Celebrity Colostomy Bags

[Anonymous]

Does anyone remember an upsurge in stories in the UK about celebrities secretly having colostomy bags in the early 80's? I remember FT referred to it without elaborating some time ago, and when I read it it rang a faint bell. Cliff Richard may have been involved. Does anyone have a clearer recollection?

 

[escargot]

By 'colostomy bags' I presume you mean the operation of colostomy.

See here for information http://www.bcass.org.uk/


I heard rumours that the Queen Mother had had this done in the 80s.

The operation and aftercare of colostomy became much easier in the 1980s and it was more talked about. At the same time there was a growing public interest in plastic surgery and I felt at the time that these two subjects had become conflated to produce a kind of elective surgery scare.

In other words, people heard more about colostomy and more about plastic surgery and started to believe that the two were linked and that one might choose to have a colostomy for whatever reason. (To help stay slim, for example.)

The actual colostomy 'bag' is worn under the clothing and is visible only to a trained eye.

(The same is true of the urinary catheter. I work with both these and stomas all the time and when David Blaine did his pole-standing stunt I was able to spot his 'legbag' secured to his left shin. This might have been the most troublesome and painful aspect of the stunt if he'd landed funny!)

 

[liveinabin]

I'm sure Cliff Richard had one. We used to try and guess which side it was when ever he was on telly

 

[escargot]

Colostomy is usually associated with bowel cancer or other cancers of the lower intestinal tract including the rectum.

A temporary colostomy can be done, incredible as this sounds, and reversed later.

(Trying to be tactful here-)
I wonder if the colostomy rumours are associated with rumours about male sexuality?