Thickening Watery Ileostomy Output Without Beads

Does anyone know of a way I could thicken my watery, normal diarrhea-type ileostomy output in my bag without using the beads which people have recommended?

I was wondering if I could use gelatin? I have attempted googling this, but I got no results.

Surely people had a method of doing so in the past before these beads, which gel up your output, were invented? Especially since I cannot eat anything which could thicken my output - as the risk of bowel obstruction is too great, and eating solid food gives me incredible pain...

I think gelatin is worth a try. Sounds very innovative to me.

You might try it in another container first. Just in case it will block up your bag.

Hello Gracie Bella.

As with almost all stoma problems, it is usually a matter of experimentation to see what works best for each of us.
There are a myriad of concoctions on the market for thickening and softening stools and their effects are slightly different for each individual. Sometimes, using something that seems counter intuitive might do the trick.  
My fall-back product is usually Metamucil, which I mix in a drink. This tends to make my output more of a sludge, which for me is neither liquid nor hard.
I hope you find a solution soon.
Best wishes

Bill 

Thanks, Bill

I am hoping that my stoma nurse will allow me to use some form of thickening agent in my bag, as I am unable to eat solid food. Even when I could still eat normal food, we never managed to thicken my output.
I guess because I have so little bowel remaining and have rapid transit, which means if I eat or drink something, it comes out the other end usually in 15 minutes or so.
Lately, I have gotten a little bit more active, as herbal medication is helping me by keeping it under my tongue and allowing it to be more quickly absorbed - and I cannot stand the sloshing sounds which my bag makes.
There was a time when I slept 20 hours a day. Now, having been put on medical marijuana drops, I have been able to drop my palliative pain medication, so I am no longer as sedated as I once was.
And while this gives me joy, I am a little scared that it won't last.
However, I am not going to focus on what-ifs. I had hardly any quality of life, and this has changed slightly for the better. So I will continue to cling to hope.

I think trying to experiment with gelatine is a good idea. My output is fairly much the consistency of water - so I could just use water and see what happens. Especially if I use water which is body temperature!!
It's worth at least trying!
My stoma nurse is currently the only stoma nurse at my hospital, as the other one is apparently on sabbatical, or so I was told, so she is very busy and she hasn't answered my email yet.

I am not the most patient person in the world. Unfortunately I'm impulsive. As well as stubborn.....

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

The very fact that you are impulsive and stubborn - is keeping you together!

Hug

J

Why not try to do it naturally with the foods you eat? Eat squash. That will do it. Squash soup. Canned pumpkin. Some say bananas will do it. Peanut butter.

Immodium helps me thicken output. It's been highly suggested by many here.

It's definitely a "whoaaa!" plop exhaust. Can you try that?

Since you can't eat solid food and your output is so liquid, maybe a urostomy bag would help with the splashing sounds. 

I'm using one from coloplast that fits the sensura mio baseplate. It has some internal chambers to divide up the liquid. It sits flatter and I don't get any real splashing sounds or feelings. 

Your output would have to be literally water because the outlet is very small and would clog easily. Capacity seems large to me compared to what I've got for my colostomy.  So it might work if you want an alternative to thickening 

Not sure if it will work for you, but applesauce works really well for me

It may be worth my asking, but do urostomy bags have filters?

Yes, I sometimes have one or two tablespoons of apple sauce, however it only thickens up a tiny bit, the rest will be all brown water....

Loperamide doesn't work at all on me. When I first got my ileostomy, which was completely wrong because I have had my ileostomy for almost 29 years (guess I miscalculated that one), the doctors couldn't understand why it wouldn't work. At one point, they made me swallow 20 capsules, but that didn't work either! John went to the pharmacist to find out that it basically is the equivalent of 1mg of morphine when I was already on 450mg of morphine a day - and that didn't even slow my gut down.
I was put on Somatostatin / Octreotide, which although it slowed it down, it stopped my pancreas from working...
Grrrr.... Side effects!!

And now I cannot eat solid food. It causes too much pain. Plus, it's not worth risking another bowel obstruction because I will not survive another operation....

