Those are excellent questions for your surgeon. In my case, the pain was minimal and my hospital stay was five nights. The ileostomy, stoma care and bag management were much less complicated than I anticipated. Your ostomy nurse will be a great resource for preparing you for your routine after leaving the hospital and selecting your preferred supplier of bags and materials. Suppliers are another great resource, are readily accessible and provide samples without obligation. I encourage you to order bag samples from all of the major suppliers to determine which ones you feel most comfortable with. I only tried and was quite happy with one-piece bags. Don’t hesitate to post any other questions or concerns you might have.