Putting weight on with a stoma

Hi NannyAnny. Yes it does although I never got back up to my pre-op weight. It’s almost like everything goes through too fast in the early days but, as things settle down, you’ll find that his appetite will return abd the weight will come back on. You can buy (or get prescribed) build up drinks - I think the ones I had were called fortisip - and they’re about the size of a little actimel bottle but have about 200 calories in. Some taste better than others! You can also get extra calories in by having full fat desserts, cream and cheese in mash, creamy pasta dishes. I must admit I don’t eat as healthily as I used to as I know I won’t put any weight on so it might be a case of finding a balance! There’s a bit of info in the booklet below

https://bowelcancerorguk.s3.amazonaws.com/Publications/EatingWell_BowelCancerUK.pdf

Take care

Karen x

Thanks, Kareno,

We had all this 14 years ago when he had throat cancer, but I wondered if having a stoma for bowels made any difference!!

My husband hasn’t been able to put on any weight with the stoma, he’s lost 1.5 stone. The little and often eating regime means he feels that he’s always eating, and when he’s not eating he’s drinking fluids! We bought a pack of protein powder with vitamins for body builders and he’s having a scoop of that each day in porridge to see if it helps. 

Straight off bowel babes Instagram a few weeks ago but I had not heard of these before and no idea if they are compatible with a stoma . Maybe someone else could answer that but apparently the market has moved on since my mum’s struggled and there is products with protein added. No idea how they taste .

Court 

Hi All,

14 years ago my husband had Fortisips, which he hated, but was then prescribed Ensure. This is a powder which you mix with milk. Don't know if they are still around. I asked the nurse in hospital if  he needed extra drinks, but she said if he was eating OK, he wouldn't need them. He has a check up on Tuesday and I will ask again about this. He is eating much better this week than last because he is not bloated and I am watching his weight!!! A kind friend who had been through this told me about some soup you can get. Its called Covent Garden and is packed with calories. Its quite pricey, but worth it to help.   He picked up after the throat cancer, so I know it can take time!!!

Hi there! My personal experience was very positive. I had lost nearly 20kg when I came home after colon cancer op. I put all the weight back on over just a few months! I did this by eating little and often and everything that was high calorie! It was very enjoyable!! I set my watch virtually and every two hours would have a yoghurt or some homemade cake or buttered toast / whatever took my fancy. To add an additional "meal" into my day I bought Protein powder ((like what you have for sport) and made a high colorie high protein milkshake with full fat milk, a banana and some frozen red fruits. When my appetite got fired upI was even waking up and having a bowl of cornflakes at midnight cos I was so hungry! So get in lots of  and I am sure you will get there! Xoxo

Hi NannyAnny,

I lost a huge amount of weight (about 18kg) over a couple of weeks in hospital post op which  involved having a stoma, and more. I needed to lose all that so was quote happy! When I was discharged my GP decided to refer me to a dietician as I was continuing to lose weight. She's been really helpful and I've had protein supplement drinks on prescription (so free in.my case!)

Mine is an ileostomy and maybe quite high up so I was not absorbing some of the nutrients I needed, especially protein. I still have regular blood tests to check this 9 months post op and still have contact with the dietician.

I would recommend your husband try and get a referral to a dietician to help him understand what types of food he needs to build himself back up.

My dietician suggested eating little and often and also advised supplementing milk with milk powder for added protein.

I think my weight is stabilizing where I want it to be now. 

Good luck,

Osboz