What is a colostomy bag?
Answer:
It's a bag that collects waste on the outside of the body. Tupac wore one after being shot a few times.
It is attached to your body and collects waste, instead of you going to the toilet.
It is a bag that goes over a stoma. The stoma is usually a hole in the abd and it is the intestine (usually the desending colon). The bag is placed over the stoma to catch the stool that would be coming out of the desending colon. There for you generally do not have normal bowel habbits as a general person would.
I hope this didn't confuse you and it helped at least a little bit!
Colostomy means formation of a hole in the colon. So, literally, the surgeon would form a hole to the external of the body and connect a bad from which stool would exit the colon and enter the bag. They are commonly used for people who have intestinal problems and need help with their plumbing. Here's a link if you want to learn more. http://www.webmd.com/colorectal-cancer/g...
A colostomy is a surgical proceedure where the colon is by passed and the intestine is re-routed to an opening on the abdominal wall (called a stoma). A plastic bag is attached to the stoma and collects feces passing thru the intestine as waste. The bags are changed as needed (usually daily in the AM when intestinal activity is lowest).
If a medical reason necessitates the removal of a portion or all of the colon, the large intestine, and the rectum, this is a colostomy. The end of whatever intestine is left in pulled out through a surgically made opening in the abdomen. This new opening formed by the end of the intestine is called a stoma. The word means "mouth". Stool passes out through the created stoma. A collection bag, called a colostomy bag, made of plastic, is attached to the skin surrounding the stoma. A colostomy kit contains a collection bag and a skin adhesive pad that prepares the skin and makes a better seal. The opening of the colostomy bag has a ring of adhesive around it covered by a protective paper. After the skin preparation is applied and allowed to dry, the paper is removed (peeled off) and the bag is securely attached to the skin. The bag is removed when it is full and a new bag attached. This may be in the morning, at night or whenever needed. There's no set time. The bag fills with gas throughout the day and night. Using a tuberculin syringe (it's a very fine gauge needle) minute holes can be made in the top of the bag, the part nearest the abdomen, to allow gas to escape. This method can be used instead of opening the bag at the bottom to let gas out. This way can get very messy as you can imagine.
It used to be that we had to measure a stoma and cut the hole of the bag to fit. I could use one these kits if I wanted to but I have access to kits that fit most stomas and don't require measuring and cutting.
Because formation of solid stool takes place in the colon, the stool that is excreted is liquid.
Anything else you'd like to know? Some of my patients have a colostomy. I also work with suprapubic catheters, jejunostomies and rectal tubes.
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