Varying output from stoma.

Hi Vinylhead and welcome to the group.

Can you share with us what type of stoma you have please, to help others reply? I have a permanent colostomy so am used to thick output and I haven’t got any experience of the watery discharge you describe. 

I hope you can get the right balance of meds to get this sorted so you can be discharged.

Sarah xx

Ileonoscopy temporary. Hoping for a reversal in a couple of months.

Thanks for confirming.

Ileostomy output is typically more liquid, but clearly it’s an issue for you with the level of dehydration. Did you have your ileostomy formed recently? If you are having a reversal, you may have to accept that in the meantime you will need to rely on meds to control things, but hopefully others who have an ileostomy will come along and reply if they’ve experienced similar.

Sarah xx

Thank you Sarah xx

Mine was formed on 2nd March after surgery which removed 2 sections of colon plus cancerous appendix, followed by HIPEC chemo treatment.

Mine was formed on 2nd March following surgery which removed 2 parts of colon plus cancerous appendix. This was followed by HIPEC chemo treatment.

That’s very recent surgery for you, and the fact that you’ve also had HIPEC treatment means your body has been through a lot. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to recover from what you’ve been through-it’s a big deal! 

Sometimes we think we will recover quicker than we do, and I know I was sometimes frustrated in my own recovery from surgery. Try not to be too hard on yourself, accept that things take time and that recovery can have many ups and downs on the way. 

Sarah xx

Hi Vinylhead 

Sorry to hear this.  You must be exhausted and very fed-up.  As SarahH21  has said, it's still quite early days, especially after such a big surgery.

I have an ileostomy and have been in hospital before with dehydration etc, caused by a virus (not chemo) which sent my stoma into overdrive and needed 4 days on a drip.

For consistency though, I can usually control things by diet. So, foods like ripe banana, stewed apples, mashed potatoes, vegetable soup (maybe blended a bit as it's early days for you), pasta, white bread etc to firm things up a bit. If that starts to control the output then carefully add other things you like to see what helps and what doesn't. Add salt to food to help with dehydration and some electrolytes daily if you can (I use dissolvable tablets or you can have dioralyte sachets, even milk). Avoid anything with an artificial sweetener and limit caffeine (tea or coffee) until things are more under control (try decaffeinated) as that can cause loose output. Eat little and often as an empty stomach causes loose output as well. Don't drink too much plain water, mix with full fat squash (eg lemon barley water). I've never been advised to take Loperamide but I've read that some need to have quite large doses so I'm sure your medical team will be able to help in that respect.

Just a few suggestions which may be of help.  I hope that things improve soon and the hospital stay is short.

best wishes

Sheila 

Thank you for your kind respnse Sheila.  On my first return to A & E I was diagnosed with a viral infection (gastritus) and was put on a drip. My second stay in hospital is now at 12 days.The two doctors this morning are recmmending injections to slow down my digestive system to limit how quickly my stoma is shifting fluid therefore leaving me dehydrated.  I may ask for some cordial to add to my water input as plain water gets boring after a while. The recommended 2 litres is a struggle at times for me.                   John.

Hi John

That's good that they have a plan.  I hope that the injections get everything under control quickly and you'll be home soon.

Take care.  Sheila