Ostomy Bags Save Lives. Why Are They Still a Taboo? - Medical Channel Asia

The body’s most ordinary acts – eating, drinking, digesting – rarely demand attention until something goes awry.For thousands of people each year, that moment arrives with the diagnosis of colorectal cancer or a disease that turns these simple functions into life-threatening obstacles. Surgery offers a way forward: an ostomy bag, connected to a small opening in the abdomen, that takes over when the body no longer can.It also begins a different kind of battle, not just with the body but with the world’s discomfort. What does it mean to live with something that others would rather not talk about?The bag is discreet, nearly invisible under clothes. The stigma is not. And that is the part that hurts the most.To better understand this, we spoke to Dr Grace Tan, Senior Consultant at Melissa Teo Surgery, about the challenges patients face and how medical advancements, support systems, and the right mindset can help them regain confidence.“Having a stoma will change your life,” she says. “But...