Thick Stool and Anemia with an Ileostomy: What's the Cause?

I've had an ileostomy for 18 years now and my stool has always been fairly runny, which is pretty common for those of us with ileostomies. But since early this year, I've been having the opposite problem. Things seem a little bit too thick! This puzzles me because at the same time, I was also diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia. I have no obvious signs of internal bleeding, but the doctor suspects there must be something going on inside to cause the drop in iron. I'm waiting for a scope and taking a PPI to rule out an ulcer, but I'm just wondering - what would cause thicker stools in an ileostomate? Most of the things I can think of would lead to the opposite effect.

I too have an ileostomy, and if my stool gets thick, I know I need to drink more. It is so important that we drink a lot and keep hydrated! Good luck, and please keep us posted.

Hi Matt, Welcome to a fellow B.C.er! That is a puzzler for sure. I have an ileo and my output has always been thick, so I probably drink more water than the average ileostomate. But that is not normal for you, so something else must be happening. I'd ask the doctor if the iron deficiency could be causing it. In the meantime, if it's bothering you, just increase your liquid intake. That's all it takes for me.

Terry

I have an ileo and anemia. The anemia doesn't seem to affect my output much, but diet very much does, as does liquid intake. One of the ways you can add iron to your diet without changing much about what you normally eat is to use cast iron pans or to add an “iron fish” to your cooking—you can find them on Amazon usually (at least in the US this is true). I also try to add spinach or kale to smoothies. The doctor also has me on iron supplements and told me to take vitamin C with it to increase the bioavailability of the iron.

In the short term, to thin your output you might do as others have suggested and increase your liquid intake.