Since getting your stoma how many of you eat salad. Pop corn and corn and maybe nuts? I miss these foods so much want something to look forward to trying to keep my brain entertained.
Thanks cindy
Thanks cindy
Foods you can now eat since you got your stoma
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DJW
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I'm able to eat small salad once in awhile. I know I've had to much if I start feeling bloated. Veggies are fine if well steamed. I love apples if peeled and diced. I even have a few nuts once in awhile.
My don't eat list is a lot shorter than my safe list. Greasy food is out. Popcorn is out. Seeds don't cause problems but I wouldn't eat a bag of sunflower seeds.
My don't eat list is a lot shorter than my safe list. Greasy food is out. Popcorn is out. Seeds don't cause problems but I wouldn't eat a bag of sunflower seeds.
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I eat EVERYTHING with the exception of corn and popcorn. Lots of fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
And I drink waaay too much caffeine...something I couldn't tolerate before surgery!
Kismet
And I drink waaay too much caffeine...something I couldn't tolerate before surgery!
Kismet
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I eat everything, including large salads. Before my stoma everything, including the smell of food, caused me pain.
Wow DJW what is it about u that causes You to bloat like that? I'm looking forward after a few months of healing to have a nice big salad and some almonds, granola which I love. Have any of u had obstructions since surgery? Thanks guys
Cindy
Cindy
Why is popcorn a no no? I'm scared to try it. I didn't have any problem with it before stoma and colon removal but I did with veg, especially salad and raw peppers and pulses. I want to try these things again any suggestions on the best way to introduce them back into my diet please?
I was told not to eat these things due to a narrowing structure but if there removing all my colon I guess I was hoping I could have all that again I've been on a low residue diet for 2 years and it's a horrible diet I miss oatmeal and beans Also I was always told I couldn't have them because they would get stuck
DJW
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I get bloated whenever something doesn't move through my system properly.
Blockages - yup. I've had plenty. But a lot of mine have been the result of many surgeries over the years leaving scar tissue. Others came from popcorn and raw veggies. I just can't break them down fast enough st they get stuck. Take it slow when reintroducing food.
BTW, I've never had problems with oatmeal.
Blockages - yup. I've had plenty. But a lot of mine have been the result of many surgeries over the years leaving scar tissue. Others came from popcorn and raw veggies. I just can't break them down fast enough st they get stuck. Take it slow when reintroducing food.
BTW, I've never had problems with oatmeal.
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Had my stoma 8 weeks now and I don't consider it at all when I'm thinking about what to eat. I do have a slightly restricted diet due to kidney failure/dialysis but not because of the "hole". No problems so far in that regard, he has caused other troubles, leaks etc. but not that.
Im from the south and love fried green tomatoes, also love greens I cant wait to eat these foods again. Oh Hot Wings I miss to I forgot about those. Ive never had any other surgeries except the removal of an abcsess from my colon which was caused by a fistula. Thats pretty much it for surgeries until now. I am so looking forward to pop corn and beans omg I miss these foods so much. How have you folks that are lactoss intolerate been after this type of surgery. I am lactosse intolerant I hate it. Hoping I can go back to having sour cream on a bake potato or a big chocolate milkshake would be nice. : )
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Since having my gallbladder out, greasy foods were always a guaranteed trip to the bathroom after eating. They still go right through me, but now it is contained, so no rushing to the bathroom. Its not the best decision, but at least I can eat these things now!
I love your signature LOL. Im hoping I love my stoma also. Im a lot better this week then I was several weeks ago. I was a hot mess and this forum and several individuals went over and above to help me. I cant say thank you enough now Im looking at the positives of the transformation of having a stoma since mine is perminat I just want to know basically if people could go back to eating what they use too eat before being diagnosed. That to me is a positive to have this along with to not have to look for a bathroom everywhere I go. How do you do with Beef like steak? I love steak havnt had one in 2 years seemed to upset the bowels and caused cramps but my problem is strictures and fistulas.
Cindy
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I was warned to eat small amounts of beef in the first few weeks after surgery since it can sometimes cause diarrhea, and to introduce it slowly. After your body adjusts to the whole water absorption issue of no colon, you probably won't have any problems with beef.
