Illeostomy with ringing in the ears issue and solution

[Shamrock4806]

Ah so with the onslaught of heat to battle the rare cold us South Florida residents experience, I started suffering with intense ear ringing at night especially.

A bypassed of removed colon which is responsible for salt and water update after digestion obviously isn't in play with an illeostomy, yet many just rehydrate with plain water which without the right amount of salt (and other electrolytes usually food takes care of) can cause issues.


So after lots of back and forth with ChatGPT it's basically comes down to these questions.

Symptoms (pattern)

Bilateral ear ringing (steady hiss)

Worse at night / early morning

Often wakes me up when emptying ileostomy bag

Dry mouth at night

Improves during the day

Improves with cooler air + fluids

Improves with a little ORS

Not constant 24/7


What this likely rules OUT

Cancer (brain/ear/GI) – symptoms fluctuate and reverse with environment & hydration

Stroke or neurologic disease – bilateral, no deficits

Inner ear damage / Ménière’s – no vertigo, no hearing loss, not progressive

Kidney failure – normal urine output/color
(Serious causes do not turn on/off with humidity, temperature, or fluids.)


Most likely causes (can overlap)

Too little effective hydration overnight
Common with ileostomy

Can occur even with clear/light urine

Low sodium relative to fluid

Plain water alone doesn’t restore volume well

Dry indoor air at night (HVAC / AC / heat)

Dries nasal passages & Eustachian tubes

Triggers tinnitus, especially lying down

Back-sleeping + mild mouth breathing
Increases airway dryness

Worsens ear pressure regulation


What helps (in order to try)

Air first

Cooler room

Add humidity (humidifier or window if effective)

Avoid dry air blowing toward face


Then fluids

Small amount of water + sodium (ORS or lightly salted water)

Avoid chasing symptoms with large volumes


Prevention

Sodium-containing drink before bed

Adequate total fluid intake during day

Background noise at night (avoid silence)


Key takeaway

This pattern is physiologic and reversible, common in people with ileostomies, and driven by overnight fluid/sodium balance + dry air, not a dangerous medical condition. - ChatGPT

As always double check everything with your physician as AI responses can be wrong, not adequately informed or other medical issues or medications could be responsible.

[Shamrock4806]

Okay I've changed the direction of my ductwork to blow away from my face, added a humidifier set on high and consume something salty before going to bed

I guess what it is is during the day I'm consuming food which is often containing salt so I'm replacing my lost salt that way. But at night I'm not eating much but still getting up to dump so I'm losing salt.

Potassium, magnesium etc I'm taking daily vitamins so it's just salt loss mainly.

[Shamrock4806]

Okay problem was I wasn't hydrating enough, losing electrolytes constantly via the illeostomy.

So now I drink two Drip Drops in a 32 oz water bottle twice over the course of 24 hours or less. This is my main liquid source now, others are small and optional.

It's also gotten warm so now the AC runs more than the heat so I'm drying out less.

[Shamrock4806]

Ringing in the ears issue gone since I've been sipping the hydration drink mix.

I occasionally wake up with dry mouth at night but it's because I've been sleeping with my mouth open. Hydrating during the night after each bag dump seems to work.

[Shamrock4806]

OMG!

I tried Propel with zero sugar and didn't know it had artificial ingredients and citric acid so that stuff came out fast, hot and burning to the stoma .
Water and some food with olive oil didn't help much and as soon as the store opened I bought out all their Drip Drop with sugar. The sugar helps in hydration for an illeostomy but not too much and Drip Drop has just the right amount.

God I didn't realize how dependant I became on the stuff but it's a more medical grade ORS than anything Gaterode (Propel) makes, their stuff is garbage.

Ringing in the ears issue returned quickly and with a vengeance.

So I'm hopefully recovering now from the assault on my poor system.