UOAA Discussion Board

Hi Everyone,

I'm so happy I found this forum as I'm certain there is a wealth of knowledge and experiences stored here, very exciting.

I'm a rectal cancer patient scheduled for surgery on May 30th that will leave me with a temporary ileostomy. Obviously I will consult my local nurses as well regarding this topic, and I realize the first month or so are more critical and require greater caution, but I'm hoping someone here has tried this already and can offer some real world experience.

I am a vegan and would like to continue as such.

Does juicing vegetables make them easier to digest and less troublesome? What about blending? Would a blended broccoli/potato soup be okay?

Anyways, thanks in advance to anyone that offers advice!

Joe in NY

Hi Joe i,ve been an ilieostomate for 30 some years and i like to make fruit smoothies and in the fall when the gardens are producing i make veggie juices, but they really thicken the output so i up my water intake.

ron in mich. wrote: 2024-05-12 07:12:02 Hi Joe i,ve been an ilieostomate for 30 some years and i like to make fruit smoothies and in the fall when the gardens are producing i make veggie juices, but they really thicken the output so i up my water intake.

Thanks for the info Ron! Sounds like blending won't be a problem so long as I go slow at first. Good to hear.

I think juicing, especially for hard veggies and fibrous fruits (carrots, pineapple etc) is a good idea. Smoothies are a great idea too.

You need to understand certain foods can.cause issues with an illeostomy.

Some foods like juiced carrots (don't eat raw or hard!), will not be digested by the stomach and just come out in the bag. Onions, green beans, even some cheeses and eggs don't all digest very well. Having a clear bag will show you that.

Unsweetened Applesauce, Greek yogurt and cranberry juice are your best friends. Alternate these with whatever else your eating.

There is a LOT more information, most by trial and error. My advice is to see a nutritionist before getting surgery as to have this information during recovery when your put back on solid food.

A big problem I've found is the IV is full of sugar, which your body flushes and causes dehydration and frequent bag dumpings which is a real pain for the nurses. So request the lowest setting which I believe is 50% less issues. 100% had the bag frequently burst, once four times in a day, which they come and clean you head to toe and are not happy about it. Your stomach is all burned from the acid, none of the nurses are trained or want to do wound care. The hospital based otosmy supplies are often cheap Hollister garbage or not the right appliance or not the right items like belts, no sting paste and hydrocolloid sheet. So they wind up ripping the entire appliance off (with no adhesive remover) rather than dumping the bag and having to deal with the horrific smell. Make sure you always have access to water, your going to need it. Also cutting out bodily stuff or bypassing it often causes nutritional issues, more so if your a vegan. You may get nerve pains in your fingers and other issues from a lack of nutrients. I take a Centrum Silver almost everyday now and drink vitamin B water and pretty much stick to a diabetic diet as to reduce flow. It takes time to master and the list below will help.

It's really bad if you go to a poorly rated hospital that focuses on volume, like a trauma hospital. Then if they don't do follow up, like teaching you how to do things yourself and giving aftercare, seeing a nutritionist and a wound care nurse that will teach you something. But in my experience your best to be your own mechanic.

I use Medical Monks to individually purchase supplies out of pocket, no insurance, to try them out. Then visit my health insurance site and order what works because they only ship once a month and have restrictions due to insurance. So this way you still get your original supplies and get to try a different approach to see how it works out.

Remember the stoma needs to be able to stick through the appliance (may be recessed and protrudes out under load) and too much paste (after pressing down) can seal the hole. It will push the appliance off and cause leaks. Some stomas are oval and require cutting a more oval hole than circular. Some stomas are recessed and require a convex appliance and a belt to get it to stick out enough to work.

You need to get the paste covering the skin around the stoma to protect it, even if it's just a thin layer. Unfortunately the hospital I used uses the cheaper Adapt paste which has alcohol in it and it stings like hell. A no sting paste is better but costs more and is more difficult to work with unless you gain experience with its application. Read my other recent posts on this.

Read a lot BEFORE you get surgery. It's going to be two or three months of HELL before your knowledgeable enough and well enough to take care of yourself and find the right supplies and method that works for you.

