Need advice on gaining weight with an ileostomy

Hello everyone,

I have been on here for around a year, but I don't think I have ever posted.

I am now 25 and have had an ileostomy since I was 7. It has been a very interesting journey through life, but each time I bounce back.

I have always had issues gaining weight, which over the years has led to issues with my confidence and problems with my ex-girlfriend.

I'm now sadly single again and in need of building my confidence up, so my plan is to go to the gym and try to gain some weight.

My doctor has given me some Imodium to slow my gut down and maybe help retain some nutrients from the food I eat.

Does anyone else have any ideas on how to gain weight?

If anyone has any questions for me, please just ask.

Rob

Hi Rob,

Pleased you finally came on to post. It's always nice to see young people joining in the blogs. Well, about gaining weight, did you say? Lol, I'm trying to lose some, but here we go. I suggest you try eating some luscious donuts and chocolate. Lol, I can think of lots of things to eat to gain weight, but first of all, it's what you like to eat. Try eating more carbohydrates, protein, and dairy products. And if you're going to the gym, these carbs and protein will help you gain weight. Pasta is good, and try drinking milkshake drinks, which, as a dairy product, should help. I hope some of these ideas are of some help. Good luck with the gym and your weight gain. Tc, Ambies.

Thank you for your response,

It makes people laugh when you say "I want to gain weight" and that I am going to the gym to do it.

I need to find the bottle to get to the gym now I have signed up,

I wonder how many young people are on here at the moment?

Rob

Hi, I think you're going to be fine when you get to the gym. Just go there and get on with it. You're as good as anyone else there. There are always a few young ones online at times, it's just whoever's on at the time. I'm sure there are plenty on here you can be friends with. Good luck, ambies.

Hi there Rob, good to see you posting and after reading about your problems with gaining weight and believe me I went through that for so long. I had my surgeries, 3 in 2003 and the fourth in 2006 and always had the problem of trying to put on weight, and my family was getting disgusted with all the stuff I was eating and still no weight gain. About 2 years ago when I would visit my mom she told me later that when I left she would cry because she could see the bones on me.
Well shortly after I started my own diet and the pounds started coming I went from 120 lbs to 160 and managed to hold it there. What I did, I would pour a big bowl of cornflakes, a couple of spoonfuls of sugar, then I would get these small fruitcups and dump that on top of the cornflakes and THEN cover the whole thing with this 18% coffee cream and when I got all that down believe me I was no longer hungry and during the day I would snack on anything edible to keep me going until suppertime and later in the evening I would find something to snack on.
Now Rob, I gotta tell you my family doctor told me to stop and I just ignored him and last year I had to see a kidney specialist and my wife and daughter told them what I was eating and they said , keep it up, now them I believed. So as you can easily see this is not the ideal way to start a day, but it was the way I put on weight and I always said you don't argue with success. Now this is only my way, and a lot of people would disagree with my methods but it may give you something to think about, so take care and I hope you find a way to put on a few pounds, Ed

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Since my ileo two years ago, I have lost a lot of weight, but I have leveled off at a nice 185 pounds. I can literally eat anything I want, but I fill up really fast and I can go for about 7-8 hours without feeling hungry. My advice here is simple: don't solve one problem by creating another. In your zeal to put on weight, you might consume a lot of the wrong stuff which might lead to diabetes. I don't think you need to be fat to become diabetic. Your doctor should be monitoring your condition regularly and perhaps could refer you to a nutritionist. In an ideal world, their advice should lead to good results. For my part, I would not be surprised if an increased dosage of Imodium would lead to some weight gain. Good luck! PB

Thank you for the replies, everyone.

I know different things work for different people. For about 6 weeks, I ate the following example:

Breakfast: Cereal

Brunch: Teacake

Lunch: Chicken, Chips - or Jacket potato

Afternoon snack: Apple

Tea: Sausage Mash Bean

Drinks: Over 2 liters of water and a coffee

Now, after eating all the above for 6 weeks, I lost 3 lb. Haha.

The only thing I didn't do was exercise, so my new plan is to eat the above but also go to the gym. I have been told that because my body doesn't need the food/calories, it will just leave them.

As for the Imodium, when I eat (without the tablet), food can pass through within 1-2 hours max. I don't feel like it is enough time to absorb anything out of my food.

We will see how this goes. My doc said 3 times a day, but I'm only having 1 a day because 3 caused bad stomach pains.

We will see. My first day at the gym tonight.

Thanks again for your responses.

I'm sure you already know this after all the years you have had an ileostomy, but just a reminder to take Imodium before you eat. I have a high output stoma. I take Imodium liquid, codeine phosphate, and lomotil to slow it down, with doctors' advice only. You can take a lot more than the recommended dose of Imodium. There are a few injections you can have as well to slow output down. One you have three times a day, the other one is every 10 to 14 days, but the side effects can make you violently sick for a few hours after having it, and long-term can cause liver damage. You would be better off seeing a dietitian. There are lots of things they can give you to help put weight on. And if it's that bad, there are a few specialist units in the UK that can help with high output. Your consultant has to refer you to them. Good luck with the gym. They're good places for making friends and meeting partners.

Have you tried some of the high-calorie drinks like Boost or Ensure? I take Welchol to thicken up my output. Maybe some of those fiber pills or drinks would help.

Hi Rob,

I am not surprised that you have been losing weight. I had a colostomy in June 2011, and when they reversed it in March 2012, I had a fistula and had to get an ileostomy on April 23, 2012. I am fortunate, though, and just had my ileostomy successfully reversed. Thank God. (Not sure if I should still post on this site, but I hope I can help.) I give anyone who has had an ostomy for a long time a lot of credit. I am normally a positive person, but all the strength I got from people like you was and is invaluable. Thank you.

Now I hope I can help you. I had a very large output stoma that I was dehydrating no matter what I ate or drank. My surgeon had me on Lomotil, a small dosage, but I could take up to 8 per day as needed. That didn't help. My gastroenterologist put me on Cholestyramine Packet, 1 packet 2x a day. It is a powder, and I found the easiest way to take it is mixing the powder in orange juice and yogurt (plain or vanilla Greek is best) until all lumps are gone. It helped slow down my output quite a bit until I started getting nauseous, but it worked! Also, like someone else said, eat pasta. I could not eat the tomato sauce, so I would make a pasta and chicken salad with mayo (cold) or mac and cheese, protein, and also a banana. Pasta, protein, banana, and dairy products every day may help you gain weight.

I wish you the best, and I know at your age it can get lonely, but it sounds like you are a great guy, so it is your ex's loss. Keep working out and take care. God has a special someone just for you.

Hey Rob:
I've had my ileostomy since 2005. I lost 75 pounds. I was able to get my weight back by drinking a high protein drink. I was able to get it at a health food store. After about 6 months, I was back to my normal weight of 175 pounds and have been able to maintain that weight since, 76 years. Give it a try, only one drink a day. Good luck and keep us posted.
Bob