Hydration Challenges After Colon Removal

Another item to try that will hydrate is Italian ice that you can buy in the grocery store. I usually buy Luigi's Italian Ice because it has natural sweeteners and it tastes really good. They have different flavors, so you can pick the ones you like. It makes it a little more fun to stay hydrated. Hang in there! You'll make it.

I was taught to drink 8 glasses a day, my goal. As a hiker, (Preop) I would nearly pass out from dehydration. Developed kidney stones, bilaterally. My dietician gave me a few recipes for mixes. I use 1/3 Gatorade to 2/3 H2O, easiest. No more dizziness. Remember to sip, not gulp. Chugging only fills the pouch faster. No colon to hold water in reserve (think camel). Paging Dr. Poop, stat! Yikes! It's running down my right leg (ileostomy).

Ben, You are correct. Gulping just bloats your bag. Mayo told me 8 glasses a day. Hydration mixes, as our Ostomates say, will increase your absorption rate, a lot! I have MS and get dizzy easily. Since sipping my mix, no problems.

Terry,

I sometimes have that problem too. What works for me is having something like rice, potato chips, or popcorn in my stomach to help slow the process and allow for more fluid absorption. Hope that helps.

Best of health,

SharkFan

My PCP said that things other than water and electrolyte drinks count toward hydration. He mentioned watermelon as an example (but I don't have fridge space for that) and agreed that the Kirkland sipping bone broth was a good addition for hydration. I've tried other bone broths and didn't like any of them, but Kirkland (Costco) is actually good. Most days I have a 16 oz. insulated glass of it.

Tips on Hernia Prevention with Collin | Hollister

Go to Costco Pharmacy; you have to ask for Imodium, but they have it, and it's cheap.

It helps to get salty foods in your diet in addition to the water if you have an ileostomy. I was constantly dehydrated after first getting mine too. Since I was going through chemo for breast cancer, I got a lot of extra support in this area, and they arranged a liter of IV fluids once a week with treatment.
To stay hydrated otherwise, I would sip on electrolyte beverages all day. I got a variety of packets to try out different things—liquid IV, Drip Drop, Nuun, and another called LMNT, which was especially salty. I also experimented with making a homemade concoction of lemon or lime juice, salt, water, and a bit of honey.
Salty broths are also good if you want something different and more savory.
I had a huge craving for juice when I got out of the hospital, but the sugar only increased my output and didn't help with hydration. So I would dilute it with a lot of water and add some salt for fluid retention.
They told me to aim for 80 ounces of water a day. It might be more for you. It was important for me to space that out and sip on beverages throughout the day.

Also, eating foods that helped thicken output was important to staying hydrated.

Ahh you're saying I can walk into Costco without any type of membership there? And ask the pharm for it?

Hated milk all my life. I force down 1.5 glasses of skim a day and supplement calcium with yogurt and Tums. Doesn't keep well on my warm summer hikes. Xnine's 5-minute mix would take me half an hour to make. Tried green tea, yuck. My tour guide in Hangzhou got angry at the tea farm. I told her it tasted like my stoma's output (hee, hee). Loved West Lake and the Temple of 1,000 Buddhas. I'll stick to Caitlin's choice: Gatorade and water. $7 makes me about 7 glasses. Quick and no cleanup.

There is a specific product for our community: https://mrcolitiscrohns.com/what-is-hydrostomate/?fbclid=PAdGRleAMsH4FleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpxCaxi4vphalNkd5c1Gq3t7tDwiaOaafeQcBgCNK0QX3eV_fKkWt_G07KbO9_aem_KkXaEdKLVP9kXU2jCrUxMQ

Pretty sure you need a membership card.

What kind of hydration mixes would they be equal to Gatorade Zero? I like the idea of sipping.

Yeah. Wasn't sure about Costco and that other store, BJ's.

Membership fees kind of blow the savings and effort, don't you think?

