What is a Colostomy?An Ostomy is a small opening, made during surgery, to help you have a bowel movement.“This is something very personal. And this is something that you have to adjust to. But youbecome very comfortable with it. And you just have to remember this is, it’s a change. But it’s achange that you can live with.”You may need an ostomy if you have had a disease or injury that damages your intestines, making itdifficult to discharge waste on your own. Cancer, trauma, inflammatory bowel disease such asCrohn’s disease or diverticulitis, and some birth defects may lead to an ostomy.Depending on the reason for your ostomy, you may have it for just a short time or for the rest of yourlife.To understand your Ostomy better, let’s take a look at what happens in your body when you eat.Food passes through your mouth, down your esophagus and into your stomach where it is brokendown into small pieces.The food then travels through your small intestine, and into your large intestine, or colon, feeding yourbody nutrients along the way.What is left is then discharged through your rectum and anus.If the damage to your intestines happens in the large intestine area, or your colon, you may have aColostomy. A Colostomy is an operation that brings your large intestine through your abdominal wallforming a stoma.The waste from what you eat will now come out of your body through the stoma.The location and size of your stoma depends on the type of surgery you have, but most stomas areround, red in color, and stick out from your body. It may look like the skin on the inside of your mouth.You won’t be able to feel or control when the waste leaves your body. Instead you will need to wearan Ostomy pouch.You can have a healthy, active life while living with an Ostomy. As you get used to it, the care youtake will get easier, and just part of your daily routine.“At the end of the day, remember, you’re really no different. You are the same person thatwent into the hospital and came out. You will get to the point where you really don’t evenrealize it’s there.”
During a colostomy part of the colon (large intestine) is removed or disconnected. If the large intestine was diseased, it may be removed. If it was injured, it may be disconnected for a short time while it heals, then reconnected after a certain period of time.
During an ileostomy, healthcare providers either remove or disconnect your colon (large intestine), and sometimes part of the last section of your ileum (last section of your small intestine).
Colorectal Cancer: Tips for Living with a Colostomy
Some people with colorectal cancer or other bowel problems may need a colostomy. This is when surgery is done to change the way food wastes leave the body. Living with a colostomy is a major change. But knowing what to expect and how to deal with it can help you adjust.
