Unless you have a high output ileostomy, I don't understand how marshmallows can work. If for example it takes 4 hours from eating something to it coming out of your bag then the same would be the case for a marshmallow, you'd have to wait 4 hours for it to have an affect on your output?

I also don't understand how this can work. I  heard of this when I still had UC,as a way to thicken the stool. The timing as Sarah points out, is seemingly very off.  It seems to take 4 to 6 hours for things to move through  to my stoma ( illiostomy). I usually just change in the morning before I eat anything.

Sugar is supposed to thicken output. But its really not healthy. Marshmallows are made from corn syrup,sugar,dextrose , cornstarch and gelatin ( plus some other stuff,  I checked on amazon). So maybe there are 'healthier' ones out there, or some without gelatin. 

We live and learn!

Some people swear that if you eat a bunch 20 minutes before changing your appliance that it will effectively "stop" any output for enough time to change it. 

I've never needed to do anything like this, but I do know some ileostomates who have a "running faucet" as they try to change their appliance, so tricks like this might help (and are preferred over taking medication to slow down output). 

I do wonder if it's placebo as 20 minutes to slow down output seems awfully fast!

Yes, 20 minutes seems really short. And if it did have that effect, it seems like it might be bad stuff to eat ( which it is, of course). When I got sick, I pretty much stopped eating anything 'bad'. I never did eat much unhealthy food anyway..I am semi vegetarian, not vegan  (but I do eat some fish). Gave up wine (sadly,ah well) etc. I couldn't see that eating marshmallows would improve my ravaged colon! Now that I am postcolonial, I really can't see it.

P.S. semi off topic. Do people with high output stomas have output all day and all night? even if they haven't eaten is eight hours or so? Is that an unusual condition? I have heard the phrase, but I don't really have an understanding of it. I can see that if that was the case, and little puffy clouds of sugar would fix it, I would try them. I don't judge! I would have tried anything.

For long term slowing of output, I'd simply eat more starchy foods. But it'd be nice to find something that could slow down output for those who really need it (again, without medication). 

Someone with a high output stoma may not always be having output 24/7,but I do know many who have short bowels and often say that their stoma never stops outputting. High-output stomas, by definition, output 2L or more per day. 

That would really be a challenge. I think some people may take opiates to thicken up their output, but I would always try to avoid that if possible. Have you ever heard of that treatment?....(I am really NOT on the marshmallow topic now, I guess! HA.)

Yes, I've heard of people using all kinds of prescribed and OTD meds to slow down output.  There are obvious risks with some of those approaches, and they may only be necessary if this is something that happens non-stop.  

But I think for people using the "marshmallow trick", the goal is to only slow down output enough to make bag changes more convenient. 

If you google 'vegan marshmallow recipe' you will get a lot of sites that say they have one. It might be worth trying some of them for those among us who find this useful. Hope some are good. They would at least be fresher and healthier than the commercial product. : )

Posted by: Dona

 

They would at least be fresher and healthier than the commercial product. : )

Interestingly enough, one of the vegan commercial brands I've found uses pretty "good"  ingredients considering what the product is (candy, basically) :

Tapioca Syrup, Cane Sugar, Filtered Water, Tapioca Starch, Carrageenan, Soy Protein, Natural Vanilla Flavor. 

Then all one needs is some chocolate, graham crackers a campfire and some friends!

Posted by: Dona

 

Then all one needs is some chocolate, graham crackers a campfire and some friends!

   

A bag change around the campfire! Tell me someone has done this! =)

I was advised by my surgeon and also my stoma nurse to eat marshmallows to thicken my output. I have a very liquid output as I only have my small bowel and I tried the marshmallows a number of times but couldn't see any real difference in my output. I also take six to eight immodium daily and it does not bulk up my output either. My surgeon told me I would be on immodium for the rest of my life. I am seriously considering trying not to take the immodium for a few days to see what happens. I would be interested to know if anyone else has the same problem.

Eric is quite right about consuming starchy foods to bulk up your output and it does work, the only problem is I have to eat quite a bit of potatoes, rice, pasta and potato chips to get the bulking effect. 

Would cutting down on fluid intake be helpful. I know it is recommended to drink at least two litres of liquids a day but I find that a difficult task. I think I drink about a one and a half litres per day.

Strangely enough, I have started to eat more fibre, like breads, cereals and fruit and seem to have better luck with that for bulking up my output, but it does go through Eli (my stoma) it seems more quickly. Anyone else noticed this?

Love your sense of humour.

Posted by: Navey

 

Would cutting down on fluid intake be helpful. I know it is recommended to drink at least two litres of liquids a day but I find that a difficult task. I think I drink about a one and a half litres per day.

Strangely enough, I have started to eat more fibre, like breads, cereals and fruit and seem to have better luck with that for bulking up my output, but it does go through Eli (my stoma) it seems more quickly. Anyone else noticed this?

Certain fiber will have the opposite effect - namely the insoluble fiber you'd find in the skins of fruit, whole grains, etc.  What effect do oats have? Or potatoes that have been refrigerated after cooking (creating something called a "resistant starch")?  Experiment to see which foods bulk your output up by using a food diary.

Hi, how about bran flakes, I have read that bran can cause both diarreah and constipation

Thanks 

Larry

oops...diarrhea

Larry

Posted by: larryC

 

Hi, how about bran flakes, I have read that bran can cause both diarreah and constipation

Thanks 

Larry

   

Hey, Larry!

Bran is very high in insoluble fiber, so the effect for many people is to relieve constipation - it tends to have a laxative effect for many.

Oats are on the other end of the spectrum and should help to slow down (thicken) bowel movements.

Thanks for the suggestions. I had to read up on starch resistant foods and, will certainly try cold potato salad, pasta and rice along with other starch resistant foods. I do have oatmeal at times for breakfast and it does thicken output to a porridge consistency. I don't know whether I can tolerate green bananas but will certainly give them a try as well as they were highly recommended in the list of starch resistant foods.

I will try to get more liquids into me as well.

As always I appreciate your advice.