Beer and diet after reversal

Hi Andy

Glad to see your recovering after your reversal as I've not had one I'm not sure the ins and outs of good eating or having the odd beer or 5 and can only copy this advice from the NHS web site I think they using are the term Colostomy in the widest way and includes ileostomy but the recommendations should be the same

What to eat after a colostomy reversal

Your digestive system may be sensitive after a colostomy reversal. It may help to avoid eating large meals and eating late at night, and to eat little and often.

Certain foods are also more likely to irritate the gut.

It may help to limit or avoid:

• citrus fruits – such as grapefruits and oranges
• spicy food – such as curries
• large fatty meals
• vegetables that increase flatulence – such as cabbage and onions
• large amounts of alcohol or fizzy drinks

The suggestion doesn't involve all of the foods to avoid and I'm sure with some imagination you'll manage to avoid the forbidden items and unfortunately alcohol is on the list and as you've found out beer can have an adverse effect and there's not a lot that is a substitute for a nice pint of beer don't know if alcohol free would see you having some toilet action.

My advice is keeping doing as you are just now trying out new items and recording the effects in a food diary anything that gives you a problem cut it out for a few weeks then gradually increase a small portion to see what happens, again like when you had your ILEOSTOMY life will be trial and error for some time yet.

I know that some of our kind people will be along shortly to give you their dos and don'ts regarding food that you try remembering that we all different.

Keep persevering I'm sure that it'll all fall into place and life post stoma will see a big improvement in your way of life.

Ian

Thank you Ian.t

 It's great that you've made the effort to inckude that information.

take care .

Andy

One more thing Ian h.

doI become a community champion I'd like to help others

Hi Andy

It's no problem to give information  to help make life easier and to solve problems for all ostomates  you'll probably note that I've been on a course that is intended for hospital nurses to help them look after patients with a stoma fortunately for the nurses in my local hospital I have stays with them very regularly and can give them hands on experience and answer their questions!

I've put your name forward as being interested in being a champ and admin will contact you in the near future.

Ian

Hi ,

Off the back of Ian's above response, do you want to pop me an email about being a Community Champion? You can email me at community@macmillan.org,uk - we can then pick this up from there.

Best wishes,

Jimmy

Community Team

Hi ,

The basic advice I was given last year after my reversal was to start off with low fibre foods (essentially "beige" food, i.e. rice, pasta, potatoes, chicken). And of course the list of things to avoid which Ian had mentioned. Then slowly start to introduce other foods (fibre, spicey foods, the odd beer, etc) to see how your bowel reacts to it. And if something has a bad impact now, leave it out for a few weeks then try it again.

It is still very early days for you, and the bowel could take a few months to settle down to the new normal!

All the best,

Yolande

Thank you very much for your reply and advice.

yes Im beginning to realise that certain foods have more of an effect than others .

if I drink beer versus lager it goes straight through me but I want to socialise and not be stuck in all the time so it's a bit of a double-edged sword.

 I'm taking lapyramidencurrently when I go out to slow things down .

R  u in a better place now

Hi Jimmy.

I tried to send you an email on the one listed but it bounced back every time can you help

Try this 

community@macmillan.org.uk

Ian

Hi Andy

Glad to hear you had a reversal. It can take a while to get your diet sorted and tbh I think everyone is different. I had my reversal 11 years ago and am still learning. I can eat a curry with no problem but beans cause me a problem that can last a couple of days. Then sometimes I can eat baked beans with no issue.

Beer (lager) and wine is my big problem/disappointment. It goes straight through me and I'm on the loo a lot. I do go out with mates on a Friday night and I take several Loperamide tablets to slow things down a little. They help. I have recently found that if I'm planning to drink I don't eat much during the day but make sure I eat something before going out. The food in the stomach seems to slow the absorption of the alcohol. Red wine is a big problem - not so much white.

Food wise, I'm OK with most things except beans, lentils and other pulses.

However, I remember that during the early days of my reversal, things were very changeable. Things that would be ok one day would be a problem the next time. It takes a while for the bowel to settle down.

Good luck.

Alan