I am officially a Semi-Colon

mc1717

Hi everyone,

I had surgery on 12/30/08 to remove 12 inches of my rectum and colon. I was in the hospital for 11 days afterwards as my stomach did not "wake up" fast enough. I now have a temp ileostomy. Dr says all pathology reports came back clear. No evidence of spread. Yea!

I am home now and things are going pretty good. Pain is almost gone and I am eating food without much problem.

One question I have is could someone tell me particular foods to avoid. Not just saying avoid whole grains but rather list the actual items like wheat bread or popcorn for example.

I love eating breakfast cereals but I just found out most are considered "whole grain".

I don't want to eat something by mistake that will cause problems later on.

It is so easy to just eat something that i have been eating for my whole life without even thinking about if it is bad for me now.

Thanks,

Mickey

Unknown

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Buzzard

unknown said:

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Diet
I am not much of watching what I eat...It seems that Mexican makes me gassy, onions make me gassy, salad makes me gassy, typing makes me gassy, SOOOO I just eat whatever I want and deal with the Gas. I really don't have any idea about the illeostomy , I can only speak from an ostomys point of view..........


Also.....my wife keeps telling me that she is buying me a kuzoo to stick in there and at least I can serenade her when I eat the gassy stuff..........imagine that ...life is getting back to normal here again...... :-)

Unknown

Buzzard said:

Diet
I am not much of watching what I eat...It seems that Mexican makes me gassy, onions make me gassy, salad makes me gassy, typing makes me gassy, SOOOO I just eat whatever I want and deal with the Gas. I really don't have any idea about the illeostomy , I can only speak from an ostomys point of view..........


Also.....my wife keeps telling me that she is buying me a kuzoo to stick in there and at least I can serenade her when I eat the gassy stuff..........imagine that ...life is getting back to normal here again...... :-)

This comment has been removed by the Moderator

CherylHutch

Your mileage may vary
Hey Mickey,

Congratulations on getting through the surgery! Did your surgeon/hospital nurse give you a list of foods to avoid, or a plain, bland diet to follow? Usually this is only for a couple of weeks after surgery so that your intestine/colon don't have to work hard to process food. I was given a bland, plain "white" diet... which kind of freaked me out. I was told to eat white bread, no healthy grain breads. I could have pizza but only if it had a white crust. White rice and potatoes. You get my drift... everything we have been taught is soooo bad for us, is actually good for a healing colon.

But, I could go back to healthy foods 4-6 weeks after the surgery. I think once you do that, then it's all a matter of what your intestine/colon can handle. It's not going to hurt you or do damage... but you may find certain foods will give you the runs, that never did before... then it might mean it depends on quantity rather than the actual food item.

I find nothing really bothers me unless I eat something "rich"... then it's a matter of "Gotta go!". I don't get the runs or anything... but I definitely need to go

Huggggs,

Cheryl

mc1717

CherylHutch said:

Your mileage may vary
Hey Mickey,

Congratulations on getting through the surgery! Did your surgeon/hospital nurse give you a list of foods to avoid, or a plain, bland diet to follow? Usually this is only for a couple of weeks after surgery so that your intestine/colon don't have to work hard to process food. I was given a bland, plain "white" diet... which kind of freaked me out. I was told to eat white bread, no healthy grain breads. I could have pizza but only if it had a white crust. White rice and potatoes. You get my drift... everything we have been taught is soooo bad for us, is actually good for a healing colon.

But, I could go back to healthy foods 4-6 weeks after the surgery. I think once you do that, then it's all a matter of what your intestine/colon can handle. It's not going to hurt you or do damage... but you may find certain foods will give you the runs, that never did before... then it might mean it depends on quantity rather than the actual food item.

I find nothing really bothers me unless I eat something "rich"... then it's a matter of "Gotta go!". I don't get the runs or anything... but I definitely need to go

Huggggs,

Cheryl

Foods I was told to avoid
Dr told me to avoid foods such as popcorn, raw vegetables and anything that is whole grain. She said the reason is whole grain products can cause an obstruction at my ileostomy. She said i need to avoid these types of foods until I am "reversed" in August.

Has anyone ever had a problem with an obstruction? I am terrified to eat too much or swallow biger pieces as I DO NOT want to go back to the hospital. What will happen if I eat red meat?

I guess I just need a little help with establishing a diet I can eat with an ileostomy.

Thanks

Mickey

CherylHutch

mc1717 said:

Foods I was told to avoid
Dr told me to avoid foods such as popcorn, raw vegetables and anything that is whole grain. She said the reason is whole grain products can cause an obstruction at my ileostomy. She said i need to avoid these types of foods until I am "reversed" in August.

Has anyone ever had a problem with an obstruction? I am terrified to eat too much or swallow biger pieces as I DO NOT want to go back to the hospital. What will happen if I eat red meat?

I guess I just need a little help with establishing a diet I can eat with an ileostomy.

Thanks

Mickey

Ileostomy
Oops, sorry Mickey. I missed the part where you have an ileostomy and wondering about foods that would be a problem for that. I never had an ileostomy, so I can't help you there. I was just talking about a diet after resection surgery.

But... the Canadian Association for Enterostomal Therapy (CAET) - http://www.caet.ca/booklet_ileostomy6.htm - has some very good information regarding food and the ileostomy. Here's an excerpt from their site... if this is the sort of information you are looking for, then I recommend going to their site. They have a ton of information over there!

