Hi, I had an ileostomy in July last year and I managed to eat most foods apart from nuts. The main thing is to chew your food well before swallowing. I
Hi, you should be safe enough to carefully introduce new foods now. Try one new thing at a time, an egg cupful at a time and chew well. If something causes upset (in my case it was eggs) leave it for another fortnight and try again. Eat little and often initially until you see how the bowel will react.
After about 5 months I found that I could eat everything, including all fruit and veg. I have no issues with anything and don't do any special preparation other than peeling apples but still take care with nuts (they can clump together again even although they've been well chewed) and mushrooms. Just a few of these at a time works fine for me.
I have a loop ileostomy and do not plan to have it reversed as I also have a colostomy which is covered by an adhesive cap and is essentially dormant. The ileostomy does all of the work but food waste passes through before being fully digested. Being long-term Type 1 diabetic as well means that I have always carefully evaluated what I eat and drink, although now the rate of absorption of carbohydrates has changed quite a bit post-surgery.
I find most things OK but now avoid mushrooms and beansprouts as being totally undigestible (a pity). Cashew nuts seem to easily reduce to a paste by chewing but peanuts, hazelnuts and brazils remain as small pieces and might be risky. Instead I eat a spoonful of sugar-free smooth peanut butter and find this moreish! Garden peas are difficult to totally destroy by chewing so I eat canned marrowfat peas as a substitute and find that these breakdown quite well. Runner beans are good provided they are not stringy and baked beans don't cause a problem. Cabbage is good if overcooked. Perhaps avoid so-called healthy bread (with nuts and seeds both inside and outside) as these cannot be digested. I usually grate an apple - with skin - over porridge (plus high cocoa chocolate mixed in) just to get some of the nutrition from the skin and don't have a problem with this. Onions can be tricky but it depends on how they are prepared and cooked - the smaller and softer the better. Grapes and raisins don't cause me a problem and large oranges are good if cut into thin slices. Iceberg lettuce is easily digested because of the high water content but other salad leaves can be a nuisance and don't break down at all. Oily fish is essential for me but I am careful with the fine bones in herring and mackerel.
There have been a couple of occasions when the ileostomy seems slow to work and there is an increasing bloated and uncomfortable feeling but this is resolved by drinking a pint of fizzy drink and taking exercise. I joke with friends that if I get an upset stomach than I don't know about it and never have to run for the lavatory. The joy of being an ostomate! It could be a lot worse.
