Colostomy Life Insurance

Colostomy : About the Condition

The main function of the colon is to conserve water within the body by extracting it from the bowel contents.

A colostomy is a surgical procedure in which your colon (which connects the small intestine to the rectum) is cut and brought to the outside through the abdominal wall to create an artificial opening or "stoma".

In most cases, a colostomy is a temporary measure, however sometimes it can be permanent because joining up the cut ends of the bowel is impracticable.

A colostomy may be needed due to disease of the bowel, such as:

• Crohn's disease - an inflammatory bowel disease which causes pain and diarrhoea
• Colon cancer / Colorectal cancer
• Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) - an inherited condition which affects the colon and rectum, and where polyps (adenomas) develop inside the large bowel

A colostomy may also be needed if the muscles that control your bowel movements are removed during surgery, as you will be unable to control your bowels. You will therefore need to have a colostomy so that your bowel contents can pass into a colostomy bag.

If you have colon cancer, it may be necessary to remove a length of your bowel containing the tumour. If you have a tumour in the lower part of your rectum, you will need to have the whole of your rectum and anus removed. In this instance, you will need a permanent colostomy.

Sometimes, a colostomy may be necessary to relieve a bowel obstruction, or there may be inherited bowel problems, such as a bowel defect that is present at birth. Colostomies may also be performed following an injury to the abdomen.

A colostomy is performed by making a small cut through the wall of the abdomen to one side of the main incision (from where the section of bowel has been removed).The upper cut end of the bowel is brought out through this opening, known as a stoma, and the edges are stitched to the margins of the opening. The lower cut end may be closed internally or may also be brought out.

The bowel contents pass out through the colostomy and are collected in a waterproof bag, which is worn over the stoma. The bag is made of a special waterproof material, known as hydrocolloid, which is adhesive and sticks to the area without the need for adhesive tape.

Recent advances in surgical instrumentation have made a colostomy easier to re-join in places that are difficult to reach. Until recently, it was technically impossible to rejoin the bowel if a length had been removed that involved the upper rectum.

About Life Insurance

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