Ostomy life

Bluecat wrote I don't eat ... leafy green vegetables.

The following is listed as "Baby & Toddler Food", but listing it under "Food for elderly people with ..." would not quite look so ... um ... yes.

LINK > Tesco Green Veggies

Blossoming thanks for posting that NHS information. Was amazed at a comment by me to a new ostomist was so picked up and nitpicked.
I really would strongly recommend that anyone having an Ileostomy should join the Ileostomy Association. The quarterly magazine they produce and distribute to all members is always so full of this sort of information and advice and keeps us all really updated regarding new appliances, etc.

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I can assure you that having a straight forward ileostomy or colostomy does not involve removing your stomach!
The reason you should be cautious with soluble or liquid medication is, I image, because they are absorbed in the small intestine so if that’s removed or shortened (for ileostomy) then you possibly won’t achieve the benefit of that medication.

Was the word 'stomach' being used in a more general sense to mean digestive system rather than the actual stomach itself?

Blossoming

StarDreamer from the NHS website.

^Medication

Many medicines are designed to dissolve slowly in your digestive system.

This means some medications may not be as effective if you have an ileostomy as they could come straight out into your bag.

Let your GP or pharmacist know about your stoma so they can recommend an alternative type of medicine, such as an uncoated pill, powder or liquid.^

Thank you.

I was wondering how that relates to

> Anything that involves 'dissolving in the stomach' is not for you.

StarDreamer from the NHS website.

^Medication

Many medicines are designed to dissolve slowly in your digestive system.

This means some medications may not be as effective if you have an ileostomy as they could come straight out into your bag.

Let your GP or pharmacist know about your stoma so they can recommend an alternative type of medicine, such as an uncoated pill, powder or liquid.^

Much of that water retrieval takes place in the last intestine, not in the stomach. I do not now have this organ. Completely taken out during that operation 32 years ago.

Franbern

StarDreamer

Franbern wrote Anything that involves 'dissolving in the stomach' is not for you.

Why is that please?

Because the organ which dissolves those things has been removed from our bodies!!!

Can you clarify please?

I am thinking that for an ileostomy to be in use it is the large intestine that has been taken out of the digestive flow (whether removed in whole or part, but if not totally removed, disconnected).

Are you saying that the stomach is removed?

StarDreamer

Franbern wrote Anything that involves 'dissolving in the stomach' is not for you.

Why is that please?

Because the organ which dissolves those things has been removed from our bodies!!!

I to had an emergency operation to save my life,and have a permanent colostomy.I followed the diet sheet religiously for some time,but at one time I ate a mango and that put me back in hospital with a blockage.I find now 10 years on that I can eat a lot of things that were forbidden at the start.I have had problems in this appalling heat,it feels very uncomfortable but hopefully it will settle down when it gets cooler.As the nurse in intensive care said at the time,"it's better to live with a bag than be in a box". All best wishes for your recovery,it takes a while,but you will get there.

baubles

Thanks for the replies and PMs, I’m truly grateful.

How interesting Franbern, I think I’ll have to start experimenting.
I did think I had a blockage a couple of weeks ago and spent a few days in back hospital, however it turned out that adhesions were the culprit and not anything I’d eaten.

Ah the wind Smileless . Yes I’ve discovered that broccoli makes my bag fill with gas alarmingly quickly, it resembles a zeppelin straining to escape its tethers.

Thank you all for your good wishes.

If you have adhesions, then you definitely need to keep to a low-residue diet.

I was offered an appointment with a dietician at my hospital, and she gave me a list of foods to eat and those to go careful with - plus those to avoid.

It might be useful for you.

One thing I do though - in the winter - is make loads of slow-cooker recipes, beef, chicken, lamb (lamb tagine in particular), adding root vegetables, green beans, broccoli and onions... all goes down well (and I have tons of adhesions) because all the ingredients are so well-cooked... melt-in-the-mouth cooked, and the taste is dense and excellent.

... but I'd give my right arm for a salad right now. Skinning and de-seeding a tomato is a PITA. Some people can eat lettuce (but not the stalky bit).

