If you spend way too much time on bowel programs or have too many accidents I recommend a colostomy.
After 20 years of bowel programs which took hours and hours (it was like a part-time job with the pay being crappy) I got a colostomy. Life is so much easier now. I spend about 10 minutes a day on bowel management which consists of peeling a bag off my skin and sticking a new one on. I'm also 100% independent even though my fingers don't work very well. I use hemostats to assist me where fingers would normally pinch and pull the bag off. The bag doesn't smell or leak, isn't noticable under a loose fitting shirt, and hasn't affected my sex life. I also have a supra pubic catheter (20 years now) which I can independently manage except for the monthly catheter change (my wife does that).
I had to have a total colectomy back in 2008, because 1/2 of my colon stoped functioning and was starting to tear in several spots. It was a very hard surgery to recover from (I had 3 major complications from it), but I was very happy with the results afterward.
I no longer have to do a bowel program, its very easy to change and empty the ostomy appliances (I use Hollister appliances), and it has helped me in many more ways. The only thing is if you are going to go with an ileostomy (which is where they bring your small intestine up to the abdomen, rather than the large intestine), you have to make sure to drink LOTS of water or other liquids throughout the day to avoid dehydration. You also have to take B-12 injections most of the time becuase of B-12 deficiency. Other than that, its no big deal.