Awesome just what I wanted to hear I love steak
yum I also like turkey burgers but I can have that already. You guys are so inspirational for me if I am ever worried and need or feeling down I come here and go away feeling better Me thinking about foods I can have again is huge. I've been so limited due to strictures. Anyone else want to share what foods they were able to eat after stoma I love to know.
Cindy
Nyx
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I had a burger while I was still in the hospital after my surgery...lol Mind you, I wasn't told to restrict my diet at all. But then again, I have a colostomy rather than an ileostomy so that makes a difference in how things are digested and removed from my system as well.
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Awesome just what I wanted to hear I love steak
Me thinking about foods I can have again is huge. I've been so limited due to strictures. Anyone else want to share what foods they were able to eat after stoma I love to know.
Cindy
I was virtually unable to eat for 10 months before my op due to a bowel tumour - eating anything would leave me in pain and I lost a lot of weight. I had the op which left me with the stoma and I was told to put on weight, so I very much enjoyed having all the things I'd missed in the 10 months of not eating. I've eaten in most of the eateries in my town more than once and am loving it. I am limited to only drinking 2 litres a day, due to risk of dehydration, but today
I found out my stoma will be reversed in less than 18 weeks, so then I 'll be able to drink what I like too.
Having cancer, undergoing major surgery and having a stoma was a big price to pay, but I'm still kicking.
Can I ask how would you drinking only 2 litres a day cause you to be dehydrated? how does that work? Im glad your better probably a lot more at ease since they got that out of you and now your eating well. Good for you!!! : )
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Dehydration and food obstructions are top challenges with a new stoma. Especially the dehydration. It can be difficult to find a good balance in the first few months, but things start to even out after trial and error. Not trying to scare, just wanting you to be aware.
I had problems with ileus and dehydration while still in the hospital. Had it not been for the stories I read here, I wouldn't have been prepared for this even being a possibility and would have freaked out. Instead, I managed to stay (relatively) calm and just took one day at a time.
I had problems with ileus and dehydration while still in the hospital. Had it not been for the stories I read here, I wouldn't have been prepared for this even being a possibility and would have freaked out. Instead, I managed to stay (relatively) calm and just took one day at a time.
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I was told by my stoma nurse that if I drink any more thn 2 litres in a day, it just comes straight out of the stoma, high volume, watery output - which is what was happening. It is rather the opposite of what you would think.
I got hospitalised for 5 days because of this. I went into a dialysis session and because I was dehydrated they couldn't dialyse me ... "crispy" my surgeon called me. They gave me IV fluids for a couple of days.
As someone who has always drunk a lot during the day, sticking to 2 litres is quite tricky. As a test, I measured what I would drink ln a normal day and by 5 in the afternoon I was up tp 4.5 litres.
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Before my ileostomy, fibre gave me problems - stomach discomfort, worse diarrhoea. I could eat anything, but only in limited amounts - a couple of portions of any fruit or veg a day was fine, but I couldn't also eat wholegrain cereals or things with nuts, seeds, dried fruit without feeling it.
My first stoma seemed to block the moment I ate any potential blockage causing food at all. My second (current and permanent) stoma can handle a little more, but it still blocks easier than most. I'm taking extra care right now, because I'm so underweight I can't afford to risk a blockage now, as the pain and nausea would really interfere with my eating! So I'm limiting myself to one portion of fruit or veg a day, and no whole grains, nuts or seeds (and none of the worst offenders - mushrooms, sweetcorn, etc.). (I do also eat the safe fruits - bananas, tinned fruit, avocados, and fruit juice.)
The blockages and partial blockages are a big deal for me - it's not like when I ate too much fibre prior to having an ileostomy, and it just made my symptoms worse. When I've had blockages (I've had three), the pain is excruciating - every time my stoma was active, I'd be doubled over with stomach cramps and retching, and this went on for a few days, gradually easing off. One blockage ended up with me in hospital. But I do think I'm unusual, I don't think many people with ileostomies have so much trouble.
So my ileostomy has restricted my diet rather than enabled me to eat more. But right now I feel more restricted by the need to always eat high-calorie foods, and by having to eat so much. It's impossible to enjoy eating anything much when you're feeling ill and have to force stuff down anyway.
