Hi All

I have just recently went through surgery to have a temp Ilestomy as i have been suffering from Diverticular disease. Surgery went fine but there were some complications afterwards and was put back into hospital as my kidneys were failing due to a lack of fluids. Anyway i am past this now and on the mend.

It's 6 weeks since i have had my surgery and i am finding that during the day my bag doesn't really fill up but at night it seems to work overtime. The doctor currently has me on codeine phospahte and Loperamide to slow the system down as i am finding that my tablets for my heart complaint coming shooting through without disolving.

Does anyone else have the same problem that i am having? I end up not getting a proper nights sleep. I am hoping this is only temporary and things will improve. Can anyone give me any advice? Reading some of the articles people are saying to avoid sports drinks which i have been using during the day, about 1 litre, and i am doing this as the problems i had with my kidneys and the fear something may happen again.

I am eating regular, having breakfast, dinner and lunch and a bite to eat in the evening with a cup of tea.

Any advice would be great, not only relating to my problem i am having but any other handy tips hints to make life that bit easier. Must admit it is great to be rid of the pain now and i am now looking forward to the future.

Thanks in Advance

Hi, there! So glad that you are on the mend, but sorry to hear that you have been through so much.

I ended up taking 4 imodium (loperamide) with breakfast and 4 with dinner to get my ostomy to slow down. I didn't break up the doses throughout the day...it worked better taking more at once. But, figure out what works best for you.

Also, the best thing for you right now is lots of liquids (that might be why you are having so much output). Try the new G2 drink from gatorade. It's great as a electrolyte drink and it has a LOT less sugar than regular gatorade. The sugar is what is going to cause you more diarrhea. If that is not available in your country...try ordering vitalyte drink mixes. You can get them online. I only like the zesty orange. It's very light tasting and it doesn't contain all the sugar.

Also, a handy little tip I learned here that I will share is eat marshmallows about 5-10 minutes before you change your bag. It will slow/stop your output so that changes are better. Also rice crispie treats are nice during the day to thicken your output...plus they're yummy! If you take your heart pill with something like this it will slow it down and it may be able to absorb better.

Try drinking while eating crackers or pretzels. It will slow down the liquids and help them to absorb better.

Stay away from grape juice...it will loosen everything up. It is great if you think you have a blockage, but otherwise be very careful with it. I drank cran-grape juice for the first week out of the hospital because I had bladder issues. I couldn't figure out why everything was just gushing out of me. Then I found out that grape juice does that. I switched to cran-raspberry.

Hope that helps a little. Good luck with your recovery. I hope everything goes smoothly for you.

Take Care
Susan

Hi Susan

Thanks for your information. This all important information that will hopefully help. It's funny how you mention to avoid sports drinks as the doctor had advised me to drink these and avoided fizzy juice for obvious reasons. I will try your advice and avoid the sports drinks and try alternatives.

It's also funny how mention the grape juice, i am assumimg this would also be the case with grapes as well?

Anyway thanks again for all those handy hints.

I hope that something helps...please let me know how you are doing!

Take care
Susan

Hi Smiddy,

Welcome to the site.

I have a perminent end ileostomy which is so much easier to manage than the loop but I can still remember the problems I had with high output, especially at night, so can fully relate to your frustration.

Susan has come up with some great ideas as usual, but some of them might not be available on our side of the Pond. For instance, if you need the extra electrolites but the sugar goes through you with the sports drinks then get your GP to prescribe some Dioralite sachets for you. They are low in sugar and the new ones have rice flour in them which also helps to thicken your stool.

Buy salty crackers rather than cream crackers and maybe try eating a banana a day to keep your potasium levels up. When I had my temporary loop ileostomy everything just went right through me and my output was really watery. What helped at night as well as Susan's suggestion of increasing your Loperamide, is to eat a slice of cheese on toast or cheese and crackers (unless you are lactose intollerent) as the fat in the cheese slows digestion and the toast or crackers will thicken your output so that you shouldn't have to get up so often in the night.

I'm sure there will be others along soon with even more ideas. In the meantime, if you have any more questions just ask, we're all here to help in any way we can.

Take care.

Shell

Okay, that's why Shell is the best! I forgot about the fat thing. I did eat a lot of fatty things before bed to help slow things down. I would eat crackers/cheese right before bed or even ice cream. It was the only time I could do that and not feel guilty.

Take Care
Susan

Shell/Susan

Thanks to you both for your hints and tips. I find it easier asking people who are in the same position as me and hopefully all your hints or tips help some how.

I have my bag of marshmallows to try at night and i think it may be some cheese and crackers before bed. Hopefully with your help along with others life may be slightly easier to adapt to this change. I must admit that this change in lifestyle is a lot bigger than i first thought it would be. I have been getting frustrated with the odd accident so your tips are great.

Thanks again