Thanks for this! Really useful information.

Glad you found it useful!

This is wonderful information. Thank You

Thanks Cathi!

I have a very high output yet I also suffer with my kidneys so I have to drink lots but this is affecting my liquid stoma output.

Hi, thanks for you r videos, they are very helpful. I have high output ileostomy. My stoma is quite low to the skin. My nurse recommended a moldable convex insert. I am trying it, but what happens is after a day and a half, since it designed to "swell" up around the stoma to prevent leaks, it seams to swell up so good as to make the opening in the insert and wafer smaller. Then, the output must go somewhere, so it starts seeping through the wafer.Any suggestions? Perhaps mold the opening larger when I apply it? But then it may not cover close enough to the stoma to protect the skin. Any answers to my issue?

Hi Joyce, what happens if you use only a convex wafer? Leaks? Have you tried using stoma paste or barrier rings instead of the moldable wafer?

Hi Joyce, what happens if you use only a convex wafer? Leaks? Have you tried using stoma paste or barrier rings instead of the moldable wafer?

I was diverted from my j-pouch to a permanent ileostomy 4 months ago. I won't be going back to my j-pouch in the future. I wasn't mentally prepared for that big surgery. Now I wish I'd had it removed. I have been wrestling with my output from day one. In the beginning it was nice and thick but I think that was due to the 3 hours my surgeon spent lysing my adhesions during the surgery. I think they were sluggish or something because as I recovered my output increased. I have had a problem staying hydrated ever since I got the j-pouch 5 years ago and it's worse now. Plus I have an uneven, flabby, abdomen from abdominal surgeries and getting a wafer to last longer than 2 days has happened once. My stoma nurse told me to start taking Loperamide, prescription Imodium, again. I added capsules of Metamucil into the mix too. I have had several obstruction/partial obstructions and appreciate your warning about Metamucil. I have not been taking the max dose of 8 Loperamide daily but really need it. I have to empty my bag too many times daily. I have continued using electrolyte tabs, no sugar, like NUUN or similar powders as well as highly concentrated electrolyte liquids to add to water. They help with dehydration but not as well as they did before my stoma. Do you or anyone else here know if they are affecting my output? This topic was what I really needed to read tonight. Thank you for all you share with us.

Hi Paulette,

I'm so sorry that you've been having so many problems, and I know how frustrating a high-output stoma can be.

I haven't used the product that you've mentioned, but if it has no added sugar (and no artificial sweeteners), then it's likely not increasing your output. If you go a few days without it, does the frequency of your output change?

It may help to find a support group (online or off) that focuses on people with short bowel syndrome, as they'd be dealing with very similar issues (high-output stoma), and may be able to offer you more tips.

Good luck!

Eric

Thank you Eric,
I'm in many online support groups and they have been fantastic. I've even watched many u-tubes on things such as how to empty our bags while sitting on the toilet and how to keep everything dry or not to wet when showering and bathing - etc. I appreciate your help here as nowhere did I find such specific helpful information.

I went off of Metamucil caplets and ate oatmeal for 2 days - like substituting. Today I am back to adding a 3 vs the 6 serving size caplets. It is easier for me to swallow the caplets and as we are to take in less water than people with colon's, it is easier for me to take them. I am going to continue with oatmeal and try adding the generic metamucil caplets until I figure how many. I was just doing it willy nilly so am more deliberate.

Thank you for responding and I will try groups with short bowel syndrome.

Hey Paulette, in addition to oatmeal, I find that potatoes do an EXCELLENT job of thickening things up!

Best of luck!

I was operated on just two weeks ago and I have to empty my bag every hour except at night and then when I wake it is nearly bursting full. I have an ileostomy with crohns. I am taking two imodium in the morning and two at night and one before each large meal. Can you tell me what I may be doing wrong? I feel like a prisoner in my home as I have to drain bag every hour. My output is well over 1,000 per day.

Hi Ed,

Frequency and consistency of our output is really inconsistent in the first month or two. Usually, our output will be about equal to the volume of food and beverages we consume.

A few things to consider :

- your diet likely isn't back to normal yet (you should get the OK at about the 4-6 week mark. Things will become more predictable after that point.
- keeping a food diary could help you identify foods that increase your output.
- check in your surgeon or stoma nurse about those hourly bathroom trips. Most ileostomates will empty their back 5-9 times a day, but there are many factors that can change this number.
- starchy foods should help to slow your output down a bit more.

Excellent video and information!! Many thanks! However, I got so jealous hearing about you eating oatmeal!! I love it but not long after eating it, the gas and high output begins so I stopped eating it for a while and tried again and the same issue. I did use a little bit of milk with it - about 1/4 cup. Tried without mik, same result :( And gas is frequently an issue, no matter what I eat! I'm getting up at least 2-3 times during the night and feel homebound during the day. And I've had my colostomy for 7 years!

Wow, that's really unusual.

Has oatmeal always caused you problems or is this something new?

It's new since the colostomy.

That's a real shame.

I am concerned that you mention you're up all night and feel homebound during the day. It's unusual to be emptying your bag frequently with a colostomy. Have you spoken to your doctor about this?

Yes. In 1974 I succumbed to self mutilation (anything to be thin!) and had an ileojenunal bypass for weight loss which resulted in a large portion of small bowel to be surgically bypassed. Lost 100 lbs fairly quickly, but gained mainy problems due to malabsorption and ultimately the weight back as well. I've had diahrrea my whole adult life and thus the same holds true with the ostomy. But I still find the oatmeal a mystery!! That procedure for weight loss was so brutal and was short lived. Many died from it.