I had a quick question. I had a diverting-loop ileostomy, but I only have one outlet (hole). I thought loop ileostomies always had two. Does anyone else have a loop ileostomy with one hole?
Jjones2007
May 24, 2025 1:33 pm
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Posted by: w30bob
Hi gang,
I was thinking what a great resource this site has been for me since I found it. It would have been really helpful, but maybe a bit scary, to have found it before my ostomy, but that's water under the bridge. But I got thinking about it, and now I'm questioning why doctors and hospitals don't provide this site's contact info to any patient even considering an ostomy today. And how can we change that so potential ostomates can learn about the road ahead for them by getting on here and asking questions before the docs go chop-chop. How exactly do you get all hospitals to provide their patients specific information, like this website?
I just happened to find this site something like 4 years after my ostomy when I Googled "ostomy forum" or something like that. But I never found it during previous searches.....so I found this site pretty much by pure luck. We need to find a way to make this site available to new or soon-to-be ostomates......as that's when we really need to commiserate with fellow ostomates. Anybody have any thoughts on how we do this?
Thanks,
Bob
IGGIE
May 25, 2025 5:49 am
Mine is a straight ileostomy with just one hole, but I thought all loop ileostomies had two holes.
IGGIE
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Axl
May 25, 2025 9:29 am
Hi J
I have a loop that used to have two holes, but one was closed for reasons I cannot remember; just one now.
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DeMaGo
May 25, 2025 5:59 pm
I have a loop ileostomy, and there is a 'distal opening' at the base of my stoma skin level on the left. I actually thought I'd sprung a side leak when I noticed it. I think because I've been careful cleaning and not taking too long changing appliances, I didn't see it.
TerryLT
May 25, 2025 8:45 pm
I have a permanent loop ileostomy. When I first got it, it was considered to be possibly temporary, as I already had a colostomy, and my surgeon wanted to see if I would do better with the ileo while keeping the option of going back if it wasn't successful. My stoma has a second hole at the bottom, but nothing has ever come out of it, even before it was made permanent. I think the surgeon probably closed it up during my last surgery.
Terry
Bri499
Jun 28, 2025 8:05 pm
Very normal. The proximal side, active side, sometimes kind of takes over and leaves your distal loop hidden underneath. From your view, looking down on it, you probably never see it. But if you gently probe with a pinky, you'll probably find it. It's also very normal to have some mucus discharge from it that you probably never noticed because it all goes into the same bag.
Some people have reported having a small, normal bowel movement weeks or months after surgery that can be caused by a full bag that forces stool into the distal end, essentially completing the loop. Pooping like normal. 😂 So if you ever see that, it is possible, and usually that's why.