What is an Ileostomy?An ileostomy is part of you. Your bowel needs to be diverted away from its usual route and out onto your abdomen. This means you will no longer sit on the toilet to open your bowels as your bowel motions and any wind will pass into the bag. The consistency of the motion will be a mixture of bowel liquid and semi-solid motion with some wind. However, you will still be able to pass urine in the normal way.Your ileostomy will be on your abdomen, usually on the right of your belly button. Its size and shape will vary, but within a month or two it should be about the size of a 50p piece or smaller. Its normal colour is pinkish red and it may not be round.It is usually referred to as a stoma - it will always be moist and may bleed if touched, and is similar to the inside of your mouth. It will protrude a few centimetres from your abdomen.
Internal PouchInternal pouch surgery (or restorative procto-colectomy to give it the surgical term) is increasingly being offered to patients who require surgery to remove their colon as a result of chronic bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis or FAP (familial anedomatous polyposis).For those who are offered the option, there are many difficult decisions to make, and many questions - "What should I do? Will I get permanent diarrhoea? Will I have to stay close to a toilet all the time? Can I still have children?" - the list goes on. The Pouch Group website contains useful information for those people, and for others who are interested in the subject. The Pouch Group co-ordinator serves on the association’s National Executive Committee to represent the interests of members with an internal pouch. It is the responsibility of this person to identify the needs of those members and ensure that IA is meeting those needs.For local information and advice on internal pouches please get in touch with our Pouch rep Rio Diedrick at pouchrep@nottinghamshire-ia.co.uk
National Young IAYoung IA aims to support the association’s younger members, and other young people, either pre-surgery or post-surgery, who undergo either an ileostomy or an internal pouch operation.The National Young IA co-ordinator serves on the association’s National Executive Committee to represent the interest of its young members. It is the responsibility of this person to identify the needs of those young members and ensure that IA is meeting those needs. At present IA's young members are defined as those under the age of 40.Young IA organises an annual social weekend when all young members are invited to join together to share experiences and make new friends. More information on this and other subjects affecting our younger members can be found on the Young IA website.Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Young IALocally we have a growing and active group of Young IA members and through the efforts of our Young IA co-ordinators Fiona and Rio.Regular events are organised throughout the year, both in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire specifically to enable our younger members to get together and discuss the issues affecting them, be they related to their surgery or otherwise.Now is a great time to join the Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Young IA, so if you are under 40 and need some info, drop Fiona and Rio an email at youngiarep@nottinghamshire-ia.org.uk