I'm still trying to get my head around all the guidelines for eating with a stoma. I've known about fibre and how to avoid it for a long time, but I've just recently been learning about the difference between low fibre and low residue. I do eat a lot of dairy, which is low fibre but not low residue, and wondering if I might feel better if I cut down on it. But dairy's one of my staple foods, and it's easy for me to get down ice cream and yoghurts and cereal with milk. Plus all my Ensures and other supplements list "milk proteins" as an ingredient, though I've no idea what that means in terms of amount of residue!
I'm quite lucky in that I've no inclination to drink alcohol or coffee, or eat spicy or greasy foods, or red meat anyway, as I know these often do give people digestive problems. I'm quite happy eating plain and bland. I do have a sweet tooth, and so plain biscuits and cakes and sweets are things I'm relying on a lot to help me gain weight. And I know many people get gas from drinking fizzy drinks, but I manage just fine and drink a lot of Coke!
The question of how much to drink confuses me also. My surgeon had told me that if I drank too much with an ileostomy, I'd wash food through before I was able to absorb it properly, and I wondered if this was the cause for my inability to gain much weight. But he also thought a muscle-wasting condition might be the problem, and my other doctors told me I just wasn't absorbing things properly, regardless of how much fluid I'm having, and regardless of having an ileostomy altogether. :confused2:
The only other dietary adjustment I made with the stoma was adding in more salt.
My first stoma seemed to block the moment I ate any potential blockage causing food at all. My second (current and permanent) stoma can handle a little more, but it still blocks easier than most. I'm taking extra care right now, because I'm so underweight I can't afford to risk a blockage now, as the pain and nausea would really interfere with my eating! So I'm limiting myself to one portion of fruit or veg a day, and no whole grains, nuts or seeds (and none of the worst offenders - mushrooms, sweetcorn, etc.). (I do also eat the safe fruits - bananas, tinned fruit, avocados, and fruit juice.)
The blockages and partial blockages are a big deal for me - it's not like when I ate too much fibre prior to having an ileostomy, and it just made my symptoms worse. When I've had blockages (I've had three), the pain is excruciating - every time my stoma was active, I'd be doubled over with stomach cramps and retching, and this went on for a few days, gradually easing off. One blockage ended up with me in hospital. But I do think I'm unusual, I don't think many people with ileostomies have so much trouble.
So my ileostomy has restricted my diet rather than enabled me to eat more. But right now I feel more restricted by the need to always eat high-calorie foods, and by having to eat so much. It's impossible to enjoy eating anything much when you're feeling ill and have to force stuff down anyway.
I'm still trying to get my head around all the guidelines for eating with a stoma. I've known about fibre and how to avoid it for a long time, but I've just recently been learning about the difference between low fibre and low residue. I do eat a lot of dairy, which is low fibre but not low residue, and wondering if I might feel better if I cut down on it. But dairy's one of my staple foods, and it's easy for me to get down ice cream and yoghurts and cereal with milk. Plus all my Ensures and other supplements list "milk proteins" as an ingredient, though I've no idea what that means in terms of amount of residue!
I'm quite lucky in that I've no inclination to drink alcohol or coffee, or eat spicy or greasy foods, or red meat anyway, as I know these often do give people digestive problems. I'm quite happy eating plain and bland. I do have a sweet tooth, and so plain biscuits and cakes and sweets are things I'm relying on a lot to help me gain weight. And I know many people get gas from drinking fizzy drinks, but I manage just fine and drink a lot of Coke!
The question of how much to drink confuses me also. My surgeon had told me that if I drank too much with an ileostomy, I'd wash food through before I was able to absorb it properly, and I wondered if this was the cause for my inability to gain much weight. But he also thought a muscle-wasting condition might be the problem, and my other doctors told me I just wasn't absorbing things properly, regardless of how much fluid I'm having, and regardless of having an ileostomy altogether. :confused2:
The only other dietary adjustment I made with the stoma was adding in more salt.
If the damage is removed and you I would have no more strictures why would someone still get blockages from eating and having a stoma?
