intestine that diverts stool through a stoma. A colostomy may exit the large intestine from the ascending, descending, sigmoid or transverse colon section of the large intestine. The sigmoid colon is the most common, the United Ostomy Organization of America states; the sigmoid colon is found at the end of the descending colon. The stoma from the sigmoid colon is located on the lower left part of the abdomen. Stool from a sigmoid colostomy looks like normal stool; an ascending colostomy will produce more liquid stool and is the rarest type of colostomy.
Gas can be a problem for people with colostomies; restricting foods that produce excess gas and odor, such as many vegetables, eggs and fish may help, according to Carol Rees Parrish, RD in the November 2005 edition of "Practical Geatroenterology". Some colostomies can be irrigated several times a day to remove stool, eliminating the need to wear a pouch over the stoma.
Ileostomy
An ileostomy is an opening into the small intestine, which is attached to the stomach. Ileostomies are usually located at the lower left part of the abdomen. Because an ileostomy is located much closer to the stomach, stool that exits the ileostomy is usually watery and drains continually, so the bag has to be checked frequently to make sure it isn't full. People with ileostomies may lose weight because not enough nutrients are absorbed before the stomach contents exit the stoma.
Ileostomies are also more likely to get food stuck in the stoma, because the food that exits through the stoma hasn't been completely broken down yet. If the ileostomy is located at the proximal end of the small intestine, nearest the stomach, nutrients may be hard to conserve before they're lost through the stoma and intravenous feedings may be required, Parrish says. An ileostomy at the distal, or far end, of the small intestine leaves more time for nutrients to be absorbed as they traverse the small intestine.
Urostomy
A urostomy drains urine from the ureters, the tubes that lead from the kidney to the bladder, if the bladder has been removed. The most common type of urostomy is called an ileal conduit, according to the Oncology Channel. A piece of small bowel is used to create a stoma that diverts urine. A ureterostomy, which attaches the ureters to a stoma, may also be used. A small reservoir may be created directly below the stoma, so urine can be drained with a catheter several times a day, the Oncology Channel explains.
