9 day cleanse or alternatives?

[Hepburn]

Hi guys,

To be straight up, I'm looking for the best way to hit a 'reset' button on my general health (minus Crohns, of course) and unfortunately, given my loop ileostomy I cannot go for a colonic irrigation (I say unfortunately but..) and so I'm looking for alternatives.

What's the best way to flush out and start fresh? One of my good friends is currently half way through a 9 day cleanse using 'Forever Living' products which consist purely of aloe, fibre and vitamin shakes without consuming much solids. It sounds a bit risky but the feedback from my friend is that he has never felt better, he is full of energy, feels great and looks much better.

This is in stark contrast to myself, I feel lathargic, knackered, sick and I'm quite usually in pain with my stomach and my stoma. My diet is disgustingly bad (sweet tooth) and I need to change my life, even if it's a drastic step in doing so.

Does anybody know of anything that would help? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[UnXmas]

Is the idea of the products to clear the bowel? I know fibre supplements can be used to treat both constipation and diarrhoea, but I take it these are a kind of laxative? I would be wary of using them with an ileostomy. An ileostomy makes you prone to dehydration, so laxatives are usually not a good idea. I'm also not sure whether a fibre supplement could cause a blockage. I know fibrous foods are more likely to block, I'm not sure if these products could do the same, but it's something you want to make sure of before trying them. Too much liquid is also not good with an ileostomy.

If you want to change your diet, I would just change your diet! There's no need to clear your system first, with an ileostomy nothing stays in you very long anyway. Does your ileostomy give you problems tolerating "healthy" foods? Many fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. can be difficult for some people with ileostomies. But even then, it's still possible to eat a healthy diet, your version of a healthy diet may just look a bit different from a that of a person with a regular digestive system. Let me know if you do have problems tolerating those foods and would like some healthy food suggestions that shouldn't cause any issues.

 

[Hepburn]

Is the idea of the products to clear the bowel? I know fibre supplements can be used to treat both constipation and diarrhoea, but I take it these are a kind of laxative? I would be wary of using them with an ileostomy. An ileostomy makes you prone to dehydration, so laxatives are usually not a good idea. I'm also not sure whether a fibre supplement could cause a blockage. I know fibrous foods are more likely to block, I'm not sure if these products could do the same, but it's something you want to make sure of before trying them. Too much liquid is also not good with an ileostomy.

If you want to change your diet, I would just change your diet! There's no need to clear your system first, with an ileostomy nothing stays in you very long anyway. Does your ileostomy give you problems tolerating "healthy" foods? Many fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. can be difficult for some people with ileostomies. But even then, it's still possible to eat a healthy diet, your version of a healthy diet may just look a bit different from a that of a person with a regular digestive system. Let me know if you do have problems tolerating those foods and would like some healthy food suggestions that shouldn't cause any issues.

Even if I didn't cleanse for the full nine days I believe a 'flush out' would still be hugely beneficial. As stated previous, my diet is ridiculously bsd and I'm lucky not to have any further health issues.

In terms of foods, I can't really eat anything that's healthy due to the way they break down. I've attempted apples, pears, bananas, mango etc and they all seem to take a very long time to digest, for example it had taken from Tuesday to Friday to digest apple slices (without skins). As for veg, I've never been a huge fan. I only eat carrot, potatoes and beetroot to name the lot.

I really need a drastic change.

 

[UnXmas]

How do you know how long it's taking to digest things? Do you mean you can see them in the stoma output? Do the fruits you've tried give you blockage symptoms (cramps, nausea/vomitting, no stoma output)?

I understand the idea of a cleanse is appealing, but with an ileostomy you do need to be careful of dehydration and of blockages. I don't think it's necessary for you to cleanse in order to start improving your diet.

 

[Hepburn]

How do you know how long it's taking to digest things? Do you mean you can see them in the stoma output? Do the fruits you've tried give you blockage symptoms (cramps, nausea/vomitting, no stoma output)?

I understand the idea of a cleanse is appealing, but with an ileostomy you do need to be careful of dehydration and of blockages. I don't think it's necessary for you to cleanse in order to start improving your diet.

I can see the fruit in the output, in the past they have been evident as they are the only 'chunky' food I have attempted to digest in that time period. They give uncomfortable stoma cramping and force my stoma to 'recede' if you would. This is made much worse by the fact that my Stoma has been completely taken over by Crohns and doesn't appear normal by any means (full of fistulas, lumps and other bumps).

