new ileostomy

[Joe_don]

Hi
Have had ileostomy for alittle over 8 weeks. What does it mean when there is foam in your bag?

[ot dave]

Too much beer?...

Just kidding! The lining of your ileum is producing mucous all of the time. Sometimes if you get enough gas mixed in with your mucous, you'll get some foamy looking discharge. That's likely what is happening, but that's just a guess. Hope that helps.

David

[JerryNYC]

Joe_don, This is normal. The materials in your stomach and intestine are constantly being churned and fecal material is being mixed with gasses to form foam. The gas can come for swallowed air, carbonated beverages, or gases produced by bacteria and other micro-organisms. A funny story: Years ago we lived in a house that had a septic system. Normally fecal material is heavy and sinks to the bottom of the septic tank, where it is broken down by bacteria. But when the guys came periodically to clean out our septic tank, they found a bubbly, foamy layer floating on top and couldn't figure out what was going wrong.

[xctm1]

I'd go with Dave, "Too much beer", but wait!!! There's no such thing as too much beer or fried chicken.....

[Diane C]

If you have quite a bit of gas and distention in your abdomen, you might want to try a product like Gas-X to reduce the gas. If you're not feeling any pain, don't worry about it. I have gas and my abdomen protrudes by nightfall I may use Gas-X although reliance on these products constantly may not be the best thing. Before my ileostomy, I also had reflux and my GI doc ordered omeprazole or Zegerid. These acid blockers aren't the greatest things to take long-term so again, if you don't experience reflux, don't worry about it.

When I was not worried about my weight, if I consumed ice cream, I'd have a lot of foam. Other dairy products sometimes produced gas and I try to steer clear of dairy or drink lactose-free or other kinds of milk. But you didn't mention pain or bloating so I hope this not an issue for you. Just foam in the toilet in and of itself should not be an issue.