thanks Linda much appreciated advice , the new diet is playing havoc with my stoma output at the moment , all the foods I have avoided in the last few years are having to be reintroduced slowly  , the Trio Pearls are my savior .

@tony-h  ... Yes, I remember that,  lol ! I ended up mixing the foods that gave the watery output with the foods that don't.  Then I did/still do the "hokey pokey and literally shake it all around" with a glass of water down the hatch first untill I can hear it shaking & sloshing in my stomach.  lol! It sounds rediculous but it worked. This way I knew they were mixed up & would hopefully lessen the risk of bad warery stool & eventually dehydration. 

This is one reason why when I make my daily Greek Salad that I put a serving of Barley my fav. Or,  under it.  I also use brown rice, couscous & quinoa. I also add a serving of chick peas/Garbonzo beans to my salad. Since I changed how I cook foods & even peeled & cut them differently I have very rarely had a bowel blockage verses on a regular basis eating foods I'm not supposed to eat! 

I cook all my grains in the microwave to avoid the mess & having to watch a boiling pot. IF... you want or need any ideas I'd be glad to help. In the mean time keep up the good work Tony! 

Hey Linda thanks for the info ,,”love barley so must try that in a soup , 

doctor took me off metformin and put me on dapagliflozin , so hopefully I will tolerate this better .

Just an update , just got back my latest HB A1c blood test and I have gone down to 43 from 8.5 % to 6.1 % which is close to normal , only slight problem is my B12 levels are very low , anyway hope everyone is feeling even just a little better 

@tony-h ... Tony that's fabulous, CONGRATS!!!  Have you found it difficult to get there? 

I constantly struggle with low B12 & Iron & now other vitamins as well &  my GP has me on B12 shots 3 times a month, we are still trying to get the Iron Infusion I need approved from B.C. Medical.   I give the B12 shots to myself now, it was very easy to re-learn. 

As far as the Iron goes I have had bad reactions to Infusions & the one that works for me, so far, lol  is one that is typically given to those on kidney dialysis. Our lovely B.C. MED special permissions office continues to deny me access to it.  So my Iron levels are nearly drained again!  I'm about an inch from goung to our NEWS CHANEL to try & get the infusions covered.  I figure those in the office stupidly say "oh, shes anemic, eat better" & slap a "DENIED" stamp on my forms!!   They have no idea about Malabsorption!!! 

Tony are your levels low bcuz of a malabsorption issue, or  pills passing thru too quickly to your pouch??   Is this happening to other medications your on??  I often see medications I'm on in my pouch which means I'm not getting the full benefit of them if any at all. 

 Watch for them closely & don't wait too long to ask what can be done to get the levels where they should be. Some meds can be compounded by your Pharmacist as a liquid which will get them into your system much better.  The kind of fatigue from such things as low B12 OR IRON is a whole other kind of exhaustion! 

I'm so happy for you getting your numbers down where they need to be Tony!! Keep up the great work!

Hey Linda , thanks again for all the great info ,

delighted with my levels , I cut way back on carbs and nearly all processed food , the only carbs I have now are some brown rice and sourdough bread , lots of berries with good yoghurt , fresh veg and some exercise ,

the problem with the b12 might be from the metformin I was on for a month and the fact that I cut out red meat almost totally , 

getting b12 shots weekly for 5 weeks to see how much that will help , don’t have any problems with absorption of pills , but not taking many meds apart from codeine for joint pain at night and forziga to help with the diabetes , 

I really do appreciate you taking the time to give me advice and info , the people on this site are second to none and it’s made the last 5 years post surgery a lot easier 

@tony-h 

That is great news, good job making the lifestyle changes to bring your numbers down.

cygo

@tony-h  ... Tony, a qoute I re-read not to long ago was " What we learn in the darkness, we share in the light".   Thats a good part of what VO is like here. I know for certain that when I stumbled onto VO It was about the shared real people stories & info & Erics fabulous videos that kept me coming back. Now I come back for the same reasons & with my real life & pro- cooking food experiences I know I can help others.  I know to that along the edges there may be someone too unsure yet who is reading along silently gaining courage to speak up as well... just like I did, lol!   Thank you again ERIC!!  

With low B12 levels there is a whole whack of veggies like squashes & dried fruits & nuts that can help.  If you find cooked squash to mushy, or pastey try less cooking time & test doneness with a fork not a knife. The resistance of the fork will tell you when the cooking time is right for reheating during the week or for an addition chopped smaller to a salad with a bit of a crunch still in them.  I love to cook up a bunch of high vitamin veggies tossed lightly in O. Oil on a sheet tray & eat off it all week, baked at 400°f to fork doneness 25 to 35 min.  if preferred.  Lightly tossed with different   herbs & spices of your choice in sections & reheated in the last 5 -10  min. of cooking another meal,  yummy. Stored in glass with the thicker plastic lids I find they taste better longer verses plastic.  You can buy cheap enough DW,   oven/m.wave safe glass at Walmart & even some $stores. 

Have you ever made "enery balls", no cooking? The nice thing about them is  you can munch them easily away from home.  If you've never made EB's give you choices of dried fruits & nuts a whiz up in a food processor. I lightly oil the proc. bowl with a light rub of veggie oil to help prevent sticking, same with hands for rolling.  EB's work great rolled in a layer of raw/toasted crushed nuts or Oats & you can hold them without sticky fingers to eat on the run.  You can make them armed with fruits high in what your lacking.  Beware of little grandchildren eating thru your weekly supply! Kids still love finger foods & esp. cute ones they helped make! Lolol. 

I find bcuz of my low vitamins from absorption issues that picking a morning for food prep is the easiest way for me to go. I now love "cooked" brussel sprouts & carrots again bcuz of baking veggies on a sheet tray. 

Eating regular creamy mushroom,  chicken or celery soups, add herbs rubbed between fingers or in your palm, like Dry Basil  & Thyme,  wakes up those flavors! On a sheet tray tossed with an assortment of herbs, go lightly at first as too much all you get is the boss not the helper.   Rubbing herbs allows you to rewaken & share the flavors & as they fall on/into your food choices it makes them taste all the better.