Managing diarrhoea with a stoma

Hi , I had a temporary ileostomy for 7 months. I found that Jelly Babies and bananas really helped to thicken my output when it was loose or diarrhoea. Apparently marshmallow do too but I never tried them. Also, white bread, potatoes and pasta. Is your Dad keeping a food/drink diary? Keeping one helped to indicate to me which foods I should avoid - though of course the medication is very probably part of the problem. Eating small meals often is also a big help (rather than three bigger meals a day.) Do talk to your Dad's stoma nurse as she may have more tips. x

Welcome to the bowel group.

I don't think I can add much to my previous suggestions which I see that you have covered them all by using low fibre diet, high dosage of diarrhoea provided GP remedies.

Hopefully the great members here will be able to come up with some useful suggestions to help dad.

Keep in touch with us a let us know how dad is getting on.

Ian

CC

Hi Amy,

Sorry to hear about your Dad's current difficulties. Managing a stoma is often tricky - you think you know what works, and lo and behold your stoma decides it's time for a change! I would be quite concerned at going through chemo and having diarrhoea - you really need to speak to your Dad's stoma nurse and also someone from the team looking after his for his chemo. They will be able to help you. Personally, I would wonder if the anti-diarrhoea tablets are worth taking if they're not doing the job that they're suppposed to do, so check with the stoma nurse about that. Does your Dad have many more cycles of chemo to go? It might just be that you have to bit the bullet and put up with the large output until the end of chemo. But definitely speak to the stoma nurse and chemo team.

Hope you manage to get things more manageable.

Take care,

Linda :-)

Hello Amy

I had this problem with my ileostomy and I told the chemo nurses. They doubled my imodium to 16 per day (it can't hurt you and it does make it better than going without it). They also put me on regular codeine for its constipating effects and another pill I can't remember. In addition I drank dioralyte rather than water and tea which helped a lot. I took probiotics and live plain yogurt which puts the good bacteria back into the gut (the chemo kills the normal gut bacteria). Finally I had a week off of treatment which let it all settle down and then recommenced where I left off. This was all combined with a strict low fibre diet

I hope that some of these suggestions help

I have edited this to add check that your Dad is taking Imodium/Loperamide tablets and not capsules. I was given capsules at first and they are not so effective. When you have diarrhoea they pass through the gut too quickly without the chance to be absorbed. The tablets dissolve quicker and get working sooner. The pharmacist should know this but they are not always aware if you have a stoma/ileostomy.

Just a quick one from me. I have the loperomide capsules and was told by the nurses in hospital to open the capsules and sprinkle them on your food. It doesn't taste very nice but I've put it on mashed potatoes, cottage pie, stew and if I need extra I sprinkle it on extra creamy yoghurt. This gets it into your system quicker.

I've had another think about dads diarrhoea situation and one of the effects of one the components that makes up Folfiri is known to cause side effects of diarrhoea plus I do not think the antibiotics could be helping.

You should have a meaningful conversation with his medical team and ask them to give him a break or at least a weeks delay and maybe reducing the dose thereafter.

Does dad only get strong anti diarrhoea tablets to take at home or does he also get injections before and after treatment.

Hopefully dads medical team will review his regime and get him back to enjoying a bit more of his life which will make things easier for you as his carer.

Let us know how things progress but do remember that we also care about how you are being effected by everything that is going on and we are always here for you if you need to chat just pop into the carers group or here and get anything off your chest that is troubling you.

Ian

CC