Nausea After Ileostomy - Seeking Advice and Experiences

Hi from Scotland. I have been a bit of a 'lurker' on the site but really appreciate the helpful suggestions offered. I am expecting a date for ileostomy reversal probably in January. My constant companion has been mild nausea, which is tiring. It could be related to either dehydration or maybe vitamin shortage. Has anyone else experienced this?

Hello jennyemm1948.
Thanks for sharing? Many of us on this site have experienced such symptoms and there are a number of past posts that have discussed these issues. (they can be found in the 'collections' section ).
Tiredness and nausea can be caused by so many things, and it is easy to link them to facets of stoma life, such as the two that you mention. However, It could also be caused by a number of other things that should be investigated and, either eliminated as irrelevant, or treated as conditions that need their own intervention.
It sounds like a trip to your doctor might be useful, to have some blood and urine tests done, just to rule out anything else that might be going on. 
Best wishes 
Bill 
 

I have nausea too, and it turned out to be my gallbladder. Not stones, but dysfunctional. Another thing you might consider is if it is reflux, which doesn't have to be coming up your throat to irritate your stomach. If it persists, see your doctor and get it checked out.

Lee

Hi Jenny, have you talked to your doctor about your nausea? What was the reason for your ileostomy? We'll pretty much be making guesses alongside you based on either our own circumstances and/or things we've learned along the way. My team knew I'd be coming home from my surgery a year ago on Zofran. Mine could be slow motility, something I ate (I've been throwing up since 4 a.m. and don't know why). I get nauseated cooking different foods because I got sick nearly every time I ate for 14 years. One of my go-tos is sodium when I start feeling nauseated—I get nauseated and start feeling really lethargic, and unfortunately/fortunately, McDonald's fries fix that brand of low sodium nausea. Are you getting enough electrolytes per day?

I had issues with nausea for the first 3-4 months following my colectomy and took Zofran to control it. However, in my case, 3 of those months were either in the hospital or rehab. The nausea was particularly bad when I was in rehab and did not have decent food to eat, and eventually, I ended up with pancreatitis and back on TPN. Once things healed and I was able to transition to decent food, the nausea subsided. But as evidenced by Jodie's post, we are all different.

Daniel

Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

My personal experience is that nausea has almost always been a result of medication. Once over my ileostomy and heart issues (within 3 months of each other), I returned to my pre-2020 downhill turn, which was no medications. I do take over-the-counter B12 and have been for years. I do get tired, dehydrated, and many little reminders that I have an ileostomy, heart disease, and supposedly stage 3b CKD, but I haven't had nausea at all since quitting medication in early 2021. I do constantly search for healthy food choices for the dehydration problem, but the only food I tend to stay away from is lettuce and happy hour with my 2 Captain and Diet Cokes around 5 p.m. No lettuce - no big loss - but I do miss my adult beverages. Yes, we are all very different for sure. The few times I do go to doctors, they scold me for not taking a variety of prescribed pills and shake their heads. At 80, I try to avoid these confrontations and usually just go for a 6-month blood and urine check-up - I am quite sure Medicare loves me!

I had nausea for months after my ileostomy surgery, and the doctors were not helpful in the least. Basically, I was told it was probably the Crohn's or whatever and just to deal with it. They gave me Zofran, etc., and nothing worked. After months of my trying to get them to pay attention, I pointed out that I had almost no nausea when I was stuck in the hospital versus when I was home. It turned out I was dehydrated too much and couldn't drink enough to stay hydrated, so I'm doing two bags of IV fluids a day now, and the nausea is gone. Not thrilled about having to do the two bags a day, but I feel so much better—the nausea was so bad.