Output help :(

[robbo87]

Hi all, never posted on this part of the forum before... anyway i had an ileostomy about 5 weeks ago, and started feeling really well last week and having a good thickish output with my ileostomy etc but the last 3 days things have gone a bit worse, The output now is really watery and im finding im having to empty my bag more than i should be. its also been changing colour, this afternoon i had a pint of milk and the output has become milky coloured as if its just going straight through, this doesnt normally happen, today i havent eaten a massive amount but i had scrambled eggs on toast this morning, a ham and cheese sandwich and half a cheese and onion pasty this afternoon ( i know onions dont agree at all so that was a bit stupid) and ive just had a bacon sandwich. I always eat a lot of bread and was hoping eating sandwiches would maybe help slow things down but so far its still going like the clappers and not slowing. I take laparomide 4 times a day and 30mg of codeine 4x daily aswell. Im getting quite worried about this now, i just dont know what to do and dont want it to carry on like this.

 

[Terriernut]

The more you eat...............the more comes out, in spades! Take it easy, relax a bit. Eat rice and bananas and it should slow it down for you nicely. If you have some marshmallows, they help to slow it down as well.

And...you need to drink ALOT of water. I know that sounds counterproductive, but if you're dehydrated with an ileo, you will actually have MORE of the big D! I'd drink some hydration drinks like Powerade as well.

Take it easy on the eating, you need to ease into it! And if all else fails...have a very non fibrous....CHEESBURGER!!!!

 

[Terriernut]

Oh, and Martin...we dont bite! Ya'll come back now ya hear??

 

[robbo87]

Thanks I foolishley thought drinking a bit less might help but i guess ive got that wrong! Its just so hard to get the balance right because doctors tell me to not drink any more than a litre n 1/2 a day but not to drink to little either but i just cant figure it out. i do have some sports drinks but they are high in sugar so im not sure if they are meant to be avoided or not either! im scared of this making me lose more weight aswell because im only around 48 kg at the mo. arghhh i thought having an ileostomy would be easier than this! lol

 

[CDDad]

Hi Martin,
I think Misty is right here - when I get dehydrated, my bag starts filling up with liquid. Usually my output is quite thick so now I know what is going on. Sometimes the body does dumb things, and this is one of them. When we get dehydrated, our bodes need to conserve water, but for some crazy reason, our bodies start to dump water into our bags - go figure.
Hopfully this will slow down for you soon. If it keeps up for more than a day or so, you should get checked out by a doc.

Also, I was on codeine before my surgery, but I stopped it after surgery and never looked back. If you can tolerate fruit, it is great for bulking up output. I eat lots of it.

 

[Terriernut]

Martin, it WILL get easy, believe me it will! I promise. You need anything, PM me!

Dehydration causes WORSE big D! I have found that Powerade works best for me. It doesnt have that much sugar. But really alot of pure water will HELP not hurt you. Dehydration is the biggest challenge for those with ileos! Your colon isnt there to absorb water, and it goes straight thru!. You need more water, not less!

Also, Ileos will produce as natural more loose stools. The colon is the 'spin cycle' of the bowels. No colon, no spin cycle. You will find that as you try new things you will have to find what works and what doesnt for you. But an ileo will always produce more loose and fluid stools than a colostomy. Have a good nose thru the posts on the stoma subforum. Never be embarrassed about asking ANYTHING here!

And WELCOME to the club. We are the coolest people on this forum, believe me!

 

[Gav]

We are all different. For me, when I get dehydrated my output becomes thick, sluggish and can get quite painful coming through.

Getting rehydrated is key though, especially with watery output. As Misty has said, Hydration drinks like gatorade can really help. Also try some salty crisps if you don't have rehydration drinks. With no colon, electrolyte absorption (salt, potassium and more!) can be a problem. And true hydration comes from a water/electrolyte balance, so just water by itself will not always work and in fact can make things worse if the body decides you have too much water and not enough salt so it can just go straight through you.

A true hydration drink such as diarolyte/gatorade/lucozade sport will really help. If you are having hydration problems, a visit to the GP may well be in hand as diarolyte is available on prescription (or you can buy it over the counter).

