Adjusting to Life with an Ileostomy

Hi everyone!

A week ago, I had to have abdominal surgery, and they removed my large intestine; now I have my small one and an ileostomy. I just have a few questions if someone is willing to help me out, just to calm my nerves a bit.

I understand that for the first few weeks, I have to eat bland food and nothing strong, etc. I'm just wondering, after a while, will I be able to eat normally? And also, I mean, it's only been a week since the surgery, but I'm still kind of having a dry mouth even though I'm drinking water and tea, and eating soup.

Thank you very much in advance, and I hope you're having a lovely day.

Hi alex9,

You've come to the right place! This community is full of people who are ready to offer support and share their experiences.

Regarding your questions, it's quite common to start with a bland diet after surgery. Over time, many people find they can gradually reintroduce a wider variety of foods. Just take it slow and listen to your body. As for the dry mouth, it might be due to the changes your body is adjusting to post-surgery. Staying hydrated is key, so keep sipping on water and other fluids. If it persists, it might be worth discussing with your healthcare provider.

Congrats on being part of this community! You'll find plenty of support, information, and some really cool people here who understand what you're going through.

Hi Alex, welcome to the site. Slowly add the foods you normally ate in small amounts and see how your system reacts. For me, the more fibrous the food, the more issues I have, such as with uncooked pineapple, carrots, etc. As for hydration, I drink a variety like you: coffee, milk, Gatorade that I mix from powder, and another one called Liquid IV from powder that I get from Walmart.

Hi Alex, it's good that you reached out on here and only a week after your surgery! Your body is still adjusting, still swollen, and you're being careful with food during this period. You will get back to eating normally. Are you on pain medication? Maybe that's why your mouth is dry. It sounds like you are hydrating properly. Hang in there, it definitely gets easier.

Don't drink too much beer unless you're near a toilet.

Welcome. You may be one of the lucky ones that can eat anything. I would introduce one food at a time to see how it works for you. You are still so new though, so go slow.

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Hi Alex,  Welcome.  Being only a week out of surgery, you are still healing and the tissue will still be swollen.  Until you have completely healed, you really do need to be cautious with diet.  I would stay away from very fibrous foods, nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetable skins, things like that.  Make sure to chew your food really well, and keep hydrated.  With an ileostomy, keeping your liquid intake up will always be important, as you're body won't absorb water as well as someone with their colon.  In another couple of weeks, I would start to introduce more foods, but slowly with small amounts to start.  Everyone is different and some ileostomates can eat anything, while others have problems with certain foods.  The only way to find out is to experiment, but carefully.  Good luck.

Terry

Like others said be careful about fibrous foods. Things with seeds, nuts, skins. Things that are hard may be hard for your system to process. Raw veggies for example. If you are going to try them do so in very small amounts at first. But wait until you have healed at least a couple of months. Also as someone said if you are on certain medications it can cause dry mouth. Keep drinking anyway even if it doesn't fix your dry mouth it is good for your body to have fluids. Hang in there and things will get better soon, it just takes some time. If you have one consult with your ostomy/wound care nurse. She or he may be able to give you more direction. 

Thank you so much everyone for replying! Means a lot ♡  

I kind of researched online on various websites what I should or should not eat. But I was just wondering, are juices fine to drink? Like orange juice or something like that? I mean store-bought if possible. Because I've been drinking only water and tea for now and was just wondering. Thank you all once more so much. And is it fine to limit my coffee to one cup a day or something like that?

Good luck to you! My first weeks to two months after my ostomy, I did eat pretty bland and boring — meaning I ate the same things day in, day out before I started adding a new food. I started with white rice and plain pasta. Boring, but I tolerated it. Morning, noon and night for first few weeks. I was having traumatic time with blowouts and skin excoriation, so food was the last thing on my mind. I added a new food a week to see what my new system liked. Everyone is different, and your body will pick favorites.