The basics
We know ostomy
As a leader in the field of ostomy care, we at ConvaTec are dedicated
to enhancing your quality of life.
We’ve been creating ostomy products aimed at improving the standard of patient care for 30 years. It is not just our products, but also our knowledge of ostomy care that we want to share with you.
SURGERY CAN IMPROVE YOUR LIFE
Remember, if you are facing surgery, this is because there is a medical condition such as disease or trauma stopping your bowel or bladder from working properly. Your surgeon will remove the affected part of the bowel or bladder and form a stoma
Having a stoma is designed to improve your current situation — to reduce pain and suffering, remove disease, and/or improve general health. A stoma is created if the bowel or bladder is too damaged by your illness to be able to recover. Whatever your situation, you have plenty of company. There are at least 1.3 million people today living active, productive lives with an ostomy1.
WHAT IS AN OSTOMY?
When you have ostomy surgery, an opening is created in the abdomen (belly). This opening helps your digestive or urinary system when, for medical reasons, you are not able to urinate or move your bowels normally.
The opening is called a stoma. It provides an alternate way for waste materials to leave your body. The location of the stoma depends upon where the damage is and the type of surgery you have2.
There are many common reasons for an ostomy, including2:
- Colon, bladder, or rectal cancer
- Inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
- Inherited conditions such as familial adenomatous polyposis (a type of colorectal cancer passed down through families)
- Birth anomalies
- Stab and gunshot wounds
- Spina bifida or other congenital conditions
- Obstruction of the ureter
Depending on the disease or wound, an ostomy may be temporary, to allow for healing and a return to normal elimination, while some may be permanent2.During your initial discussions with your healthcare professionals, they will advise whether you are a candidate for temporary or permanent surgery.
THERE ARE 3 PRIMARY TYPES OF OSTOMY SURGERY
- Colostomy
- Ileostomy
- Urostomy
If you are having a colostomy or ileostomy, you will lose voluntary control of your bowel movements. If you are having a urostomy you will not be able to voluntarily control urination. ConvaTec offers many different pouching systems for stool or urine collection that are designed with your lifestyle needs in mind. You can find them by going to our product pages.
It is very important to take proper care of your stoma and to make sure your pouching system fits correctly. Within these pages you can learn:
- How to deal with the passage of body waste through the stoma
- How to care for the skin that surrounds the stoma, in order to avoid skin irritation and complications
- How your chosen pouching system fits into your daily life
- What to expect and how to care for your stoma during the early post-operative period
References [+]
- An overview of the ostomy market and ConvaTec’s ostomy model. Global Business Intelligence Analysis 2004. October, 2004. Data on file, ConvaTec.
- A-Malik R, Clarke N, Pearse I, Carlson GL. Intestinal and urological stomas: surgical aspects. In: Lyon CC, Smith AJ, eds. Abdominal Stomas and Their Skin Disorders: An Atlas of Diagnosis and Management. London, UK: Martin Dunitz; 2001:1-20.