Do you keep a calorie log or food diary? It may help to find out if you're consuming too many calories.

Are you still on steroids? That will put a lot of water weight on.

its really something , i all sown up  can not fart  have no use for bathroom  toilet   I fix a sink to compensate as standing up and cleaning out is best their in sink   I live alone now as i sent all away  which is better anyhow  cause  nothing works   and i keep everything clean spotless  and uses lost of bleach ,  so  now that i,m going to be 65  the age my father died  i shall  live wit and with smile . 

I had to eat almost constantly to gain weight back on what I lost,  but I did so using the creamed soups, yogurts, cheese, butter not margarine which is mostly made with oils,  and so forth. My cholesterol has been nonexistant & still is, but as Eric said there can be issues with a high fat diet. Gallbladders can bring a whole whack of other stuff to deal with. 

Your body has gone thru, and pardon the expression, he'll and back.  Make sure as I suggested to get blood work on vitamins,  thyroid anemia.... & never be afraid to ask your doctor for testing for things you think are going on.  The worst he can say is no.  Request to see a good Gastroenterologist not gastro- surgeon, & see them regularly so your referral never runs out.  A GI will go the mile for your situation.  Survival is key here.  Patience, lots of rest. You can slowly build muscle but right now your body needs every single calorie it can store for a while.  I did a lot of " muscle isolation " exercises.  I found this strengthened my muscles better then anything after being so weak, no exaggeration here,  I couldn't operate a hand held can opener If my life depended on it.  lol!  You don't need to burn calories which is what will happen thru exercise. If your anemic iron infusions should be free if your GP or GI finds an Iron they can give you through special approvals and 8nfuse at the day care unit at your hospital. Be up front about your financial situation.  They can give you samples for medication & if they don't offer, request them .  

Any more questions just ask,.  All the best & yes, please stay in touch so we can encourage you on this journey. 

Wow - you are really having a tough go at it! Its amazing how quick out bodies become ravaged, but also amazing what we can survive and come back from. 

A couple thoughts... 

With your delivery service work, you may have been burning calories as fast or faster than you could absorb them by hauling stuff around. Working from home may help in that regard, although its still important to stay active and slowly build your muscles back up. 

My weight loss challenge has been much briefer than yours, but I was still shocked to drop from slender/muscular 121 lbs pre-surgeries to 103 with skin sagging off my bones in just 3 weeks in hospital. I'm a bit more than 2 months out from hospital now and am finally edging up towards 108-109 lbs and feeling pretty strong. Some foods that have helped me are yogurt, which builds up the probiotics in your intestine to help body absorb calories better. (I make plain yogurt from whole milk w/cream added but store bought is fine, just go for the whole milk rather than low fat and try for ones w/less sugar) Peanut or almond butter cups are another good calorie source and a good quick pick-me-up. Oatmeal cookies stick with me better than other deserts - I just have to be sure to chew them really well. If you can find a good protein powder to make your own drinks, its often a more economical better product than Ensure. I've been using Bob's Red Mill Chocolate protein powder. Its the only pea protein powder I've found that doesn't taste gritty and upset my tummy, plus it has probiotics and chia in it, and isn't overly sweet (monkfruit is the sweetener). Our local wholesale grocery carries it so its not so pricey, but I see it online too (in vanilla as well, but I haven't tried that yet). I make the smoothies with frozen banana & blueberry, yogurt, ice, and some kind of nut or rice milk, or just shaken up with nut milk and chilled.

Hope you can get it sorted out and some of the suggestions posted earlier also help you find your way back to better health. You must be pretty tough already to have made it through the rough road you been on. 

Best wishes!

I live in Ontario, so I don't know what specific supports might be available to you as far as funding, medical supply reimbursements, etc. That would be my starting point to help with your finances.

Let's move onto a few things at a time, and the other forum members have already suggested some things to try. 

Weight gain will be more of a challenge if you have a short bowel, and you may need to seek guidance on medication to help slow things down and improve nutrient absorption. There is a medication called Gattex that is specifically for short bowel. I know a few people who are on it because of nutritional deficiencies and it may help with weight gain. Speak to your doctor about this. 

As for weight gain itself, the other members are correct - it's more about just adding fat to your bones, but muscle as well. That said, you'll want to keep track of what you're eating in a food diary and track how many calories you are consuming. Just keep in mind that what you are consuming doesn't necessarily translate into what you are absorbing, so considering the numbers you get as very loose estimates. I personally use https://cronometer.com/ to track nutrient and caloric intake. 

Foods that should help to slow things down and give you more opportunity to gain weight will be carbs: rice, pasta, potatoes, etc. Stick with healthier versions, if possible. So instead of frozen fries, go with homefries or baked potatoes. I understand that you might have some limitations, so honestly make what you can. 

You can try adding more fat to your diet, but keep in mind that this might cause your gallbladder to produce more bile, and that can sabotage your efforts.  Take it slow. I wouldn't eliminate fats, since they are still a high source of calories. Include fats in meals rather than as the meal.

There are so many possibilities to help, but I do think that a professional consultation with someone can help to set goals and create a personal plan to achieve them. 

Feel free to start a new topic with your progress and/or other questions. Best of luck! 

Sprouting seeds are also a highly dense nutritious food high in protein, minerals and vitamins the highest of all natural foods. Psyllium husk, slipper elm and marshmallow all absorb water and slow transit time naturally start little and build up slowly.

Your body has been quite ravaged imodium  IMO is something to not to want to be relying on long term.

If you can do some exercise and get some good nutrition absorbed, the more muscle you can put on, will build your weight up (muscle weighs more than fat)

Chris

I am in NS.  There are indeed several nutritionists at the QEII in Halifax that will provide you free consultation.  Your situation is complex and requires expert attention and advice.

I just joined the Halifax Ostomy Support Group.  They are at www.OstomyHalifax.ca. Hope to see you there.

In the meantime, I think finding high calorie food that isn’t too expensive is a good idea. Peanut butter is a good choice, as are healthy fats, like olive oil. Use your local food bank if you need to; there are lots of people who are using the food bank now for the first time. The last year has been particularly difficult for many people.

I’m not sure that Imodium is going to give you much benefit, since you have lost so much of your colon. Better check with your doctor on this, but  my understanding of what Imodium does (and I have been taking it for years) is slow down the action in your colon. Do you find that taking it makes a difference? If it really doesn’t make a difference, that would be money better spent on food.

Do you have an ostomy support group in your area? I’m sure there will be one in Halifax, if not closer to where you are. A support group will have ostomates with all different experiences, so you may find someone who has had to learn to cope with issues similar to yours. If you don’t know about support groups in your area, contact Ostomy Canada to ask where the nearest group is. You can find them at www.ostomycanada.ca  

You have come to the right place here, Dovegirl. Take good care, and let us know how you’re doing.

Laurie