I'll give much more detail about my situation soon, but I have a nagging and very important question to help me sort through things here.
I had a botched resection/rectopexy that has left me with a very poorly-functional colorectal area. I've been told the surgeon wants to do an ileostomy. To me, it seems to clearly be a case calling for a colostomy (descending or sigmoid?). I was wondering, are there huge differences in what to expect health-wise in the short and long term? How much energy should I put into second opinions and/or fighting for a colostomy vs an ileostomy? I'm very confused, but obviously a bit scared of accepting giving up the entirety of my colon when it clearly seems like only the final third is dysfunctional.
Any thoughts on life with a colostomy vs. life with an ileostomy would be very helpful for me right now. I know each case is unique, but I'm finding difficulty seeing information that goes through the basic differences in quality of life and/or what to expect, besides the consistency of stool changing.
Thank you very much.