If you are thinking about surgery for colon cancer, chances are you’ve heard of an ostomy (also called a stoma). Chances are also high that someone you’ve met or passed in the street is wearing one and you’d never know it.
A colostomy or ileostomy means that part of your intestines are hooked up through the front of your belly, and you go to the bathroom through a bag that attaches to your skin. The good news is that they are much less common than they used to be; people who are very elderly or not in good health or people with difficult to reach tumors may still need them. The goal of an ostomy is to make the surgery safer; it helps protect the re-connection that your surgeon makes in your intestines or avoids having to reconnect right away if that is not safe.
If you do have an ostomy, there are many resources and supplies available that make them very discreet. A plastic bag covers the ostomy so it doesn’t smell, and if it gets full, you can just go to the bathroom and empty it. You’ll get in a routine so it doesn’t feel like a big deal at all.
Most of the time, even if you have an ostomy, it can be reversed. This means you will undergo another surgery two to three months after your cancer operation to remove the bag and put your intestines back together.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Daniel Labow is the Chief of the Surgical Oncology Division at Mount Sinai Health System. Read More
If you are thinking about surgery for colon cancer, chances are you’ve heard of an ostomy (also called a stoma). Chances are also high that someone you’ve met or passed in the street is wearing one and you’d never know it.
A colostomy or ileostomy means that part of your intestines are hooked up through the front of your belly, and you go to the bathroom through a bag that attaches to your skin. The good news is that they are much less common than they used to be; people who are very elderly or not in good health or people with difficult to reach tumors may still need them. The goal of an ostomy is to make the surgery safer; it helps protect the re-connection that your surgeon makes in your intestines or avoids having to reconnect right away if that is not safe.
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If you do have an ostomy, there are many resources and supplies available that make them very discreet. A plastic bag covers the ostomy so it doesn’t smell, and if it gets full, you can just go to the bathroom and empty it. You’ll get in a routine so it doesn’t feel like a big deal at all.
Most of the time, even if you have an ostomy, it can be reversed. This means you will undergo another surgery two to three months after your cancer operation to remove the bag and put your intestines back together.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Daniel Labow is the Chief of the Surgical Oncology Division at Mount Sinai Health System. Read More