I get the feeling my stoma nurse doesn't want to give me those pearls that thicken up the output in my bag - as I have only been using the SenSura bags since before Christmas, and a smaller bag would not work for me having rapid transit.... I'd probably need to empty a smaller bag every 2 hours??
I can't take any thickening agent by mouth as it causes so much pain also.... Plus, it tends to just thicken up a little bit, like a plug, and the rest will be like water....

Sometimes I dislike my gut enormously.....

 

G-Day Gracie, eat more rice with your foot, or make a good stew with lots of potatoes, try bananas and all the types of food that will thicken your output. Regards, IGGIE

She can't eat solid food, my friend.

As Warrior pointed out, I sadly cannot eat solid food. Eating anything causes me so much pain that I have simply decided it is not worth it. When I did eat food, it would come out within sometimes less than 15 minutes, looking like it could be eaten again, completely undigested.
Also, I lost all my IV access, so if I were to eat something and end up with another bowel obstruction, I would be a goner. As the likelihood that I will die on the operating table is 98%, no surgeon would try and risk it. So it would probably mean I'd have 6 very painful weeks to live....

And the reason behind the quick output "right through you" is because of short bowel, correct? SBD, correct?

No filters on my urostomy bags. I haven't ever seen one with a filter so you'd have to drain the gas out. You might be able to burp it... that's not something I've tried with the urostomy.  

That would be rather difficult, as I can not eat solid food. So I am basically stuck between a rock and a hard place!!

Immodium / Loperamide does not have ANY affect on my gut. My doctors gave up on that idea a very long time ago. Especially since at the time was also on 450mg of morphine a day.
I am now on a different opioid, on a palliative dose, and while a 'normal' person would become completely constipated on even a small fragment, my gut just works way too fast.
Which is why my doctors now resort to only giving me liquid medications, as the majority of pills / tablets just wash out of me, completely undigested.

Still, I have had this for so long perhaps I just have to accept that there is not much that can be done.

I was diagnosed with having rapid gastric emptying about 15 years ago. Nothing I ate was digested... It just took a very long time before doctors actually believed me.
I started suffering from very bad malnutrition, which caused me to lose my teeth. At the time, I was so angry, as I had only ever had one filling until then... The hospital did get me dentures. Unfortunately, because I feel nauseous a lot of the time, I find it almost impossible to wear them.
But, since my husband and my friends do not care if I wear them, I am perfectly fine without them.

Since you have been diagnosed with "rapid gastric emptying," loperamide is not suitable for it; somatostatin is the preferred advanced medication. Since it messed up your pancreas, that ruled it out. A thickener sold in New Zealand that you might try is "Precise Sachets" — not designed for use with ileostomy effluent, but it may be worth a try:

https://www.eboshealthcare.co.nz/catalogue-products/nutritional-support--dysphagia/dysphagia/thickening-powders/precise-sachets-4.7ml/

The loss of IV access should not make you a goner. Surgery could still be performed using a central venous catheter (CVC) — it is often used in major/high-risk surgeries or for patients with poor IV access.

I know this because after being in the hospital for a long time and having blood taken once or twice daily, every day my peripheral veins stopped being accessible — the hospital had to install a PICC line. I asked my surgeon if I were to require surgery, would they use the PICC line. He said no, they would use a CVC instead — it can be inserted into the jugular, subclavian, or femoral vein.

Hi there. I have an ileostomy, so my output is ridiculous.

As you know, there are foods that help thicken output (carbs), but you've indicated you have problems with that. My colostomy nutritionist and my stoma nurse both recommended a smoothie high in carbs, which is easily digestible for ostomates. I've been using it daily for 3 years, and it works incredibly well. It is also full of nutrients, which can be difficult for us to get from regular food as we have poor absorption. I use a Bullet blender. I make my smoothie with 1/2 milk, one small yogurt, a handful of frozen fruit or half a banana, and one scoop of powder.

I buy it from Amazon for $49 CAD. It comes in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

Whatever you do, DO NOT use protein powder. There is too much roughage in it without carbs; ostomates have problems properly digesting and absorbing proteins. It will just run through you and into the bag.

Here is a link to the powder. Remember, it is a high-carb powder, which is what you need.

HULK - Clean Mass Gainer (Chocolate Ice Cream, 3lb)

https://a.co/d/9mE7jb9