Dietary Management

Having an ileostomy may require some diet adjustments. There is no need for a special diet unless you have another medical condition. Ask for a visit with a dietician prior to discharge from the hospital who will assist you with dietary concerns and management.

Following any type of bowel surgery, there is a gradual progression in diet from clear fluids (e.g. juice, broth, Jell-O), to full fluids (e.g. milk, ice cream, cream soup), to a light diet (solid food that is low in spices and fibre), to a regular healthy diet based on Canada's Food Guide for Healthy Eating.

A regular diet should include a variety of foods from the following food groups:

Grain products
Vegetables and fruit
Milk products
Meat and alternatives

Everyone differs in the foods they tolerate. You may find foods that bothered you before your surgery will no longer be troublesome. Experiment with a variety of foods. Try one new food at a time so you can identify the foods that may cause you difficulty. Give foods a second and third chance before eliminating them from your diet. If you eat slowly and chew each bite well, most foods will be tolerated.

Tough meats or high roughage (fibre) foods could cause a blockage in the bowel (refer to the section on Food Blockage or Obstruction for more information).

You may find in a few weeks you are able to tolerate foods that bothered you at first. Eat regularly – skipping meals will not stop stoma output.

Remember:

Drink plenty of fluids
Eat slowly
Chew your food well

Following ileostomy surgery, more fluid, salt and potassium are lost from the body and it is important to replace these losses. To prevent dehydration, drink at least 6 to 8 large glasses of water each day. Unless your doctor has advised you to restrict salt, take a little extra with your meals. It is also important to eat high potassium foods such as bananas, apricots, tomatoes, potatoes, and squash or drink orange juice. A more extensive list of high potassium foods can be obtained from a dietician.

Huggggggs,

Cheryl

pamness

Buzzard said:

Diet
I am not much of watching what I eat...It seems that Mexican makes me gassy, onions make me gassy, salad makes me gassy, typing makes me gassy, SOOOO I just eat whatever I want and deal with the Gas. I really don't have any idea about the illeostomy , I can only speak from an ostomys point of view..........


Also.....my wife keeps telling me that she is buying me a kuzoo to stick in there and at least I can serenade her when I eat the gassy stuff..........imagine that ...life is getting back to normal here again...... :-)

I have seen your posts
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think you are about a year behind me in treatment, etc. I was diagnosed Jan 2007, etc, etc, surgery, chemo, radiation don in August 2007 - currently ned with a few blips.

I pay attention to what I eat to a certain extent, but I am a foodie, so I too, will sometimes pay the price. I was 3A and consider myself lucky.

But I am glad to hear that someone else enjoys food and doesn't go crazy about what they eat. I went to the movies today - popcorn - oh dear.

I wish you well.

Pam

tootsie1

Welcome
Mickey,

I'm very glad you made it through your surgery well. Welcome to the club! I'm also glad that you look like you have an excellent prognosis!

*hugs*
Gail

tootsie1

Welcome
Mickey,

I'm very glad you made it through your surgery well. Welcome to the club! I'm also glad that you look like you have an excellent prognosis!

*hugs*
Gail

KathiM

Welcome to the semi-colons!...
If you read my bio, you will see I am almost 4 years ahead of you. Lost my entire rectum and sigmoid colon, new rectum pouch made from descending colon. A few things:

Sigh, popcorn is still, to this day, off my list...tried it about a year ago, had terrible pain. I eat popcorn flavored rice cakes when the longing gets too strong...lol...my surgeon said 'For you, it's like eating glass....'

As others have said, it takes a bit of experimentation. I sloooooowly added back suspect foods, sort of like people do with babies when they first get solid food. Noted my reaction. Kept the easy ones...like scalloped potatoes and non-spicy foods. I eat red meat only 1-2 times per month...it tends to stay in my tract alot longer than all other proteins (I actually use this when I am traveling...supper the night before, I have beef, and then don't have troubles on the airplane). One to two years after resection, I started with the 'heavy hitters'...whole grain stuff, bright colored fruits and vegies...again, slowly. I now eat a rather normal diet.

Sure, I 'sin' every once in awhile...I end up on the pot, but I know to do this only when I know I will be at home...rofl! I am currently in The Netherlands (Holland) and they are known for their dairy (especially cheese). Chemo left me lactose intollerant, so for me to eat this stuff in any quantity, well...that is my 'sinning' these days.

As far as the obstructions. I have had 9. Mainly one place in my small bowel that gets stuck up in a corner of colon when they needed extra length. I have cleared all but one myself...the first one, I didn't know what it was, so I let it go too long, landed in the hospital, 3 inches of small bowel removed. My best advice there is stay hydrated. And applesauce always helped with keeping things flowing. And check with your surgeon if you have increasing pain, nausea and vomiting.

Hugs, Kathi

trainer

Good news, bad news
Good news--welcome to the club. The bad news, welcome to the club. Semicolons rule!-Mike

funnyguy

Welcome to the semi colon club
When I had a temp ileostomy...I only avoided the things you mention during the first couple of weeks to allow healing. Than I pretty much ate whatever I wanted without major issues. Other than....foods that create gas will fill the bag quickly and if you don't manually vent...this could be an issue while sleeping. More than once I awoke to a bag just filled to the brim with gas...

I did avoid the popcorn, but was never advised to. Everything else just moves through so quickly.

Beano and GasX became my friends

now after reversal I avoid red meat and processed meat for all the chemical/carcinogen reasons. I don't wish to feed any attempt at a comeback

Hope this helps..

cheers.