I can't stand marshmallows but I know of nothing else to use when changing ileostomy. I will even put it off because I hate them so much. Does anyone know of another alternative that works like marshmallows?
delsontro2
May 11, 2022 7:23 pm
Past Member
May 11, 2022 8:49 pm
Plain potato chips or pretzels work for me. Also, peanut butter on toast the night before change day.
Never understood the marshmallow thing, there's a teaspoon of sugar in each marshmallow, and high-sugar foods always make my output loose (I don't like the taste either).
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lovely
May 11, 2022 8:51 pm
Here is something I found online.
Slowing Output for Pouching Changes
If you are simply asking how to slow down your output so you can change your pouching system more easily, many ostomates do this by eating marshmallows or peanut butter about 30 minutes before the task. Some people will take an Imodium® A-D 30 to 60 minutes beforehand. Other foods that will thicken stool include:
Applesauce
Boiled rice or noodles
Creamy peanut butter
Tapioca pudding
Bananas
Peeled potatoes
Toast
Yogurt
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Hollister
In addition to your pouching system, you may require the use of an ostomy accessory to enhance the performance of your system.
Learn more about ostomy accessories, and when to use them.
Learn more about ostomy accessories, and when to use them.
HenryM
May 11, 2022 9:46 pm
I think eating something -- marshmallows or whatever-- to slow an ostomy discharge prior to changing is the wrong approach to it. I simply don't eat anything after 6 PM the day prior to changing and I almost never have discharge when I change the following morning. Of course, I've got it down to only a few minutes with the appliance off before I've cleaned the area and put on the new one. But still, it seems to me that trying to artificially stop discharge for changing is silly.
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Bees
May 11, 2022 10:55 pm
Of course you could take a couple of shots of whiskey before changing. Then you won't care what happens.
Just a thought
Abefroman1969
May 12, 2022 12:36 am
I went a little crazy with the bananas, had to practically milk the output out of my appliance. Very, very effective. I had to rinse my appliance out several times to get rid of it. That was a first!
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Abefroman1969
May 12, 2022 8:37 pm
Yikes is right, I've had pretty much nothing but watery output since I got the ileostomy other than a couple days when I still had a caretaker at my house, since I'm still in the hospital I was loading up on the bananas because the menu isn't all that tasty, clearly I overdid it, I really like my Coloplast products but that built-in filter wasn't really letting much pass, I now know firsthand what pancaking is, it eased up but I had a few potatoes with breakfast and just had the same issue, love the clean appliance after the rinse but am concerned about the adhesive breaking down, Saturday is next change day if I make it that far. I gotta ask my home stoma nurse if Coloplast makes an appliance without that huge filter in it. I have to switch to Hollister after this one as that was all I had left in cut to fit left at the house. The Hollister doesn't have the giant filter but also doesn't release any gas and I have lots of ballooning with their products, the hospital nurse did give me a box of transparent cut to fit if I run out of opaque while I'm in here, luckily I brought my fake stealth belt with me so I don't have to look at the transparent appliances, I absolutely hate the transparent appliances, don't care who makes them. I'm gonna buy an actual stealth belt once I get sprung from the hospital, no idea when that will be, today is day 7 of this stay with no end in sight. At least I have great nurses and hospital drugs
Past Member
May 13, 2022 12:20 am
Day 7 of this stay with no end in sight! I'm so sorry, Paul. You are definitely looking on the bright side when you say "At least I have great nurses and hospital drugs."
delsontro2
May 15, 2022 3:53 am
Thank you! This I will try! I have tried the bananas, peanut butter, rice, potatoes but the only thing that works is the marshmallows. Thanks again.
delsontro2
May 15, 2022 3:53 am
Thank you! This I will try! I have tried the bananas, peanut butter, rice, potatoes but the only thing that works is the marshmallows. Thanks again.
moonshine
May 16, 2022 2:07 pm
So I change my pouch every Sunday morning. And when I say morning, it's usually 4:30 AM. So on Saturday, I cut off my food intake around 1 PM. Then around 2 PM, I drink 4 tablespoons (a full measuring cup that is included) of Milk of Magnesia - I then drink 2 servings of herbal tea and cut off my liquids around 4 PM. The M/M works with the small intestine just as it would if I had a colon. The result is complete emptying of the bottom portion of my small bowel. It might seem extreme, but by the time the morning rolls around, I am pretty empty and there is no output left to disrupt my changing the pouch. I have cleared this with my GI specialist and swear by the results.
RoanokeVirginiaArmyBrat
May 16, 2022 6:03 pm
I do like you, Henry. Don't eat after 6 pm the night before. I empty my pouch about 5:30 am, go back to bed for awhile, then get up to change. I don't drink my coffee until Bertie (my stoma's name) has a new barrier and pouch. I would never wait until I've eaten to change.