Hey, everyone. Haven't been here in a while because -- thankfully! -- things have been going really, really well since going to a permanent stoma in Jan/16. However.
Saw the surgical stoma nurse a couple of days ago for my annual check-in, and told her I was having extremely watery output on and off for the past few weeks, plus a stoma playing hide and seek. She checked everything out and found a restriction, most likely from scar tissue. Because it's a loop stoma, anything that can't get out that way goes out the other, meaning I'm back to running to the bathroom occasionally. And, sometimes, very often; Saturday night I was up six times.
She dilated it and showed me how to do it at home. I do this every morning for 10 minutes, with a follow-up on the 31st to see if the restriction is looser. In the meantime, I've been put on a soft diet, with nothing raw (except bananas) and severe restrictions on even cooked fruit/veg. Basically back to the initial post-op diet.
May I say that I HATE these restrictions? I cannot emphasise how much I despise bland, mushy food. Even as a young toddler I was known to eat chilis with a spoon and ask for more.
So. Two questions.
- Any suggestions for livening up this nastiness? Mashed potatoes and plain rice and bland chicken are really getting me down. How can I add flavour without relying on too much fat/salt/sugar?
- Anyone else have experience with this? Please be honest: what is the likelihood I'll be stuck with such a diet on a permanent basis?
I'm trying to convince myself that this is only temporary and I'll be able to have yummy food again soon, but I'm not having much success.
Cheers to all,
Gin