I've had mine for about a year and finally I think I've mastered it, getting about 5 days out of a bag instead of just 20 minutes. And unfortunately hospitals are incompetent in this area, you need to see a nutritionist and a wound care nurse BEFORE you get surgery as the hospital staff is undertrained. Whatever you do, do not apply paste to appliance and then just slap it on. You'll have gaps which will burn and bleed. Get a thin layer right around the stoma first, then your good. A hydrocolloid sheet is awesome as you can see things, press the paste closer and it swells to seal.

I can't stress enough about getting proper follow-up care after surgery. To train you and the person helping you at home. Getting your strength back is going to take time, dam hospital bed will kill you with comfort, turn you into a vegetable. Eat what they give you and try like hell to get out of that bed with a nurse present. The sooner the better. Exercise in bed as much as you can. They can give you rubber straps and stuff to strengthen your arms. Follow staffs advice of course.

Partially copied from my nutritionists guide. Ileostomy Nutrition Therapy from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (This handout may be duplicated for client education.)

Foods That May Cause Blockage (very bad avoid!)

Apples, unpeeled
Bean sprouts
Cabbage, raw
Casing on sausage
Celery
Chinese vegetables
Coconut
Coleslaw
Corn
Cucumbers
Dried fruit, raisins
Grapes
Green peppers
Mushrooms
Nuts
Peas
Pickles
Pineapple
Popcorn
Relishes and olives
Salad greens
Seeds and nuts
Spinach
Tough, fibrous meats (for
example, steak on grill, grisle especially)
Vegetable and fruit skins
Whole grains (no grits, oatmeal seems to be okay)


Foods That May Cause Gas or Odor

Alcohol
Apples
Asparagus
Bananas
Beer
Broccoli (clog hazard)
Brussels sprouts (clog hazard)
Cabbage (clog hazard)
Carbonated beverages
Cauliflower
Cheese, some types
Corn (clog hazard)
Cucumber
Dairy products
Dried beans and peas (clog hazard)
Eggs
Fatty foods
Fish (salmon may not!)
Grapes
Green pepper
Melons
Onions (clog hazard)
Peanuts (clog hazard)
Prunes
Radishes
Turnips
Soda and sipping using straws, drink from glass instead
Seafood


Foods That May Help Relieve Gas and Odor

Buttermilk
Cranberry juice
Parsley
Yogurt with active cultures


Foods That May Cause Diarrhea (looser or more frequent stool)

Alcohol (including beer)
Apricots (and stone fruits)
Beans, baked or legumes
Bran
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Caffeinated drinks
(especially hot)
Chocolate
Corn
Fried meats, fish poultry
Fruit juice: apple, grape,
orange
Fruit: fresh, canned, or
dried
Glucose-free foods
containing mannitol or
sorbitol
Gum, sugar free
High-fat foods
High-sugar foods
Licorice
Milk and dairy foods
Nuts or seeds
Peaches (stone fruit)
Peas
Plums (stone fruit)
Prune juice or prunes
Soup
Spicy foods
Sugar-free substitutes
Tomatoes
Turnip greens/green leafy
vegetables, raw
Wheat/whole grains
Wine


Foods That May Cause Diarrhea (looser or more frequent stool)

Alcohol (including beer)
Apricots (and stone fruits)
Beans, baked or legumes
Bran
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Caffeinated drinks
(especially hot)
Chocolate
Corn
Fried meats, fish poultry
Fruit juice: apple, grape,
orange
Fruit: fresh, canned, or
dried
Glucose-free foods
containing mannitol or
sorbitol
Gum, sugar free
High-fat foods
High-sugar foods
Licorice
Milk and dairy foods
Nuts or seeds
Peaches (stone fruit)
Peas
Plums (stone fruit)
Prune juice or prunes
Soup
Spicy foods
Sugar-free substitutes
Tomatoes
Turnip greens/green leafy
vegetables, raw
Wheat/whole grains
Wine


Foods That May Help Thicken Stool

Applesauce
Bananas
Barley (when OK to have
fiber)
Cheese
Marshmallows
Oatmeal (when OK to have
fiber)
Pasta (sauces may increase
symptoms)
Peanut butter, creamy
Potatoes, no skin
Pretzels


Also having your illeostomy reversed is going to cause issues as well because you haven't been using your colon etc. and it won't work right away. You'll have to wear diapers for 6 months to a year afterwards according to what I read..change the diapers so often it's going to drive you insane.

Heck I'm dumping my bag about 10 times a day as it is, no dinner as to dry out so I can sleep. Change bag in the morning with a hot shower BEFORE I eat as a flowing stoma during a bag change is difficult, the skin around needs to be clean and dry to get things to stick, like paste and adhesive.

