The Winnipeg Ostomy Association

204-825 Sherbrook Street,
Winnipeg, MB R3A 1M5

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is an ostomy?
   An ostomy is the surgical re-routing of either the solid waste path, (involving the colon and bowel function) or the liquid waste path (involving the bladder), or both paths. Portions of the internal waste elimination organs are removed, and remaining portions are re-routed around the usual digestive tract, to instead channel that waste to a sanitary pouch on the outside of the body, that the person may then empty as needed into a standard toilet facility.

2. Why do people have to have ostomies done?
   The procedure is usually done as a life-saving measure as a result of a variety of medical conditions. Typical reasons for performing ostomy surgery include cancer treatment, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's Disease, car accidents, other traumatic injuries (for example, stabbing or gunshot wounds) or congenital birth conditions.

3. How do people feel after having an ostomy done?
   Feelings are as unique as the people who have had the procedure. Many people who have had chronic malfunction of the digestive system tell us that an ostomy is the best thing that ever happened to them, because it allows them to live pain-free for the first time in their lives. Cancer patients often accept that the ostomy procedure is what saves their lives, and adjust to living with their appliances quickly, keeping in mind the alternative! Some ostomates struggle with depression, stemming from a sense of loss of normal body function, a feeling of poor body image, and the social stigma they perceive they would suffer, if people knew they used bags attached to their bodies to eliminate waste. The Winnipeg Ostomy Association maintains a corps of trained mentors certified through its Ostomy Visitor Program. All members are people who live successfully with their ostomies, and they are available as a resource offered to help people new to the procedure adjust, and reach their fullest productive life after surgery.

4. How do ostomy bags work?
   Ostomy bags come in a variety of configurations, based on whether they are for solid or liquid waste. Typically, they include a specially designed super-adhesive seal that affixes to the skin around the ostomy opening (called a stoma) and a plastic collector bag. Bags usually feature an easy-open drain, which can be used to empty the contents into a standard toilet, and then rinsed clean. Once properly applied, these appliances are odourless, often invisible, and completely sealed and sanitary. Some appliances are meant to be changed daily; others are designed to last several days. Their use is as individual as the person using them, and a system for each ostomate is designed and fine tuned for the best possible functionality by expert-level specially-trained nurses, called Enterostomal Therapy practitioners (known as ET's).

5. What are people allowed to do after having the procedure?
   The short answer is anything they want. Assuming they and their ET nurse have worked out an appliance system that works for them, ostomates are unlimited in what they can do. Trades people, corporation presidents, teenagers, self-employed business people, teachers, professionals, athletes, seniors, elementary school children - all are among the approximately 3,000 people in Manitoba, and 55,000 people Canada-wide who are living successfully with ostomies.

6. What still needs to be done to help?
   The biggest issues ostomates face are the lack of knowledge about ostomies, and the social stigma still encountered by many members when encountering society's attitudes about this life-saving procedure. There's no doubt, ostomies aren't usually polite dinner conversation-but they shouldn't be a source of shame, either. They are simply a fact of life-with the emphasis on life-in all its fullness, instead of the alternative!

Last updated September 26 2009. Comments to: Mike Leverick