Try for an appointment.

,,, and a refreshing snack on a hot day - cottage cheese mixed with (1) mango chutney (no bits), or (2) mixed with a very small dollop of mint sauce, and as another option (3) mixed with celery salt and, finally, (4) mixed with peeled and skinned cucumber chopped into small bits... all garnished with mini bread-sticks.

Franbern wrote Just to say I have just had my evening meal,- a very large salad, which contained walnuts, tomatoes, celery, cucumber, mixed lettuces, red pepper, spring onions, raisins, and pom seeds.

What can be eaten varies from person to person. Sometimes greatly.

Franbern wrote Anything that involves 'dissolving in the stomach' is not for you.

Why is that please?

Another thing, whenever you are prescribed any sort of medication for other medical problems, do remind the person making the prescription that you have a permanent Ileostomy.

Anything that involves 'dissolving in the stomach' is not for you. I have been astonished how many GP;s and Senior Registrars at hospitals are not always au fait with this.

Just to say I have just had my evening meal,- a very large salad, which contained walnuts, tomatoes, celery, cucumber, mixed lettuces, red pepper, spring onions, raisins, and pom seeds. Have this five or six times a week. No problems. Do drink a large glass of water along with it.

Thanks Lindy, I’ll have a look. It’s actually me who has the ileostomy.

Baubles If you have Facebook there is a closed group called Colostomy UK. Either you can join on behalf of your husband or he can join. It can be very helpful as people share all sorts to do with stomas. They talk bags, poo and give tips. There is always someone you can relate and you them. As it's a closed group it is purely for members. Hope this helps. Linda Wooster xx it covers Colostomy Ileostomy and Urostomy

StarDreamer my stoma nurse told me to make sure that anyone I spoke to about my ostomy to make sure they knew it isn’t a colostomy, which most people would assume it to be as that seems to be more well known.

Franbern, I’m finding that I do need to take in far more fluids as I’ve frequently had a very dry mouth and a headache so I’ve learned that lesson.

It just seems that all of my favourite foods are on the ‘could be dodgy’ list so I am going to take everyone’s advice to introduce new things little by little and keep a food diary.

I’ve seen my stoma nurse today and she’s given me a different bag to try, this is my third kind so let’s hope this is the one for me.

Once more I thank you all for taking the time to reply, it’s been most helpful.

LINK > iasupport.org/

Do remember that you need to really up your fluid intake. People whose digestive systems work normally, extract a lot of their daily fluid from their normal food. Ileostomists cannot do this, so it is absolutely imperative that you double the amount of fluid you take in than you did previously.

Salt intake may need slightly upping also.

Join the Ileostomy Association (Ia), they have a wonderful quarterly magazine which provides loads of advice and assistance and medical information.

I have had an ileostomy since 1979 and have never had a blockage due to food (touch wood!) My stoma has stopped working twice, but those occasions were due to a strangulated hernia and a twisted bowel. The former required emergency surgery and the latter untwisted itself in 48 hours.

Everyone with a stoma is different where food is concerned, although "No sweetcorn!" seems to be a general rule. I don't eat nuts, pulses (except baked beans, which are OK for some reason) or leafy green vegetables. I wouldn't eat lettuce in a salad but cucumber, tomatoes, onions, etc are all right. However, this is just my list, and other people will have different lists of does and don'ts.

My advice is to try new things in small amounts to see if they suit you, and try not to worry too much. You will soon get the hang of things.

Well done Baubles; you have come through quite an ordeal. I wish you well - good luck with your new challenge! x

MawtheMerrier

StarDreamer

For the avoidance of doubt, a colostomy and an ileostomy are not the same.

I am quite sure the many Gransnetters with personal experience of either or those with medical qualifications, or indeed those who merely take an academic interest , are perfectly clear about that?

Maybe you are quite sure but I posted that because the OP asked about an ileostomy and one poster provided a link to a colostomy website and not to an ileostomy website.

So my post was, and is, highly relevant to this thread.

Just to add, you'll need a really wide straw. I got my stainless steel smoothie straws from Amazon.