An ostomy is a surgical procedure creating an opening, or "stoma," on the abdomen to allow waste to exit the body. This may be essential due to conditions like Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or ...

For the last 7 years, Lisa Donovon has used the bathroom by emptying a small pouch, hooked to her abdomen, into a toilet a ...

Rachel Higgins had mixed feelings about getting her anus stitched shut for life. On the one hand, the 21-year-old was ready for a long-term solution that would keep her intestines inside her body. For ...

Not everyone with colorectal cancers and bowel diseases needs a colostomy. You may be able to avoid ostomy surgery, depending on the reason for it. A colostomy is a surgical procedure that creates an ...

I was 21 when I first became an ileostomy patient. An ileostomy is when the last part of the small intestine (ileum) is connected to a hole in the abdomen called a stoma, which allows stool to leave ...

Tina Aswani-Omprakash and Kimberly Hooks both live with severe inflammatory bowel disease and have undergone major surgery, but in different ways. One had a J‑pouch after a temporary ostomy, the other ...

Expert opinions vary on what a typical colostomy output should be, but some suggest an average of 500 milliliters (2 cups) per day. Changes in stoma output or consistency could signal a complication.