I hope something helps, and things can then slow down.

 

[vonfunk]

Potato chips and marshmallows will help slow down and thicken the output. Plus the chips will help replenish the salt lost.

 

[robbo87]

thanks guys

well ive got a sports drink and ive had a banana with my cereal this morning, but over night things were still pretty bad and so far today theres been no improvement. i hope i can get it sorted because im going away for the weekend and its a trip i really cant afford to miss, i was attacked and spent 4 months in hospital and ended up with an ileostomy and this is something i have looked forward to and set as a target for so long and i dont want it to be ruined

im going to leave a message for the stoma nurses and hopefully they can help, i really dont want to end up back in hosp!

 

[Terriernut]

You'll make the journey! You have to take good care of yourself this week. I sure hope the nurses can help you out Martin. All my digits are crossed for you!!

 

[Terriernut]

How are you doing today Martin? Any better? Can you please keep us posted on how you are, we worry ya know!

 

[hopeful]

Hi Martin

I am also with a relatively fresh ileostomy and have experienced similar symptoms.

I don't know why they told you not to drink more than 1.5 liters a day - I drink much more. In any event, I found that its best to avoid anything with sugars, i.e. fructose, glucose, sucrose, as well as the sweeteners such as mannitol, sorbitol as they all cause tremendous fluid secretion.

Good luck

hopeful

 

[robbo87]

Hi, sorry to keep you worrying terriernut but i've been away for the weekend so not been on here..

But things have thankfully improved. I've started having a banana in the morning before my breakfast and in the evening before bed and things have improved dramatically, so much to the point that whilst i was away i was almost worrying that it was too thick!...

in the morning when i wake up i may find that its very watery at first but things soon settle down again, and i would imagine certain dietary changes may still make a difference as well. being English.. i love cups of tea lol.. but again why i was away i didn't get chance to drink tea and think this may of made a difference also...

 

[Terriernut]

Glad to hear that things have improved! I'll need to be using the banana trick myself!

 

[Guest9283]

Ask your doctor to prescribe you lomotil. It will reduce your bowel movements a lot. Like a stronger imodium. Im suprised he doesnt have you on it.

 

[robbo87]

well its getting very watery again!.. although we have no banana's left in the house now and the local shop doesnt have them! i give up! lol seeings my doc on thursday so ill see what he can prescribe to help.

 

[Terriernut]

Try some rice?? Hope the Dr can sort you out!

 

[Gav]

We are all very different in how our bodies deal with food, and this may be a long shot, but are you drinking a lot of fruit juice? I was constantly on the apple and orange juice after my ops and it wasn't until I took a break from them I realised they were turning my output to a constant liquidy stream, particularly the apple juice! I was trying to be healthy, but in the end the apple juice was flowing through my system faster than anything I'd ever experienced. Now I have one glass of orange juice a day, and that's just fine!

As I said, this may not be he case, but as a long shot I thought I'd mention it.

If you are going from solid to liquid a lot a food/symptom diary may be well worth it as well.

Hope something helps chap.

Gav

 

[ameslouise]

Hope you get things squared away. The watery output can be a real drag!

For me, it happens when I drink coffee or other hot drinks, or when I am dehydrated.

Potato chips always do the trick for me to thicken things up! Works great!

Good luck - hope you are feeling better - Amy

 

[Paddy Holmes]

I'm interested to hear about potato chips. I did try them but they don't break down and it feels like broken glass as it passes through the stoma!.I live mostly on fish, cheese, eggs and occasionally a few grapes which I have to eat in tiny pieces. The skin got stuck in the stoma once and caused havoc. I'll go for the marshmallow, does anyone know which breakfast cereals are lowest in fibre? Can I eat porridge do you think? 3 years since the stoma op and still very nervous...

 

[robbo87]

Well I spoke to my doctor yesterday and he said if i can, measure my output and note down what I'm eating, and if the output is more than a litre, which it probably is then to ring them and they'll look at giving me some Dioralyte. I actually have some at home anyway so it might be an idea to try that anyway.