Your body will continue to digest and absorb nutrients in your small bowel. People with a colostomy should eat a healthy balanced diet, the same as most people. Enjoy a variety of foods from each of the five food groups (breads and cereals, vegetables, fruit, meat and alternatives, dairy and alternatives).
Applesauce, Bananas, Boiled white rice, Creamy nut butter (such as peanut butter), Oatmeal/porridge, Gelatin containing foods (jelly babies, marshmallows).
It's best to eat mostly bland, low-fiber foods for the first few weeks after your surgery. Bland foods are cooked, easy-to-digest foods that aren't spicy, heavy, or fried. Eating bland foods will help you avoid uncomfortable symptoms, such as: Diarrhea (loose or watery bowel movements)
Drink sports drinks (such as Gatorade or Powerade) and oral rehydration solutions (such as Pedialyte). These drinks will help replace your fluid loss quickly, especially if your ostomy output is high. A high output is more than 1000 milliliters (about 34 ounces) per day.
Sit-ups and crunches can be uncomfortable with an ostomy bag, also called a stoma bag. They also put strain on your belly area that could raise your risk for a hernia. Try gentle alternative ab exercises like pelvic tilts or knee rolls instead.
Choose fresh fruit juices in addition to water and hot tea. Sometimes carbonated drinks may help. Gently massage around your stoma to try to encourage the blockage to work its way out.
Eat starch carbohydrates such as white bread, low fibre cereals like rice crispies or cornflakes, potatoes (no skins) and white rice/pasta for energy and to help thicken your colostomy output.
Raw vegetables, including salad e.g. lettuce, celery, raw bell-peppers and spring onions. Hard to digest vegetables, including beans like butter beans or green/runner beans, sweetcorn, peas, mushrooms, cabbage, brussel sprouts, spinach, kale and spring greens.
You must still include fibre in your diet. Choose some foods from the following list daily: Wholemeal bread. High fibre cereal e.g. Weetabix, porridge.
One major issue to watch out for with a stoma is the laxative effect of some chocolates. The caffeine and fibre within the chocolate can increase the rate of motility (which is the contraction of the muscles in the digestive tract that encourage bowel movements).
Eat three small meals a day, with snacks in between about 4-6 times per day. Start by eating a light, bland and easily digestible diet. Avoid fatty, spicey or high fibre foods. Drink plenty of fluids at least 6 cups per day (8 cups per day for those with ileostomies)
Skin irritation around your stoma is usually caused by leakage from your ostomy pouch and the output from your stoma getting underneath the adhesive and onto your skin. It is uncomfortable and can stop your pouch from working well. The skin around your stoma should look similar to the skin on the rest of your body.
Once your appetite has returned and your stoma output starts normalising, you can gradually reintroduce more foods. Try to include a range of foods from each of the following food groups to make sure you have a balanced diet: Protein rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts, lentils and beans.
Roast potatoes – enjoy as is. Yorkshire Pudding – enjoy as is. Roasted root vegetables e.g., parsnips and carrots, neeps and tatties: peel them, cook them until soft and enjoy with your favourite flavourings such as honey and spices.
What CAN you eat? There are lots of low-residue desserts, including angel food cake, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, pumpkin pie, lemon bars, ice cream, pudding, canned fruit, etc.
After the first few days after surgery, you can take liquids such as clear soup or juice, followed by easily digestible foods like oatmeal. Gradually thereafter, other foods that will likely be suitable are well-cooked rice, pureed fresh fruit, as well as cooked and pureed vegetables.
Some common complications of stoma include poor siting, parastomal hernia (PH), prolapse, retraction, ischemia/necrosis, peristomal dermatologic problems, mucocutaneous separation, and pyoderma gangrenosum. Each will be discussed separately in further detail.
Make sure that you are drinking plenty of fluids – this can help to soften the stool and reduce any risk of pancaking. Water is the best for hydrating, however, some fruit juices such as prune, apple and grape are effective at loosening stool. Make sure that you eat plenty of fibre.
Facts about gas (if you have a colostomy or ileostomy)
Some foods may also cause wind. These include: Green beans and baked beans. Cauliflower; broccoli; and winter root crop vegetables, such as carrots and beets.
Once home, avoid strenuous activities that could place a strain on your abdomen, such as lifting heavy objects. Your stoma nurse will give you advice about how soon you can go back to normal activities. At first you will pass wind through your stoma and then, usually within 2 or 3 days, you poo through it.
Closed bags may need changing 1 to 3 times a day. There are also drainable bags that need to be replaced every 2 or 3 days. These may be suitable for people who have particularly loose poos.
The best position to sleep in when you have a stoma is on your back, or on your side. If you prefer to sleep on your stomach, this will be fine at the beginning of the night but increases the chances of leaks as the night progresses and your bag fills.