The large intestine--or colon--is the last part of your digestive system.

Solid waste--or stool--passes through the colon right before it leaves your body.

But if part of your colon gets blocked or diseased, you may need surgery to remove that part.

When this happens, you may need a colostomy to make a different path for stool to leave your body.

Sometimes a colostomy is just temporary, until the colon heals.

Then another surgery is done so you can pass stool normally.

But sometimes, all of the lower colon is removed, and the colostomy is permanent.

Colostomy surgery removes part of the colon and makes a special opening in the belly, called a stoma, so waste can pass out of your body.

What part of your intestine is removed will determine where the stoma is placed on your belly.

Since the stoma has no muscle around it, you can't control when waste or gas passes through it and out of your body.

So an odor-proof bag, called a colostomy bag, is placed on the stoma to collect the waste.

The bag is held to your skin with an adhesive or tape.

You might worry about what life will be like after a colostomy.

But many people who have colostomies lead active, normal lives.

Colostomy bags are odor-proof, and they don't show under your clothes, so no one will know you have one unless you choose to tell them.

You'll need to learn how to care for your colostomy, such as emptying and replacing your colostomy bag.

You'll also need to care for your stoma and know how to watch for signs of an infection.

A nurse who specializes in ostomy care can help you learn what you need to know.