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Increased appetite?

Hi all!
Question for you - I have noticed that since my surgery I have had an almost insatiable appetite for anything and everything. I can't go for more than an hour or two without feeling famished. Is this common with an ileostomy?

Thank you! - Amy
 

ameslouise

Moderator
Just wanted to say hi! I didn't know you had an ileo - was it recent???

And good for you for doing the CCFA walk in May! Do you live in NJ near Philly? I am about an hour away.

Not sure about the insatiable hunger question - let me know what you find out since I am about to have mine next week!!!

- amy
 
Just wanted to say hi! I didn't know you had an ileo - was it recent???

And good for you for doing the CCFA walk in May! Do you live in NJ near Philly? I am about an hour away.

Not sure about the insatiable hunger question - let me know what you find out since I am about to have mine next week!!!

- amy
Hi Amy! Yes, fairly recent. 12/20/10. I'm about 45 minutes from Philly. Would you like to walk with us? It's a fun day. I've only done it once before, but it's a nice feeling to know you're surrounded by others who are going through the same thing you are.

Thanks for the message! Hope you're doing well - Amy
 
I few years back when I had mine I was also always hungry.

I think it comes form the factbthat while we were sick we could not really eat and or feel like eating. However once we are healthty I was always hungry I guess my body just reacted to the fact I could eat normally again. After a time it calms down.
 
I few years back when I had mine I was also always hungry.

I think it comes form the factbthat while we were sick we could not really eat and or feel like eating. However once we are healthty I was always hungry I guess my body just reacted to the fact I could eat normally again. After a time it calms down.
Thanks, Moogie! That makes sense. A whole new world of food is available to me and I can't get enough! But if it continues I think I'm gonna need a new wardrobe! lol
 
I was eating alot after surgery. I went from a very thin 150lb to normal 170 pretty quickly. Once normal, my weight leveled off. Then again, I am eating very healthy now. I cut all junk out of my diet, plus my running means I'm slowly loosing weight now. 165 this morning. It's nice to loose weight and know Crohn's is not the reason!

When I was sick, I did not care what junk I ate because I felt nothing helped or hurt. Bad attitude, but that's how it was. Now that I'm healthy, I want to eat right and keep it that way!
 
I was eating alot after surgery. I went from a very thin 150lb to normal 170 pretty quickly. Once normal, my weight leveled off. Then again, I am eating very healthy now. I cut all junk out of my diet, plus my running means I'm slowly loosing weight now. 165 this morning. It's nice to loose weight and know Crohn's is not the reason!

When I was sick, I did not care what junk I ate because I felt nothing helped or hurt. Bad attitude, but that's how it was. Now that I'm healthy, I want to eat right and keep it that way!
Hi Joe! That sounds very familiar to me. I am definitely trying to eat healthier now that it actually matters. I've gained almost 15 lbs since surgery so far. Cutting out junk food has been hard, but I'm slowly getting there. I've started jogging and working out now that I feel better and have the strength to do so. What a strange and wonderful feeling it is to be healthy again! :)
 
Howdy folks,
Me: male 6ft tall, was diagnosed with very severe crohn's 1/1999. Suffered years of pain, weight loss, and anemia.
11/21/2013: had total proctocolectomy / ileostomy. When I went into the hospital I weighed 160lbs. On 12/1/2013 when I got home I weighed 132lbs.
I slowly introduced new foods to my diet always cooking all my veggies. My appetite is ravenous. Before the active crohn's was removed I averaged eating about 90 grams of carbs per day. Today, 49 days later, I am eating an average of 455 grams of carbs per day sometimes exceeding 500 grams of carbs per day. I have increased my weight to an average 155lbs and that weight continues to increase. So i am glad to hear that I am not the only one eating like a pig. Continue to do so. Your body is talking to you and it is telling you that you need to eat a lot of nutrients. And remember to stay hydrated (very important to prevent kidney damage). If drinking water gets to boring try gatorade. I drink 60 to 80 ounces of fluids per day.
 
My wife always had a high metabolism, but after her proctocolectomy it is like being married to a gerbil. We can go out to eat, come home, and she is hungry again. Of course, with less GI tract, she is just absorbing that much less, still, it is pretty amazing.

And yes, she also has to really push the fluids to stay hydrated.
 
Have had my ileostomy for a year now and have to say m appetite has got bigger and bigger, I lost 20 kg after surgery and looked like a costume of myself when I got out of hospital. Since then I have put back on about 16 of those kilos and counting.
I find I am constantly hungry and even if I managed to fill myselfup its only half an hour before I could eat again. Becky( my other half) reckons I could take on man v food haha
In my opinion it's a vast improvement on my appetite before the op under the ravages of the crohns nastiness, I only hope my teeth last the distance lol, at this rate I'm gonna wear them out:smile:
 
And remember to stay hydrated (very important to prevent kidney damage). If drinking water gets to boring try gatorade. I drink 60 to 80 ounces of fluids per day.
I keep hearing conflicting advice on this. I recently got an ileostomy and at my follow-up appointment my surgeon said I shouldn't drink too much because when you have an ileostomy, drinking a lot of liquid can flush the food through your system too fast for you to get all the calories and nutrients from it. All the stoma literature I got from the hospital recommends drinking a lot because with an ileostomy you lose more liquid. But it also says not to drink too much if you're getting a high output.

I don't have high output and I really need the calories, which seems to mean I shouldn't have too much to drink.

As to the thread topic, I can't say the ileostomy has affected my appetite. And I got a blockage when I tried eating fibre so now I'm nervous about expanding my diet too much.
 
I keep hearing conflicting advice on this. I recently got an ileostomy and at my follow-up appointment my surgeon said I shouldn't drink too much because when you have an ileostomy, drinking a lot of liquid can flush the food through your system too fast for you to get all the calories and nutrients from it. All the stoma literature I got from the hospital recommends drinking a lot because with an ileostomy you lose more liquid. But it also says not to drink too much if you're getting a high output.

I don't have high output and I really need the calories, which seems to mean I shouldn't have too much to drink.

As to the thread topic, I can't say the ileostomy has affected my appetite. And I got a blockage when I tried eating fibre so now I'm nervous about expanding my diet too much.
As they say, your mileage may vary. I think you have to pay attention to your body and listen to what it tells you. If you are getting a lot of watery output, and you are properly hydrated, then you have enough or too much fluid intake. If you are dehydrated, you need to push it.

One of my wife's first signs she is getting dehydrated is she starts feeling low energy and tired; that the signal to push fluids. She definitely has a tendency to be on the dehyrated side.
 
Hi all,

I have had my ileostomy for 9 days and there's no filling me up, I'm hungry all the time. I think it's my body's wae of telling me it needs the calories after losing a lot of weight pre-surgery and I'm enjoying the freedom with food after being low residue for so long. As for the fluid intake I feel I have to push myself to drink more fluids and electrolyte mix or I end up tired with a sore head. However my surgeon advised to drink 2ltrs of electrolyte mix daily on top of other fluids to prevent kidney problems.
 
I was eating a lot after my ileostomy, but I was really underweight going into the surgery. Keep in mind that if you guys are on medication (like prednisone), you may have an insatiable appetite because of that.

As long as you aren't becoming overweight, there shouldn't be a concern. Also, try not to eat too much in one sitting if it's a new ileostomy as you don't want blockages or problems with your output.
 
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