i'm wondering if i have high output compared to other ostomates.....i have to get up at least 3 times each night with my bag really full...and i feel like there is always something in my bag.

i just had surgery on april 1st and usually the output is thicker...and i'm taking hydromorphone still so i thought that would slow things down. my surgeon was saying that when i get off the pain killers i might have to take something to slow things down so now i'm scared that when i get off the pain killers things are going to get crazy and the output level will rise! agh! i would go crazy if it increased!

i eat 3 small meals a day and i have a snack around 4pm and again in the evening sometime..usually a piece of cheese or something at night that is thickening....i have rice krispies cereal with a bit of 1% milk and a banana almost every breakfast....lunch varies, dinner is almost always chicken or steak with very cooked carrots or green beans and boiled potatoes (peeled of course) with some margarine on them...and water...and i really don't over eat at meals. the only other meds i take are the birth control pill and forvia (multivitamin) and vitamin C. i'm confused...am i still adapting- will it slow down. am i eating the wrong things? drinking too many fluids? (i don't think i drink enough tho....) is it because i had the jpouch removed so i have some small intestine missing?

what can i do to have less bathroom trips? when i had a jpouch immodium and lomotil just backed me up and then it would wear off and i would have lots of stool come flooding out...i'm happy with my ileostomy (it is permanent) and i'm going less than i did when i had the jpouch.....but i still would love to sleep through the night. i worry so much about it blowing up while i'm sleeping that it is hard to fall back to sleep as well.

i should mention, i don't seem dehydrated and i am definitely abosrbing nutrients...cuz i have already gained 10 lbs. and my wounds are healing nicely.

First, you will absolutely notice a change in the coming months. You are still adapting. Also, you will come to notice the fullness less (not when the bag is overly full, but I now sleep right through if the bag is even half full (during the day I would empty a half full bag).

I take one Immodium every night, usually around 8pm. Jan Dollar once listed when Immodium's effect peaks and I figured out that 8pm was a good time for me to take it. Also, if you take it regularly it works better than if you take it sporadically. I know you say it usually backs you up, but give it another try.

After almost 8 years wtih my ileo, I now know what foods will produce what kind of output and when. Sometimes I care, most I don't. I generally sleep through even with a fairly full bag (as I mentioned above) but I think it is because I'm far enough out to be comfortable with it.

Glad you are happy with your choice! I've loved every minute of my ostomy and sounds like you will too.

Niki,

I was told to drink sports drinks to keep my potassium and sodium levels up. That made things more frequent and watery. I saw here about drinking V8 juice does better with that. It also made things more solid and less frequent.

I get up once a night. 2am bag usually 1/3 full. when I get up 530am bag is 2/3 full. Never tried Immodium. Jill, I usually have an evening snack 7-8 ish.. I was thinking of trying your Immodium suggestion. what would be a good time to try it?

Andy

I still get up once or twice a night to empty my bag and it's been 5 years since I got Wee Willie. I think for me though it's because I'm a light sleeper and tend to wake up a couple of times a night anyway. I just got in the habit of checking my bag when I wake and if it's more than 1/3 full I'll get up and empty it. Unsually though I'm like Andy and get up about 2:00 am and again at about 6:00-7:00 am. If I'm working I'll stay up but if not I'll empty and go back to bed for a couple more hours.

I can fall back to sleep again pretty quickly though (unless Frank is snoring ) so it doesn't affect my energy levels the next day.

As Jill has mentioned, you are still adapting and things will definately get better.

Good luck and take care.

Shell

Andy, I usually snack about that time too. I take my Immodium about 9pm and try to be in bed by 10pm (so that is my last empty) because I have little ones who still wake at night. When my kids sleep through, so do I. I am up early - between 5:30 and 6:30, but I still get a good 7-9 hours without emptying the bag.

Don't judge if the Immodium is working based on one night. According to Jan it has a cumulative effect, so taking it regularly will help. See how it goes after a week or two. Hope it helps!

jill, is it still accumulating even if you take it only once every night? how many days before you noticed a difference?

Not sure if it still accumulates technically, just know it works for me!

I think things were better after a week, and much better after 2 weeks.