Eating salad and leafy vegetables with ostomy pouch?

[Garry]

Any problems with eating salad with an ostomy pouch? I read that leafy vegetables can cause a blockage.

[ot dave]

As with all things ostomy, it depends... For some it might cause issues. For me, with a colostomy, I have never had trouble eating salads...or anything else for that matter! Some folks with ileostomies might have had a different experience. If you are anxious, try small amounts of what you want to eat and see how your system responds.
Hope that helps some.

David

[Snowgoose]

Be sure to chew, chew, chew

[wrinky]

After a year I have found that listening to my body early on helped a great deal when it comes to what you can eat. I did avoid items they recommend you avoid initially. Over time I now eat everything I used to eat without issues but as always, everyone is different. I think early on slowly adding foods you love will give you answers over time. I did not get secure about what foods I should test until my body healed so I stayed safe and bland. At some point I got less concerned about what to eat as my body let me know what it would tolerate as I tested more foods. Chew, chew, chew is the best tool no matter what we eat.

[ron in mich.]

Hi all as a long time ilieostomate i avoid foods that dont break down easily like oranges, mushrooms, pineapple and raw veggies, i can eat some popcorn at the movies but i dont overdue it.

[Garry]

Thanks for your input everyone who responded. I appreciate it.

[SeaQuest]

I have an ileostomy and eats lots of salads. I probably eat 5 meals per week that are salads alone. When I first had my surgery, I was scared away from foods such as salads and other leafy-type vegetables, but over time I began eating more and more of them. There are some foods that cause extreme differences (liquidy versus solid) in my output, but I've had no problems eating anything. I also started out trying to make certain I chewed everything really well, but over time, that too has been relaxed.

Best of luck, Garry!

SeaQuest

[sandys]

I just came home from a 4 day hospital stay where I was treated for a small bowel blockage.
I had never been so miserable,with an NG tube for two days. The cause of the blockage,I think,was a piece of baked potato skin I didn’t chew thoroughly. I’ve been chopping lettuce finely and reminding myself to slow down,take small bites and CHEW!