HI, IM .. I've had a bunch of procedures and three different loop ileos! I can tell you that with the ileos it was much, much better for me healthwise than living with colitis for 35 years! There is nothing I can't do with my stoma, including swimming.
I understand that end ileos are much better to deal with than loops -- I assume becuase the loops are not as round? Anyway, its my opinion that placement of a stoma is NOT NEARLY as analyzed as it should be by the people who mark them! My first stoma the nurse came in with marker, marked an X and left. It was right at my belt line and my closest friends called me Erkle because I need to hike my pants up very high. My second I asked the surgeon to put it below my normal belt line, if possible and it made it way better, and my third we used the same port (left side) Now, I know you already have your stoma, so this is irrelevant. One further point, if it can be low, but above the belly/abdomen crease, that seems like a good spot! (I know you already have your stoma, but this is for others.)
Now, onto stoma maintenance, try lots of stuff, but -- go for the smallest sized wafer that you can without encroaching on the stoma! This makes is so that movement is way more comfortable. At the hospital they were more than happy to give me a HUGE wafer and it was always noticeable when moving and even painful -- and worse yet, when you moved it could "lever" the wafer off your skin. I use a moldeable convatec, 45 mm. My loop is bigger than an end, so I still cut a little bigger hole, then role it back to form fit. I literally can go 7 to 10 days with no problems, with the wafer. Additionally, insurance covers "a bag a night" for me and I find that a filtered bag, when changed nightly, is much better because once a bag filter gets wet it balloons up. This may or may not be covered by your insurance.
Additionally, get "kirkland" or some other brand of immodium from Amazon and take it to ensure your stools are not too watery. I forget to take it as much as I should but you can get 200 pills very inexpensively! I also find that any alcohol causes watery stools (even one) but others say they do not have this same problem.
Lastly, you'll need some running pants or loose-fitting pants (and shorts) for comfort around the house .. get some jeans or dress pants with plenty of room -- and for business I wear dark pants with pleats in the front to hide a bit more.
For the bed I put an extra pad below the sheet just in case of accident, of which I've only had one in four years, but that was when I was new to the whole deal.
I also buy black sealable bags (bigger than sandwich bags) from Amazon to dispose of bags and wafers to help be discrete (smell and site) -- which is also good for travelling. (A hotel maid might be freaked out if they saw the stuff in a garbage can.)
I would also try to stay away from stoma paste and build-up materials and all the stuff and try as best you can to just get the right wafer/pouch combo. I find the paste and the rest of the stuff not worth it if you have at least a good/flat wafer landing spot. Focus more on the RIGHT wafer system first!
Last night my stoma/wafer awakened me telling me it was time for a change. I felt a bit of a twinge, and that usually means a slight leak onto the skin for me. So I got up at 12:30, took a shower, changed my wafer and was back in bed comfortably at 12:45. You will become an expert with your stoma and it becomes as easy as brushing your teeth to change.
Best wishes, and congratulations on renewed good health!
