Ostomy

In this article, we will discuss gastrointestinal ostomies: a colostomy and ileostomy. An ostomy can be a life-saving intestinal diversion. It may serve as the last resort when it comes to treating some severe conditions such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or cancer.

During ostomy surgery, the surgeon makes a small incision in the belly that allows the end of the small or large intestine to be pulled out. That end of the bowel is sewn to the abdominal skin to create a stoma, which serves as an opening to allow the diversion to pass out the stool. Because a stoma doesn’t have any sphincters, you are going to have to wear an ostomy bag over it so that any evacuation falls into the pouch.

Conventional ostomy is the general term used for the ostomies that have a stoma to pass out waste materials. This way, you are going to have to use an ostomy bag to manage your waste evacuations. The surgeon creates this stoma to give an alternative pathway to the passage of waste materials. The diseased section of the colon generally remains disconnected from the healthy part of the bowel. In some cases, the doctor may have to remove this section due to its inability to recover.

Each type of ostomy gets its name based on its location. An ostomy that brings a part of the ileum out of through the incision in the belly is known as an ileostomy. A colostomy, on the other hand, brings out a part of the colon.

No matter what type of convention ostomy you have, you are going to need an ostomy pouch to manage it. It is a reusable or disposable plastic bag that attaches to your stoma. The best thing about modern ostomy bags is that they form a leak-proof seal, which does not only disallow the stomal output from leaking but also prevents odor from escaping the bag.