Dealing with Frequent Ileostomy Blockages

Hello Fellow Ostimates,

I've had an illeostomy for 17 months and about 60 blockages since then.  I've asked others if this is normal and most think Not!

I most recently lost 15 lbs in 2 days dealing with surgery induced parastalsis.  Normal weight 155 Usually ~130 Now 120 and gaining.

Hello Bagit. Sorry to see you have still not had any replies to your post. I have been extremely busy in recent weeks and have had to restrict my input to MAO so that I can balance my time between other activities.  Because I don't have an ileostomy, I felt that these were posts I probably could omit replying to. However, I do l not like to see posts which have been neglected in this way so I will try to contribute to what I hope will be other replies. 

As I understand it, an ileostomy usually results in a much more liquid output than a colostomy because there is less colon to absorb the liquid content. This, in theory, should mean that you shouldn't get blockages at all. Thus, it is your second point which seems pertinent in this regard and that is the issues surrounding peristalsis.  

I found it interesting that, when I had severe problems with swallowing food, they gave me tablets called Domperidone. This helps by moving the food faster through the oesophagus. It also shifts it faster through the stomach and the gut. This is so that it does not stay in the same place for too long . It also helps food stop flowing the wrong way up your food pipe (which was part of my problem). I think it works by helping the process of peristalsis work more efficiently. It certainly worked for me and I was disappointed that the doctor would not prescribe it on a long-term basis because I seem to have a lazy gut. 

Having read the contra- indications, they state that it should not be used if you have a 'blockage'. By this, I think they mean something like a stricture or cancerous growth along the food pipe, but I'm not sure. It might be worth asking you doctor whether this would be a suitable solution to your problem.

I do hope you get some more replies to this post as I feel sure that others must have suffered in the same way.  If this doesn't happen, I often find that there are past posts in 'Premium content', which cover all sorts of conditions such as this.

Best wishes

Bill 

Hi Bagit,

Sometimes a warm water bottle and lots of massaging the area around my stoma helps. A hot cup of tea, apple cider or drinking apple juice seem to help move things along. Applesauce if I have it on hand can also help but I noticed if I drink more water everyday I don't get many blockages. I have a colostomy so maybe it's somewhat different for me.