If I'm good at one thing it is staying hydrated. At my place of work they have several drinking fountains and I'm careful to drink my full 9 cups per day.

 

[Tuff]

Soup cleanses are currently popular. I personally don't think that cleanses are necessary. Food doesn't stay inside you that long, unless you're horribly constipated. You should try cooked fruits, instead of raw. I went to a nutritionist twice, to work out a meal plan, because I'm vegetarian and have food allergies. They will help you to devise a healthy plan of foods you like.

 

[UnXmas]

The cramping and receding stoma could be signs that it's partially blocking or coming close to it. When that happens, hot drinks, changing position (especially bringing your knees up to your chest), and massaging the stoma can help.

If you need to get more vitamins in, you could use supplements if necessary - drinks like Ensure if you need to gain weight, or vitamin pills if you don't. My doctor's arranged for me to have B12 injections as with an ileostomy you can become deficient in B12 whatever your diet is like.

Some ways of getting fruit and veg that you may be able to tolerate are cooked fruits and smooth vegetable soups as Tuff mentioned, also tinned fruits (except pineapple) and well cooked root vegetables, pureed fruits and avocados. Juicing fruits and vegetables is also very popular on this forum. Baby food fruit pots are also a way of getting easy-to-digest fruit. E.g. http://www.hipp.co.uk/products/our-baby-food-and-drinks/fruit-pots You can try baby food vegetables too if you can learn to like the taste.

Besides the fruit and veg, eating healthily with an ileostomy isn't too limited (though people differ in what foods they think of as healthy): fish, smooth nut butters (though these are high calorie if that's something you're watching out for), low fat cottage cheese and yoghurts if you're ok with dairy, eggs, white meat. You may want to avoid whole grain cereals, though if you do you may still be ok with oatmeal. Skinless potatoes, white rice and pasta should be ok. There are also low fibre breakfast cereals like corn flakes, rice krispies and even when my stoma had a tendancy to block I did ok with Cheerios and Special K.

If you do do some kind of cleanse, I would do one that doesn't involve a fibre supplement as your stoma isn't coping with fibre too well (the chunks of fruit not being broken down and leading to cramping). I don't know much about products specifically intended for cleansing, but if you try a laxative, stool softeners tend to be less likely to cause side effects like cramping than stimulent laxatives. With an ileostomy, you may find stool softeners flush your system quite well, and you may find you don't need the strength of laxative people with a colon need. Starting with a very low dose and building upward is the best way to go. But I honestly can't see how it could be necessary - if the fruit took a few days to appear in your output, that still isn't long, I don't think it can be having negative effects on your health. A more common ileostomy problem is that food gets rushed through too quickly for enough nutrition to be obtained, so a slower transit time may even be beneficial.

Good luck though - it's great to see someone making changes and bettering their health.

 

[kikig]

I can see where you are coming from - and everybody talks about a cleansing ritual before starting something new, blank slate etc. Its as much about mind as it is diet really.

How about treating the cleanse as a fridge/freezer/cupboard cleanout? If the bad food isn't there, you can't eat it:thumleft:

And combine it with something like juicing, which would be more beneficial - you'll still get all your vitamins and minerals but it won't "cost" you as regards the stoma. You can make smoothies if dairy is not a problem.

I've been on a diet for most of my life with my medical condition, and if you are clever about it, you can overhaul the diet by using substitution not deprivation. Thats what I do, and I usually end up with something which perhaps tastes the same (or better) but has a quarter of the fat.

Its not easy, but you'll reap the benefits for far longer than eating cauliflower soup for a week.

The fact that you have your mind set to change your diet is already a huge step! Just keep the momentum going!

 

[InstantCoffee]

I'll simply come in with some of my scientific witchcraft here.

I don't believe in 'cleanses' per se. If you don't know what you're cleansing or why, then you're guessing.

There are however benefits to calorie restrictions which may be what your friend is experiencing. The first of those is bowel rest. The others are more complex.

Fasting (starvation) has a massive hormonal response on the body and this response has connections to improvement in Crohn's symptoms. Treatment of the balance of serotonin-dopamine balance has shown positive effects on some* Crohn's patients.

During a fasted state the gut increases gut-made Serotonin which has regenerative properties. The body also releases catecholamines, which are basically an adrenaline response, which contains dopamine as well as anti-inflammatory properties.

This is likely the reason many feel 'spiritual' during a fast, especially if they already had problems with depression or a hormonal imbalance.

If you want to do this I'd suggest talking to a doctor or preferably a nutritionist about how to maintain electrolyte balance during a calorie restricted state.