Now imagine a diaper with that flow burning your skin. Lots of showers and diapers.

And those pills to reduce flow/diarrhea? Don't work..Diet change works.

Those little sealed containers of applesauce? Keep them around and eat one while eating whatever else.

For a temporary ostomy juicing or softening veggies makes sense. Start slowly with beans. Remember initially your insides are going to be irritated anyway. Be gentle with them.

If the ostomy was going to last longer I would say the body adapts. I don't eat too many raw fibrous vegetables .... love spinach salad ..... but I do steam a things bit more than most to soften things up. Best idea is to try a bit of something and see how you react. Early on I had a bright idea to eat all the water chestnuts in Chinese take out. Not good! Anything I don't eat now is pretty much because I don't like it.

Spinach, like carrots and onions, doesn't digest, however canned spinach strained for the juice alone heated like a soup should give the required iron it has. Unfortunately if very salty which can cause high flow as body tries to flush salt out.

Beans in quantity will cause high flow also. Has to be very soft to prevent clogging.

If blended into a liquid that should work.

Shamrock, Thanks for taking the time to create that list! I read your earlier post referencing the fact that you had been given a list you liked, but try as hard as I might I couldn't find it online so it's great you took the time to create the list here. Thanks again!

I guess the bottom line is like everything else . . . I just need to be patient and take time to learn what works best, BUT I do like having people's experiential voices from here helping.

I couldn't find it online myself, but had it sent as a PDF from my nutritionist.

I copied and pasted what I could, relevant to your juicing efforts. There's more.

Maybe after (or before) you can see a nutritionist and have them send you a copy.

Hate to say this, but soft meats digest very well in the stomach and doesn't cause issues, as long as it's not hard, fried, fatty or over salted/seasoned. (No KFC or rotisserie chicken) Skinless chicken breasts,. hamburger, soft steak, soft pork (like pulled).

Veggies are very difficult and too much causes diarrhea. I would limit them to about a glass a day spaced out over the day.

I enjoy a vegan diet very much, often going to health food places as it's so good and nutritious, but had to stick to soups and away from salads which I love due to diarrhea.

Carrots and corn, even if pureed, don't digest in the stomach. So your body just flushes them right out.

Go light on soft rice, potatoes, refried beans, pasta and other fast carbs or your body just flushes them into the bag and makes you dehydrated.

Also you need to take a B + multivitamin supplement almost daily but don't let your urine remain a dark yellow, a light yellow is fine. Gut bacteria which an illeostmy bypasses likely won't be creating B vitamins, see a nutritionist and get a blood test.

I would blend veggies in small amounts and try them out to see if diarrhea occurs and in what quantity.

Drink a lot of plain water. Make sure your urinating.

Eat a small amount very frequently through the day and stop about 6 pm or so. Avoid a big dinner.

Don't eat all night, only a little sips of water, then nothing in the morning so you can take the bag off and shower, dry well and put on a new bag, usually every three days. You can shower daily of course, just protect the bag, not very hot water or on bag area less you sweat it off. If you eat or drink, especially coffee, before a shower, then your bag may come off then your stuck in the shower until your stoma stops spewing.

Excessive diarrhea from the wrong foods will hamper putting on a new bag as your stoma is spewing out of control for hours and hours and you need very dry skin around for good adhesion to prevent leaks.

Well, as an old-timer my experience is a bit different, of course. But one thing that I learned - a number of years ago I bought a VitaMix machine to make juices and my pouch used to get really full of air...so needless to say, I stopped using it...just as a side note

Mara wrote: 2024-06-30 10:46:14 Well, as an old-timer my experience is a bit different, of course. But one thing that I learned - a number of years ago I bought a VitaMix machine to make juices and my pouch used to get really full of air...so needless to say, I stopped using it...just as a side note

Maybe try again, this time either mix in cranberry juice or yogurt with probiotics to neutralize the gas as per my nutritionist provided list above.

Maybe Beano?

Thanks for your post, Shamrock4806 - but I gave it away to someone who wanted it after it was sitting in storage for a number of years....it was sort of a pain to use anyway....and I don't see the need to juice most things I want to eat....

Yea that's what I did to mine.

Sounds like a great idea when one gets one, until the work involved and the cleanup detours.

Easier to down a V8 or something.