Hi Ostomy friends, I'm Marsha, (age 77) a long-time member, and I have had my ileostomy for more than 60 years, since I was a kid of 15. I never had digestive or dehydration issues until about 3 years ago. When the body starts to "disintegrate," system by system, one loses sight of what's "normal." That differs from person to person. I currently see about 14 doctors (4 orthopedists, hand, foot, knee & back since they "specialize"). I have kidney disease, a nephrologist, am diabetic, see an endocrinologist, have liver disease, a nephrologist (due to Hep C from long ago blood transfusions), pulmonary (asthma), GYN, a doctor for chronic anemia, a urologist (due to bladder nerves cut during final surgery to remove the rectum), and a cardiologist because it's advised. Add a few others, "just for fun" (therapist). My point is that each condition and each medication causes different actions or reactions. For example, I have "dry eye," so why do my eyes run so much? Because the water leaves the eye instead of staying in the eye. Eye drops are of no use. So very confusing. Years of undiagnosed "runs" caused severe dehydration requiring hospitalization. Kidney disease and many meds required me to drink a lot of fluid, mostly water throughout the day. Sometimes, there's no easy answer. As my gastro doctor tried to explain, without a large intestine, the body does not produce the same amount and types of enzymes to digest foods properly. After 60 years without real issues, my body's ability to digest foods changed drastically. When I was put on an antibiotic after having a tooth pulled, the excess "runs" were abated. A real conundrum! Many previous tests showed negative results for foreign bacteria. I implored my gastro doctor to find another medication that mimics an antibiotic (because one can't stay on that permanently), and after three years of a living nightmare, we found a medication that controls most of the symptoms. After 3 years of sleepless nights, soiled linens, midnight showers, etc., I'm enjoying some newfound peace, at least for this one issue. I'm now able to slowly add some veggies back into my diet. But drinking enough water is important for those without a large intestine. What's "normal" for one person is not the same for another. Best of luck to all. Life can be a challenge.

I have Vidrate (in the UK) in water - the electrolyte balance. I also find coconut water to be good at hydrating. Vitamin C powder in water seems to help me. I also have cans of kombucha that I'll have a shot of. Though I don't have a colon, it seems to thicken my output. Also, yogurt with kefir or a kefir drink seems to thicken my output. And the 1/2 orange at halftime in football - I squeeze the juice and drink that.

I hadn't realized until recently that some foods draw water into the small intestine - so I guess that contributes to dehydration. I think it's carbohydrates. I'm seeing a dietitian in October who, hopefully, has practical experience working with people with ileostomies.

Something to be aware of is that there is a diabetes-like condition that is caused by PTSD. Many of us are likely to have some level of PTSD after what we might have gone through in the hospital. And during what can be years of physical recovery. In the UK, people with sugar spikes get put in the diabetes club because this seems to be how they diagnose diabetes. I did ZOE (though it's not recommended for sensitive intestines). I had a blood glucose monitor on my arm for 2 weeks and logged everything I ate on the ZOE app - so I could see that while my blood sugar spiked outside the normal range, it also returned to normal in less than 2 hours. Diabetes is when it takes longer than 2 hours to return to normal. (Different countries might have different 'normals'.) Diabetes, as far as I can see, is about the response to insulin or the production of insulin. I just say this because people have mentioned zero versions of drinks - which can be healthy or not depending on what is used to sweeten them and what theories/research you look at. So if people are avoiding sugar because they've been told they have diabetes based on sugar spikes in blood tests, then it's probably a good idea to do some research. My doctor agrees with me that I'm right about not having diabetes and it being due to PTSD (diagnosed), but I still have to be in the diabetes club because that's the rule.

Other factors that spike your blood sugar can be dehydration and infection.

Keeping your output a good consistency - not too watery - helps. I use a banana or mashed potato to help my output be a good enough consistency for the nutrients to spend enough time in my SI to get absorbed.

I think that something I see here repeatedly is that we all have different responses and have to trial and error to find what works for us. It's difficult if you're tired or dizzy or have brain fog. Lots of good support and suggestions from lived experience on here. I didn't know about the lowering of blood pressure. So much to learn.

If you got to 81, you must be doing something right.

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Are you able to get TPN for supplemental hydration?

Yeah, RX for loperamide by insurance will vary. Sucks yours doesn't cover it. Mine does (fortunately). It also relieves me (here in the US) of the painful blister packs that the OTC loperamide comes in. Given that to make things work with my ileostomy I'm taking about 4 a day, it would be a lot to pay for it OTC, so I feel your pain.