Why does Amanda need an ostomy bag?
Amanda gets an endoscopic exam at least every few days to check on her progress. This is much easier if the doctor can access her small intestine directly. For this reason, the surgeons did not attach the lower end of the transplanted section of large intestine to Amanda’s remaining section of large intestine, and closed her skin around both openings, leaving them exposed. This is called a stoma. The doctor can then insert the endoscope directly into the stoma to access her intestines.
