Opinions on raising stoma during hysterectomy?

Hi!

I have had my ileostomy for 42 years and I just turned 60 last week! So I was very young with Ulcerative Colitis. The actual surgery was on my 18th birthday...long story short, I had 4 C-sections without any complications. My stoma has always been very small and close to "flush" with my skin. Although I do have occasional leakage, for the most part, I've had no problems. I am having a hysterectomy next week and the doc mentioned that if I wanted to have the stoma "raised" at the same time, she could have another surgeon assist.

Just trying to decide if I want to mess with something that's "not broke" or not. My thought is as I age, will it be easier for the caretakers to deal with a "higher" stoma when applying the pouch system?

Any opinions?

Hello 40years&counting.

A very good question, wgich is obviously a very personal choice. However, having asked the question it made me ponder on what I might decide if it was me.   There seem to be obvious advantages in raising the stoma and the qusetion then arises as to whether it is worth doing.  With going for surgery in the same region anyway, this swings me towards having it done at the same time. The convalscence will be the same whether you have one surgery or two so on balance, I think I would opt for having it done if it was me facing the dilemma.

Best wishes with whatever you decide

Bill

40 years,

I concur with Bill. A raised stoma instead of one that's flush will make it much easier for the caretakers to get a good seal and you will have much fewer issues with leaks. Might as well get two birds with one stone.

Bain

40, For me it would matter on the experience of the surgeon doing the stoma work. All surgeons have their own style, techniques, and capabilities. My stoma has never given me any issues, no retractions, no prolapse, a reasonable size and consistent output. This is all because of the qualifications of the surgeon who is cutting your intestine and how well they attach the intestine to your abdomen as well as how well they stitch, and where they intend to place the stoma. You might just want to ask how experienced the surgeon who will be "fixing" your stoma is and how often they have done the surgery. Good luck with your surgery.

Peace

Nancy

When I was asked to decide hi or low, the first thing that came to me was when I sat on the ground with knees up ready for a turkey, the higher the better. Low mount gets in the way, depending on what's left to work with. You have a large intestine to small. I'm small, so plenty of intestine. I went high mount. Thea said women's pants are cut lower. Lower will leak. My masus says low mounts can leak if on your stomach. If you don't eat too much, you or I can sleep on my stoma during the day. My movement in the morning won't move during daylight, only if I eat. Not much during daylight. Hope you go high. Jerz

Hi, I have had a colostomy since 2009. In November 2017, I was having issues with different output. I went to the doctor and a CT scan with a barium drink revealed stenosis/tightening right before the stoma. The surgeon suggested a minor surgery to open the stenosis and hopefully raise the stoma, as mine has been flush since its beginning. The surgery helped with the stenosis but did little to improve the height of the stoma. In fact, I was scheduled for another surgery (to remedy how flush the stoma is) on Monday, March 12th, but I cancelled. Since the surgery in November, things have healed and although it may be a bit worse than the original, I have managed this new norm. The surgery scheduled for 3/12 was much more involved, with even talk of it having to go on the other side and some kind of hernia mesh as a precaution. I was really conflicted but finally decided to leave it be for now. I started thinking of possible outcomes that were worse. And the fact that my mom had a healthy kidney removed instead of her gallbladder always makes me pause at the thought of surgery.

Hi cat. You're right about being careful with surgeons. My mesh broke, so I have to get it sewn back up. I don't want to, for some reason. My stoma stays flush most of the time, but when I relax, it will come out. I found that a full body massage relaxes me. Each time I get a massage, I'm regaining feelings in my hips, abs, glutes, and stomach muscles. They are stronger. The body is recoiling back inward after the knife. Some people are different, high or low. We will live. Your mate, Jerz.