Treating SIBO with an Ileostomy - Experiences?

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Slhall600
May 07, 2022 9:05 pm

Has anyone treated SIBO (small intestinal bacteria overgrowth) with an ileostomy?  If so how?  Thx!

nehamashira
May 14, 2022 6:36 am

Hi there! I am sorry you are going through this. I am wondering if I am experiencing the same thing as well. What are your symptoms? I find that I cannot eat ANYTHING, but particularly anything that has honey, sugar, etc (high carb content) without experiencing an almost immediate outpouring of pain, gas and diarrhea. Especially in the morning. I have an ileostomy and have had it since 2000. However it has only been in the past couple of years that I have noticed a dramatic increase in the gas in particular. I have always had a relatively high effluent output. I tried using probiotics, and my doc did give me a course of flagyl at one point. I suppose I need to go back and revisit this with her. At first I thought that I was developing a wheat intolerance, but this is much more generalized. 

I am a nurse, and will do some research on this. Let me know what you are experiencing. There has got to be an answer. 

Posted by: Karen & Stella
Fay,

I am one of those few people who still have a lot of output at night. However, I suffer from short gut syndrome after seven bowel surgeries that led to the loss of much of my small intestine as well as my large intestine from the initial bowel cancer surgery. It does get better over time as your system adjusts, but an ileostomy can be a challenging adjustment. It's important to connect with a good Enterostomal Nurse - ET nurses who can help you problem-solve over time. It's been five years since my initial surgery, and I had a great visit with a new ET nurse in December. He really helped me with the problem of high output at night. I had been getting up every 90-120 minutes to empty my high output bag because of filling. If I slept for three hours without emptying, I would have problems. My ET nurse helped my husband and me make a nighttime collection system using a Rubbermaid juice container with a handle and my old CPAP hose. This is connected to one of my two-piece high output bags and allows for continual drainage. It isn't pretty, but it has been a real lifesaver. I guess the real message I want to share is to stick with it, find a nurse who you can work with, and together you will find solutions to whatever challenges you face. This website is also an important support for me and others. There is nothing you will go through that others haven't already faced and figured out. There is so much wisdom here. Read the materials they've put together for newbies. There are a lot of great suggestions to use. I hope things get better quickly for you.
Karen