DJW
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That's a very good question. Ive gone years with no issues. Over time inflammation that's unchecked and surgeries can cause scaring which can lead to obstructions. Inflammation alone can cause a narrowing. Some foods that are just hard to digest can slow things down and get stuck. This is why I avoid raw veggie with vigilance.
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It's the stoma itself that gets blocked. Some foods pass through the digestive tract without being broken down, and for some reason it can't get through stomas sometimes. I have a perfectly healthy stoma, no inflammation, no strictures, yet it blocks very easily. Even if I take tiny mouthfuls and chew everything very well (which I always do), the little bits can clump together at the stoma and block it.
Since my ilieostomy I am finding I get a lot if fluid through stoma but am not passing much urine. Is anyone else experiencing this. I did have a fistula into my bladder which could not be found but I thought with removal of colon this would not be an issue. I don't have much pressure in my bladder either.
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How long have you had your stoma? Your body may need time to adjust before your small intestine "learns" how to do some of the colons job of absorbing water and electrolytes.
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Not always. I get obstructed from time to time in a section before the stoma due to external narrowing from scar tissue from multiple surgeries, just like DJW said. For some like me (but not for everyone), the adhesions are broken up during surgery, but then more occur over time as healing progresses.
So if I've not had prior surgeries and have no narrowing in my small intestines and hopefully keep my inflammation under control after surgery then I might be ok from having obstructions? I don't have much of the disease in my small bowell mine is mostly all left sided colon. I was to be able to eat corn again and salads I miss salads. So with this being said. Please give your opinion still convincing my self I'll have a better life after proctocolectomy.
Well this is one of the things that keeps me going it has to be better then this my fistula opened back up again and I'm pooing out my side. I can't live like this anymore I would rather have a bag for the rest of my life and be healthy and happy excited about having old favorite foods again.
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Yup! And I know of several people with UC who've turned down the option for a j-pouch to stay with a permanent ostomy because it's worked so well for them and there was no reason to risk going backwards.
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Exactly! I've got a j-pouch in place, but don't have it connected. After just a few months with my ileostomy, I loved my life so much that I didn't want to have it connected. If I had known how good my life was going to be, I would have made my stoma permanent from the start. I've had my ileo for over 2-1/2 years and have no intention of getting rid of it.
This is why I'm on this board all the time you guys are my voice of reason I love ready how happy people are with their ileostomy. My will be for life.
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My life is much, much better with the stoma. However, the one area that has become more restricted for me is diet - sorry! Not everyone has the same problems with food that I have, but if I'm being honest, I can't eat many of the things I used to be able to, because of the stoma. Not that I could tolerate some foods that well even before the stoma, but it's definitely made me need to be even more careful with my diet.
It's more than worth it for me though. I used to spend hours in pain in the bathroom all day (or night), have accidents, never know if I'd finished or not. It was miserable how much time I used to waste in the bathroom - it was literally a couple of hours a day. Now I decide when to empty or change my bag, and it's quick and clean and painless, and two minutes and it's done.
I would say - and you'll probably be advised this by your doctors or stoma nurses too, it's pretty standard advice - not to experiment with diet too soon after surgery. There are several foods that you should avoid for about six to eight weeks following the surgery. After this period, the swelling goes down and the stoma is less likely to block. Then you can start testing small amounts of these foods and seeing how much you can tolerate.
You may need to adjust your diet to avoid overly watery output, but blockages are the main concern.
It's more than worth it for me though. I used to spend hours in pain in the bathroom all day (or night), have accidents, never know if I'd finished or not. It was miserable how much time I used to waste in the bathroom - it was literally a couple of hours a day. Now I decide when to empty or change my bag, and it's quick and clean and painless, and two minutes and it's done.
I would say - and you'll probably be advised this by your doctors or stoma nurses too, it's pretty standard advice - not to experiment with diet too soon after surgery. There are several foods that you should avoid for about six to eight weeks following the surgery. After this period, the swelling goes down and the stoma is less likely to block. Then you can start testing small amounts of these foods and seeing how much you can tolerate.
You may need to adjust your diet to avoid overly watery output, but blockages are the main concern.
