Hello. How does this work? Need to talk to someone. 

I can talk.  what's up?

First thing, hi Susan and welcome to veganostomy. We're glad to have you here and we will do whatever we can to help. The way the site works is just tell us what's on your mind tell us what's going on. It's a large group of ostomates and between us we have pretty much seen it all and done it all. If you ask questions or make comments you will probably get replies from quite a number of members of the blog and we will probably answer questions or direct you to resources that you need to help you. You will notice that there is a tab labeled videos and if you go to that the moderator of this blog, Eric, has huge number videos on various topics that are extraordinarily helpful. All of us on this blog have many times expressed our gratefulness to Eric for the work he's done because we have found answers to problems and things that we never expected. Many of us walked into ostomys without any prior knowledge about them. Many of us had them done on an emergency basis and learned very little in the hospital before we left and found ourselves floundering. This site has been an anchor for us, so jump in and tell us what's on your mind and we'll see what we can do to help. Again welcome we're glad you're here and we'll do our best to help you with the issues you have.

I am the wife of Jim. He is the one who has the ostomy. I am the care-giver. Has any bodyy had problems with out put. He is having a terrible time with what i would call constipation! Dr said to take 2Tbls. Of milk of magnisea. I do not think this is doing a thing to help! What would you do? Thank you....Carol

Hi Susan, 

What's on your mind? We are here to hear what you have to say. Feel free to open up and let it all loose.

Don't be frightened,  we aren't all vegans. Due to our passed histories , we are used to different diets. Eric, who runs this blog, is a vegan , hence the name of VeganOstomy.  But even if you are not a vegan, you will find willing ears to hear what you are going to say.

Just start typing on your computer or phone.

Z

Hello Susan, Brenda, Carol! 

Please feel free to introduce yourselves on the Introductions forum and navigate to other forums to ask specific questions(i.e. ostomy related, food related, etc.). 

Nearly all of the members here are either patients or caregivers, so we have a lot of experience to share and support to offer :) 

Dear Caregiver Carol,

God bless you! Jim has an angel for a wife!

Usually, constipation is a result of not drinking enough liquid. Also, too much fiber in the diet can clog the pipe. 

Considering the newness of your husband's Ostomy,  he might be trying to return to his old eating habits and living his old normal life. While having a return to normal activities is what we aim for, eating habits have to be adjusted to accommodate the physical change of the Ostomy .

Eating soups of all kinds is a pleasant change of diet. Also,  drinking juices while eating solid foods will help tremendously . Most importantly,  Jim is going to have to chew his food to break it down into smaller , more movable food. 

It is hard to change a lifetime of habits. I know. By eating soft foods, drinking more and chewing better, i was able to avoid painful constipation. 

Z

P.S. Milk of Magnesia does have its uses. 

Hello Susan  ,Brenda n Carol and welcome to the group .....

Hi Carol, Fruit juice is a natural way to relieve and prune juice I find very good, but start with small  amounts and work up. any food with starch will keep output thick.

Hi Carol

Like Z and John are saying soups are a nice change and juices help get things moving . I drink grape and cran grape juices they seem to work for me .