Dealing with Gas After a New Loop Ileostomy

Greetings everyone,

I'm currently on day 3 of my new loop ileostomy and experiencing some gas issues. My bag isn't ballooned, but I'm feeling rumbling in my stomach and pressure as if I need to pass gas, but I can't. I was able to pass some gas anally right after the surgery, but now it's a bit uncomfortable and annoying. What are some remedies?

You shouldn't be passing gas through your anus, I think. If you have a stoma, it should all be going through that way. I think only mucus should be coming out of your butt.

It's just your new plumbing trying to work out what the hell happened; it should calm down before too long. I seem to recall the same.

Yes, it is possible to pass a small amount of gas from the rectum after a loop ileostomy. While the ileostomy diverts the flow of waste from the intestines into the stoma, the rectum can still retain some gas and mucus. Many people experience the ability to pass gas anally, especially in the initial days after surgery. However, individual experiences can vary, and factors like swelling, gas production, and overall digestive function will influence this. 

Foods That May Cause Blockage (very bad, avoid!)

 

Apples, unpeeled (peeled and applesauce are excellent thickeners; don't eat the skins or the core, chew well)

 

Bean sprouts, Cabbage

 

Casing on sausage (inside fine if no tough parts, avoid swallowing if a chunk is felt). Also, sausage-like meats like pepperoni and salami contain indigestible bits.

 

Chinese vegetables (stir-fried crunchy, too hard, need very soft veggies with no skins)

 

Coconut, Coleslaw, Celery (avoid)

 

Corn (grits also, corn anything doesn't seem to dissolve in the stomach)

 

Cucumbers (skins bad, inside chewed up good seems okay, no seeds)

 

Dried fruit, raisins

 

Grapes, blueberries, etc. (skins and seeds are the problem.)

 

Green peppers (red, yellow also) pureed or very very small seems okay in small amounts 

 

Mushrooms (don't dissolve in the stomach) pureed or very very small seems okay in small amounts 

 

Nuts (totally avoid)

 

Peas (mushy interior okay, like pea soup, skins a problem)

 

Pickles (skins a problem, inside if chewed up good seems okay, seeds not)

 

Pineapple (liquid okay, mushy parts fine, hard parts not, rather risky as parts of mushy may not digest)

 

Popcorn (totally avoid)

 

Relishes and olives

 

Salad greens (diarrhea nightmare too)

 

Seeds and nuts (avoid)

 

Spinach (doesn't digest, pureed perhaps)

 

Tough, fibrous meats (for example, steak on the grill, well done, tough parts especially, over grilled chicken or dry pork chops. Juicy grilled or pan-fried chicken, shredded pork in juices, medium rare steaks, hamburger better.)

 

Vegetable and fruit skins (any avoid)

 

Whole grains (no grits, rolled oats oatmeal seems to be okay, oat cereal is an excellent thickener)

 

Foods That May Cause Gas or Odor

 

Alcohol, Apples, Asparagus (stink), Bananas, Beer, Broccoli (clog hazard)

 

Brussels sprouts (clog hazard)

 

Cabbage (clog hazard)

 

Carbonated beverages

 

Cauliflower, Cheese, some types

 

Corn (clog hazard), Cucumber

 

Dairy products

 

Dried beans and peas (clog hazard)

 

Eggs (don't digest in the stomach)

 

Fatty foods, Grapes

 

Fish (cooked salmon in small portions may not, nor stink, same for raw tuna)

 

Green pepper (red and yellow also, clog hazard)

 

Melons, Onions (clog hazard)

 

Peanuts (clog hazard), Prunes

 

Radishes, Turnips

 

Soda and sipping using straws (drink from glass instead)

 

Seafood (oh God, does it stink!)

 

If you're having pancaking issues, a small amount of something above (like having a soda during a meal) could introduce some air into your diet and thus into the bag. Also, by avoiding too many thickening foods by themselves which often contribute to pancaking.

 

Foods That May Help Relieve Gas and Odor

 

Buttermilk, Cranberry juice, Parsley

 

Yogurt with active cultures (Greek yogurt)

 

Foods That May Cause Diarrhea (looser or more frequent stool)

 

Alcohol (including beer)

 

Apricots (and stone fruits)

 

Beans, baked or legumes

 

Bran, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts

 

Cabbage, Caffeinated drinks

 

Chocolate

 

Corn (in my experience, corn anything doesn't digest in the stomach, just passed through and out, kernels/popcorn will clog)

 

Deep Fried meats, fish, poultry (KFC, supermarket rotisserie chicken very bad, and anything soaked in brine)

 

Fruit juice: apple, grape, orange (small amount okay)

 

Fruit: fresh, canned, or dried (small amount okay)

 

Glucose-free foods containing mannitol or sorbitol

 

Gum, sugar-free, Licorice

 

High-fat foods, High-sugar foods

 

High salt foods (KFC, supermarket rotisserie chicken)

 

Highly seasoned foods (like blackened)

 

Milk and dairy foods (small amounts okay)

 

Nuts or seeds (bad, clog hazard)

 

Peaches (stone fruit, one rarely okay)

 

Peas, Plums (stone fruit)

 

Prune juice or prunes

 

Soup, Spicy foods

 

Sugar-free substitutes

 

Tomatoes, Turnip greens/green leafy

 

Vegetables, raw

 

Wheat/whole grains, Wine

 

Rice (very soft 1/4 cup mixed in food okay), refried beans (1/4 cup okay), pasta (one cup max).

 

Any foods soaked in brine or deep fried (rotisserie chicken, Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc)

 

Solent nutritional meals 

 

Foods That May Help Thicken Stool

 

Applesauce (unpeeled apples, no cores)

 

Bananas, Barley (when OK to have fiber)

 

Cheese (processed cheese food a clog problem, use real cheese)

 

Dried Chinese Crispy Noodles (severe thickening, mix with other food that causes diarrhea)

 

Marshmallows

 

Oatmeal (when OK to have fiber)

 

Pasta (sauces may increase symptoms) (in my experience, more than a cup of pasta causes diarrhea)

 

Peanut butter, creamy only, nuts clog (may make skin greasy)

 

Potatoes, no skin (skin clogs, more than a cup may cause diarrhea)

 

Pretzels (salty may cause more flow water consumption)

 

Metamucil, mix or crackers (mix in a cup of water and drink before it gels up)

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Since you're only a couple of days out, your stoma is very swollen and you need to watch what you eat. Start with slow, easy-to-digest foods. Mushy stuff. Being that swollen, you can easily get a blockage if you're not careful. Also, your output is going to be very different for the first couple of weeks, and your output will also be slow until your stoma normalizes and your body adjusts. Just be careful and take it easy.

Yep - 4-year ileostomate here and occasionally I experience "fartlettes" as I call them… they make me giggle…

As a kid, Mom would say, "Lay down and put your butt in the air." Not sure that would work today with the new equipment…

It'll most likely dissipate and hopefully not be a problem as you adjust… jb

 

Hmm.. interesting, I'm just wondering where that gas could be coming from?  I'm over four years into my ileostomy, and have never had any gas pass through my bum.  I have what is called a rectal stump, that ends where my bowel used to be.  I will sometimes feel like I'm about to have a fart, but it always turns out to be some mucus that is waiting to get out.

Terry

Yep.  There I was sitting on the couch about a week post op.  Felt the urge to "pass a little gas."  Forgot my butt was no longer connected to the colon.  What...a... mess.  For about 6 months, I constantly reminded myself.... "butt is disconnected."