iliostomy

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lfrjar
lfrjar Member Posts: 4
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My sister 37 yrs old was diagnosed 3 weeks ago with colon cancer. Two weeks ago she had the mass removed along with 10" of her colon and now has an iliostomy. She also has mets on her liver and will begin chemo next week. She was readmitted to the hospital for dehydration today. They are being told that this is common with ilistomies. Her physician never told them that that was a concern. They are now wondering what else he hasn't told them that they should be looking out for. I apologize for rambling, this is all so new. I am looking for any information anyone can give me regarding anything else we should be aware of. I have been reading your posts and have been touched by everyone and your love and care for each other. Thanks.

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  • StacyGleaso
    StacyGleaso Member Posts: 1,233 Member
    #2
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    Hi,

    I had an ileostomy after my surgery. Had it for 9 months before it was reversed. What your sister will need to do is be careful with various foods. I'm hoping they told her to keep spicy foods and fruits/veggies away, as they will basically run right through her. Bananas, though, are great for slowing the process. I'm not trying to be overly graphic, but have her monitor the various affects of food on her system. Initially, it's hard to get used to. Yet, after mine was reversed, it was hard to imagine life without it. Have her e-mail me anytime through this site. I was a stage 4, diagnosed at age 33. Today, I am almost 5 yrs clear. She can get through this, and she will find a wealth of support and information here. No question is too dumb, and we all mean it when we say we understand.

    All my best,

    Stacy
  • ccartwri
    ccartwri Member Posts: 82
    #3
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    StacyGleaso said:

    Hi,

    I had an ileostomy after my surgery. Had it for 9 months before it was reversed. What your sister will need to do is be careful with various foods. I'm hoping they told her to keep spicy foods and fruits/veggies away, as they will basically run right through her. Bananas, though, are great for slowing the process. I'm not trying to be overly graphic, but have her monitor the various affects of food on her system. Initially, it's hard to get used to. Yet, after mine was reversed, it was hard to imagine life without it. Have her e-mail me anytime through this site. I was a stage 4, diagnosed at age 33. Today, I am almost 5 yrs clear. She can get through this, and she will find a wealth of support and information here. No question is too dumb, and we all mean it when we say we understand.

    All my best,

    Stacy

    I had my rectal tumor surgery in Sept and have the ileostomy until May. You have to stay hydrated so that you do not obstruct. I actually eat lots of fruits and veggies although i could not at the beginning. I avoid skins (grapes, raisins, cranberries), nuts, broccolli, mushrooms. seeds.

    Stacy, congratulations on being 5 years clear!!! I am 35 and was diagnosed at 34. It is encouraging to hear. I am stage 3. and in my 9 out of 12 chemo therapies. i have a strong fear of recurrence. i had had a baby 7 weeks prior to diagnosis. I want to raise my beautiful child.
    I am curious to your comment that it was hard to imagine life without the stoma. How long did it take to be somewhat normal? Were you having diarrhea all day long?
    Claudia
  • fitnessbuff31
    fitnessbuff31 Member Posts: 4
    #4
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    Infertility following treatment with 5FU is a HUGE issue if she is planning to have children in the future. I was not warned about this! I'm not sure about other chemos, but others may know.
  • well
    well Member Posts: 26
    #5
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    Hi,

    Being cancer, there's probably a thousand things that they didn't mention. But as far as the ileostomy goes (and I've had mine a while now) I think that most of the issues have been mentioned by others so far. At first, she'll want to avoid any foods that can cause an obstruction. Gradually introduce things one at a time, "start gentle," and chew well!

    As for the dehydration, yes, that's common, because her large intestine is not doing the work it used to do, because of the ileostomy being "upstream" from it. Probably the biggest function it has is to suck the water out of your output, which is why your sister's bag has more watery output than what she had before the operation. One other big function that is not being done right now is electrolyte absorption. The advice about bananas is doubly good, because this will help her get potassium, which can be a good thing for an ileostomate to do.

    Chew well, hydrate hydrate hydrate, and watch the electrolytes. Oh and of course be "smart" about what she eats, especially at first, until (1) healing is complete and (2) she learns what her own system can handle (which quite honestly might even be more than mine, in time.)

    Good luck to each of you through this time.
  • lfondots63
    lfondots63 Member Posts: 818 Member
    #6
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    Hi lfrjar,

    I don't have a bag but my mother-in-law did. I helped her with it. We had to watch to make sure she was hydrated too. She drank pedialite (spelling) which helped when she did get a little dehydrated. I would assume gatorade too but you should watch the sugars. A way to tell if she is getting dehydrated is that when you pinch the skin like on her arm if it stays that way for a while. That means she is getting dehydrated. We would then make sure she drank the pedialyte. Like Stacey my mother in law was put back together and is still bouncing around like she used to. She is over seventy and I can't keep her down. Good luck and prayers to you and your family.

    Lisa
  • JohnWest
    JohnWest Member Posts: 14
    #7
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    See my webpage at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jmwest/ileo.htm for information on how to manage an ileostomy. I think your sister has colostomy, but muost is still relevant

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