07-16-2011, 02:09 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
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Ileostomy - how to slow down output?
Well, its just 17 days post surgery. But i am having to empty bag every 1 - 2 hours at night, and plenty in the day. Very liquidy.
Imodium doesn't do too much.
Any tips? Is this normal at the beginning? Does it begin slowing down? I have been eating some rice porridge today in the hope of slowing it down.
Thanks everyone - this forum is great - couldn't have done without it.
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07-16-2011, 02:15 PM
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#2
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Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Florida
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my daughter finds that eating a banana every day slows her output down a lot. In fact, she is now only eating them like every other day or so because she said it's too thick.
But in the beginning, the first 3-4 weeks after her surgery, the out put was so much more, and the docs and stoma nurse all said that was normal, and will slow down. It did
Best of luck to you. How are you with your pain and other healing ?
__________________
~T~
Mom to Gab (20)
DX: Crohn's 2/2010
and Austin (18)
DX: Crohn's 7/2013
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07-16-2011, 02:54 PM
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#3
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Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: United Kingdom
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Tracy, I want to pet that puppy in your Avatar! Adorable! (and you are too!)
Hopeful, I need to slow myself down as well, after all I cant live on immodium. I have heard marshmallows help, rice is good, well cooked as you are eating it, and yes, bananas. Bread is good for me as well.
But we are all different!
__________________
Misty
DX Crohns Feb 2011, symtoms 1997, 2009 and then WHAM! Emergency surgery for perforated sigmoid, fistula through fallopian tube, septic and near dead: Colostomy-Stan was born 22/12/10. Another parastomal hernia, his name is Ollie and he is MONSTER size!
4gm Pentasa
6MP 50mg
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07-16-2011, 02:57 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
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Thanks for the banana tip. Pain - more or less fine as staples are out - discomfort here and there. Wounded skin around the stoma - because the bottom of the stoma is recessed - still not managing it properly. The incision opened in two spots and is draining liquid from there - need to get it checked out sometime. Thanks for asking.
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07-16-2011, 03:10 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
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Misty, how much immodium do you take? I don't find that 4mg does much for me, and I don't know how high to go.
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07-16-2011, 03:30 PM
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#6
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Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: United Kingdom
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I rarely take it anymore. I did find the ones that disolve on your tongue work best. I took about 4-6 a day when I first had surgery. Didnt want to over do it, just slow it down. The reason I dont take them anymore is I have a stricture, so I just 'go with the flow' now, whether I like it or not! (and I drink ALOT of water) Drinking water helps with the big D as well.
PS...make SURE you turn the light on when you go in the middle of the night...oi veh the messes I can make!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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07-16-2011, 03:36 PM
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#7
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Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Florida
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Tracy, I want to pet that puppy in your Avatar! Adorable! (and you are too!)
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Awe thanks Misty 
I wish I was that cute ! That's my beautiful girl Gab, and the puppy is her aunt's. I agree though..I want to reach through that picture and play with that pup too! LOL
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07-17-2011, 12:22 AM
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#8
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Bourbon Bandito
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Toronto, Ontario
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I was told that eating marshmallows and potato chips would help thicken up the output and slow things down a little.
__________________
"Peer review or it never happened" - Oscar Wilde
Jason's colon
10/14/1980 - 06/21/2011
Goodnight Sweet Prince
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07-17-2011, 11:18 AM
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#9
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Poopy
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Chips slow me down. I haven't paid much attention in the beginning because I had too many other things going on but I am emptying quite a lot during the day and at least 2-3 times during the night.
Did you try Benefiber or Metamucil to thicken it up?
__________________
Heike
Diagnosed: April 2005
Back on Asacol
Dec 2010: colostomy/resection - failed
Jan 2011: Ileostomy
Resection planned for: sometime
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07-17-2011, 12:07 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
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Thanks Heike. I didn't try fiber as many say to follow a low fiber diet for first few months.
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07-17-2011, 12:16 PM
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#11
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Bourbon Bandito
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Toronto, Ontario
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The issue isn't all fibre it's specifically insoluble fibre. Insoluble fibre will come ut whole, potato skins and what not. Soluble fibre doesn't digest but it absorbs liquid so it thickens things up and won't scratch.
Soluble is good, insoluble is bad.
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07-17-2011, 09:17 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: belfast, United Kingdom
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in the leaflets my stoma nurse gave me it mentions a few times about thickening output with salted potato crisps and coke.. the crisps part makes sense but i wonder why it says coke specifically and not crisps and water? lol
__________________
"We're all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
Crohn's since 2000 (aged 10)--> full colon & rectum removal 2011.
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07-17-2011, 09:21 PM
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#13
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Pottstown, Pennsylvania
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Potato chips do the trick for me. Also make sure you are staying very hydrated! I can always tell when I am starting to get dehydrated because my output turns to pure water!
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07-18-2011, 06:29 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
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Coke? I would think the caffeine would cause more diarrhea - why would that work? Any experience with it?
in the leaflets my stoma nurse gave me it mentions a few times about thickening output with salted potato crisps and coke.. the crisps part makes sense but i wonder why it says coke specifically and not crisps and water? lol
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07-20-2011, 04:53 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
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Eat marshmallows and bananas, they should slow down your output a bit. If that doesn't work then add a bit of immodium. I wouldn't drink coke as the caffeine can dehydrate you a bit. Drink non-caffeinated beverages and a lot of them. Take care
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02-03-2015, 02:57 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Massachusetts
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How does anyone get a good nights sleep if emptying that often during the night? Eventually do you get to sleep through the night with an illeostomy?
