Proper Terminology - Ostomy vs. Colostomy vs. Urostomy

Greetings,

I'm relatively new to my urostomy, so I'm doing a lot of research on appliances, reviews, how-to's, YouTube videos, etc. I am having a beef with how the word 'ostomy' is thrown around. From what I understand, there are basically three types of ostomies (colostomy, ileostomy, and urostomy). When I find an article or YouTube video, etc., they use the 'ostomy' term in the title and it most always is about colostomies/ileostomies. I am hoping to find something on urostomies, but invariably, 98% of the time, it turns out not to be about urostomies. So you never can tell what the information is going to be about until you open the article. I waste so much time.

There is a tremendous amount of information on colostomies, but very little on urostomies in comparison. But it is driving me a bit crazy that the general term of 'ostomy' seems to be synonymous with 'colostomies'. Maybe I am wrong, but it makes it so difficult and time-consuming to track down information on urostomies. I can click on an 'ostomy' topic only to find it is not about urostomies, over and over again. I wish the industry and internet postings would be more mindful of the proper terms so we don't waste our time searching and not finding the topic we think it is about. Is it just me???

Just my 2 cents and blowing off a bit of steam...

Gary

Hiya Gary:  Common problem in many areas beyond ostomies.  Language usage can get awfully lazy sometimes.  Frustrating when you're looking for specific info.  I assume colostomies and ileostomies are more common than urostomies, but that's just a guess under the circumstances.  Perhaps a good opportunity for you to fill the void, my friend.  Good luck and stay well.   HenryM

I am not sure what information you are looking for but here is a site I found that has a lot of information, https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000477.htm

Good late evening to all,

I agree with Gary, it's hard to find information and I agree that there seems to be fewer urostomies, but I think they are just overlooked. But we are all related to each other due to our stomas and we need to wear pouches. And we all have a new passage on how our body outputs our waste.

I looked up information and maybe some of it might be useful.

When the bladder is removed, your doctor will create a new passage where urine will leave your body. This is called a urostomy. I'm guessing UR = URINE. I think it is the same for ILEO AND COLO.

I'm just learning this and I think I got it, lol. But it's a good thing.

Also, I looked up how my new goodies, aka my bladder, work and how they made it. The following by search.

Hx of ileal conduit diversion = explains everything pretty much and now I remember the doctor in my head telling me, but I only remember the doc saying "YOU HAVE BLADDER CANCER SURGERY." No bladder and then it went silent in my head. Sorry all, just flashing back for a moment.

Just wanted to share and I'm still new here, but I have learned so much from everyone and I'm sure there's so much more to learn.

Take care all.

BAYS ‍

Hello Garry.
Thanks for your post.
This is a good place to let off steam when things like this are becoming frustrating – and they can do that quite often!
The term ‘ostomy’ is a generic one: The dictionary definition is:
‘A surgical procedure creating an opening in the body for the discharge of body wastes.’
This includes all three types that you mention.

However, according to Wikipedia - a ‘stoma’ In anatomy, a stoma (plural stomata /ˈstoÊŠmÉ™tÉ™/ or stomas) is any opening in the body. For example, a mouth, a nose, and an anus are natural stomata. Any hollow organ can be manipulated into an artificial stoma as necessary. This includes the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, ileum, colon, pleural cavity, ureters, urinary bladder, and renal pelvis. Such a stoma may be permanent or temporary.

The internet tends to list things in a way that presents the most written about at the top of the list in search engines. So, when and if you want to be specific, it would be better to avoid the generic terms such as ‘ostomy’ or ‘stoma’ and go for the word you really want – such as ‘urostomy’.

I’m sure many of us share your frustrations with trying to find specific information on the web but usually there is something out there if you know how to look and have endless patience.

Another option - while you are on this site, is to go into 'COLLECTIONS' ( at the top of the page and look in urostomies for posts on this subject.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes
Bill

My Ostomy Journey: LeeAnne | Hollister

Why not Google "Urostomy?"

Take care

Gary, there is a group called BCAN that deals with bladder cancer and urostomies. Also, at Memorial Sloan Kettering in N.Y., they have support group meetings. I believe it's the third Thursday of each month, but you can go to their site and sign up, and they will let you know (these are done online). They have members with urostomies, social workers, and a wound care nurse there. All the best.

Thanks, I will take a look at the Sloan Kettering online meetings coming up. I find that BCAN deals mainly with pre-surgery information about bladder cancer. I don't see much on post-surgery for the day-to-day dealing with an ostomy. But thanks for the Sloan Kettering info.

Gary

Deziner - I've done that and just like Gary - get mostly colostomy articles. It's very difficult to find specific info on urostomy - even on the UOAA site which is supposed to be for all ostomites.