I seem to be in a vicious circle

Ask your doctor for an Imodium dosing schedule or request prescription Lomotil. Both will help slow and possibly thicken output. You can take Imodium several times a day but make sure you get approval from surgeon or GI.

Ask about metamucil too. Include thickening foods in your diet, including marshmellows, bagels, pasta, bananas and potatoes. There are also bigger bags, please call your supplier or the companies like convatec and hollister and ask for samples of larger bags. This way you can sleep longer than 2 hours. Good Luck.

Thanks for replies - immodium didn't work (I got up to taking 40 capsules a day ) Lomotil - you can't get hold of in the UK - I have been taking codeine - which works to a point - when I remember to take it

I had pasta and bolognese for my meal - which came through within an hour

I think the key is slowing the gut. If Imodium (loperamide) or lomotil does not do it, then you need opiates to slow it down. Failing that, there is Sandostatin injections. Usually, restricting fluids for a high output ileostomy is the opposite of what you are supposed to do, as you are supposed to drink more than your output. However, if you have something like "dumping syndrome" fluid restriction can be necessary. Usually though, it is just hypotonic fluids that are restricted (like water). When you drink, you should be sipping all day, not chugging a Big Gulp quickly. You probably need to increase your salt intake too.

Products like fiber supplements will help thicken the output, reducing the leaking, but will not alter your fluid loss. Also be sure to eat small, frequent meals, as this reduces gastric "dumping."

One last thing, with all our talk about C. difficile infections in the pouch and small bowel these days, I should mention that if it has not been ruled out, you should be tested for this as a possible cause of your high output.
http://jcp.bmj.com/content/62/10/951.abstract

Jan

Please try a bagel and marshmallows. Metamucil in caplet form where it is in clear gel caps is easier to take than stirring in water, for me. Plus it is better for us to drink less water than is suggested. I was taking these 3-4 times a day, 3-5 each time and they really worked.

I did not get out of the hospital after my first surgery for 16 days as I kept getting dehydrated or everything was running into my bag faster than the nurses and I could empty it. One of the ostomy nurses hooked up a catheter bag beneath the regular bag once. After a walk around the ward as I was getting back into bed it fell off and smashed making a horrible mess all over the floor, IV stand, me, etc. That was one of the worst experiences, and it wasn't even half full. Everyone was so nice about it and I cried like a waterfall. The point of this story is to tell you I feel your pain. Take down surgery was one of the best days ever for me!