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02-03-2015, 06:53 AM
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#17
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Banned 
Join Date: Oct 2012
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How does anyone get a good nights sleep if emptying that often during the night? Eventually do you get to sleep through the night with an illeostomy?
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I never have to empty my ileostomy bag at night.
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02-03-2015, 10:10 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Dallas, Texas
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Right out of the hospital, I woke up 2-3 times each night to empty. This slowed down over the next couple of months to sleeping through the night with no issues of needing to empty or leaks. I think for most people it is only in the beginning that they get up at night to empty.
__________________
Ulcerative colitis
Total colectomy with ileostomy featuring Sideshow Bob since January 2012
"The colon seems an unlikely candidate for dramatic effect, but now and then it serves that purpose well." The Associated Press Guide to Punctuation
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02-14-2015, 07:46 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Oshawa, Ontario
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How does anyone get a good nights sleep if emptying that often during the night? Eventually do you get to sleep through the night with an illeostomy?
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It gets better with time. I was up 2 or three times a night post-op, but now it's maybe once or never.
Sent from my SM-N910U
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02-15-2015, 05:34 AM
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#20
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Banned 
Join Date: Oct 2012
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If you do end up with a high volume of output at night, you can still sleep. You can use a bigger bag (if you feel big bags are not discreet enough for you, you can use small bags during the day and switch to big ones at night), and if that's still not enough, you can get bags that drain like a catheter to use at night time.
But that's not usually necessary. It's not a bad idea to keep some large bags and whatever else helps with a very high output for emergencies, like stomach upsets, but they don't routinely give people with ileostomies things like this; according to my stoma nurses, getting up once or twice in the night is the norm. I think I'm lucky that I usually don't need to empty at night at all, though I have woken up to a very full bag on some occasions.
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02-15-2015, 11:39 AM
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#21
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Massachusetts
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Well, now I get up probably once anyhow to pee...so I guess maybe I am over thinking it all. Although changing to large bag at night seems like a good idea but I thought you shouldn't change bag every day...it was rough on the skin? The draining thing sounds like a good idea if I was sick in bed for a bit but otherwise...sounds like it would mess with my head a little bit...but so good to know there are options.
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02-15-2015, 12:29 PM
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#22
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Fife Scotland
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I had my op just before Christmas and was initially up three times during the night, It's now down to once at around 6am, I do set my alarm to go off, but I seem to wake up when it needs emptying before the alarm.
My nurse advised taking two Imodium half an hour before eating, I've found this to be the only way to thicken things up, taking it after has no effect at all.
__________________
I got a dog for my husband
It was a fair swap
Crohn's since 1988
Ileostomy since 12/12/14 and loving it.
Med free for now
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02-15-2015, 03:55 PM
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#23
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Banned 
Join Date: Oct 2012
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I know a lot of medical sites on stomas (e.g. patient guides on hospital websites) recommend not eating too late in the evening as a way to reduce night time output.
Well, now I get up probably once anyhow to pee...so I guess maybe I am over thinking it all. Although changing to large bag at night seems like a good idea but I thought you shouldn't change bag every day...it was rough on the skin? The draining thing sounds like a good idea if I was sick in bed for a bit but otherwise...sounds like it would mess with my head a little bit...but so good to know there are options.
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I change my bag every day, not due to needing different sizes, just because I like to clean everything each day, and my skin is fine. Different people have different issues, some people have more sensitive skin than others, some solutions work for some people but not others, but usually you'll be able to resolve problems. Don't worry too much in advance, you may well be worrying about problems you'll never have.
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02-15-2015, 04:02 PM
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#24
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Massachusetts
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I know...I need to learn to chill more and not Google too much too. I get myself worked up...
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02-16-2015, 04:54 AM
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#25
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Banned 
Join Date: Oct 2012
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It's understandable, it would probably be more abnormal if you didn't worry.
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02-16-2015, 09:30 AM
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#26
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Oshawa, Ontario
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I know a lot of medical sites on stomas (e.g. patient guides on hospital websites) recommend not eating too late in the evening as a way to reduce night time output.
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That's a common suggestion, but I'll be honest and say that I eat large meals past 10 pm and it makes little difference to overnight emptying. It does delay my stomas usual "quiet time" the next morning though.
Sent from my SM-N910U
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02-16-2015, 12:33 PM
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#27
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Dallas, Texas
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That's a common suggestion, but I'll be honest and say that I eat large meals past 10 pm and it makes little difference to overnight emptying. It does delay my stomas usual "quiet time" the next morning though.
Sent from my SM-N910U
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Same here. My stoma is most active between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. regardless of when my last meal was.
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02-16-2015, 01:07 PM
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#28
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Fife Scotland
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Me too, I've tried eating at different times and it makes no difference
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02-16-2015, 03:30 PM
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#29
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Banned 
Join Date: Oct 2012
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I've found the same - when I eat makes no difference.
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02-16-2015, 06:00 PM
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#30
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Massachusetts
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I guess we all settle into routines...this is really good to read. Thank you all for sharing.
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