Is it safe to indulge in spicy foods?

Hey.... I am finding it very hard not to eat spicy foods.....

Does anybody eat them and is it safe?

Hello Daniel

Yes, I eat very spicy food and I have got absolutely no problems with it. However, if I eat spicy food for 4-5 days continuously then I start having loose motions.

Best wishes

Jabid

Ok great, you replied pal. I shall try more spicy food in confidence as you're the only person who has replied so far.... This will be your fault if all goes wrong hahaha. Thanks.

Hello Danieldore. Personally I have never been able to eat spicy foods even before the stoma so I tend to avoid them. However, every now and then I will have a taster to see if it still has an adverse effect on me because I have found with other things that my tastes change over the years and some things that I didn't like are not so bad.  My own attitude to food is that if I try it and it doesn't work for me then I'll stop eating it. But it will not stop me trying again at some later date.  Best wishes Bill

Thanks Bill, I had some hot Nando's sauce last night and woke up this morning and I'm okay! Haha, thanks for your reply buddy.

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Yes from me for spicy food as well - maybe a bit gassy afterwards, but as they say, a problem shared is a problem halved... Seriously though - with curry etc, I can't eat rice two days running, as it tends to jam things up a bit. Otherwise, I eat pretty much what I like.

Haha, well pal, it's Saturday night, so it's time for my first curry in around 2 months. I will let you know tomorrow if all goes well....bored of bland food now...it's horrible.

Hi Daniel,

I was 15 when I had my ileostomy...and I'm 67 now....so you can do the math. I adjusted very well to the surgery, but my doctor kept me on a "soft bland diet" while in the hospital. I was a feisty 15-year-old, so when doctors' parents weren't present....I had my first piece of pizza in more than 4 years. It was fine! Trial and error is the best advice I could give you. I eat all kinds of foods, spicy or not, Mexican, Thai, Indian, Italian...etc, and spices don't seem to bother me at all. I do have difficulty with fiber...some foods are more difficult to digest than others, and some foods (raw cabbage, cooked mushrooms) are actually painful as they "come out". I think it's a very individual issue. You have the opportunity to "reinvent yourself", and while the adjustment might be initially difficult, I think of my ostomy as my "badge of survival". I was a kid, I dated, I married, I had two children, I divorced, and in my 40s found myself dating again. I swam in the Dead Sea, snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef, fell on my butt skiing and couldn't get up, and traveled extensively all over the US and the world. Ostomy was never an issue.

Best of luck to you...

Marsha

OK, standing by for a report (not too detailed please (LOL)) of how the curry went!

Hope you didn't start with a Vindaloo - my dad (an old Colonial hand) always swore that Vindaloo was Hindi for diarrhea....

I too enjoy spicy food but in moderation. Once or twice a week is usually okay for me.

Well....I had very, very spicy food and I am glad to say it went down a treat...with around 5 beers and yet still 0 gas and poop was normal.....I love life again now

I'm so pleased that things worked out for you and your spicy food and you kept us informed. This is the road to a happy culnary future. 

Best wishes

Daniel, I have found that with my colostomy, my food habits haven't changed. I do know that the spicy food is only spicy on the way in now, no longer spicy on the way out! Enjoy and slowly add foods to your diet and see how you do with them. Add and subtract as your body suggests! Good luck!

I have had my colostomy for 4 years now. The first couple of years, the bowel movements were loose with eating anything. Now I have solid bowel movements, and spicy foods do not affect me. Watch out for gas-producing foods (beans, etc.), because you will pass gas and be unable to control it. The noise could happen anywhere!!! I was sitting in the doctor's waiting room once when it happened. Very loud and lasted for several seconds. All we could do is laugh. Thank goodness it was in my gastro Dr's office!!!

Wasn't dating an issue? I am married and wondered what and how I would explain that I had a colostomy to my date.

Dating? No, lol. I have been with my girlfriend since I was 15 and I am 24 in Feb, hahaha.

And if I was dating, if I told someone and they went off me, then I knew they would not stand by me through good and bad...best you know before you fall in love...can't get hurt if only dating.

I do

I ended up in the ER for many hours with a very serious reaction in the stoma --- I just met with the stoma nurse this week for something else and was cautioned again about spices. I have an ileostomy but I imagine the tissue is still affected in a stoma....

I grew up as a little Cajun gal, eating all sorts of spicy food. After healing up from my ostomy, I slowly reintroduced all those foods I was used to, including full-spice Cajun dishes. No problems. I guess it depends more on what your system is already used to. I wouldn't push it if you are concerned, and I wouldn't do it every day, but don't let fear hold you back from enjoying your old favorites when you feel like it.

And yeah, the whole gas thing causes me much more grief than spicy foods!

I eat spicy food and just need to be prepared for runnier than normal stuff. The biggest concern is the funky smell. I can clear a building after eating spicy food or seafood! I found some stuff made by a medical supply dealer that helps like a miracle!

What is the name of it - and where do you get it?

It's called Devrom from Parthenon Medical Supplies. They're based in Utah. I just order online. They have both capsules and chewable. I just do the chewable - seems to work better for me. Don't know how I ever got along without them!

I really love Indian food. Do you hear that the food is very spicy? If you eat a moderate amount of spicy food, it is even good for your health :)

I was told when I first got my stoma thirteen years ago to eat and drink whatever you fancy.

And believe me, I do: hot curries, alcohol, beer, wine, cider haha, even the dreaded sweetcorn.