Recovering from Colostomy: Severe Pain Episodes After Eating

Had my colostomy done 3 weeks ago and still recovering. Been having very bad, acute pain episodes, generally after eating something but not always. Pain can go on for 4 to 8 hours and sleep, if I can manage it, is the best cure. I've been attributing these to gas which gets trapped. Is this what you call a blockage? I've tried all sorts of precautions and remedies. Tried Gas-Ex, heating pad, chamomile tea, walking and even my heavy-duty painkiller but nothing helps. On the prevention side, I haven't been all that good but the attacks can happen whether I've had an egg with toast or a juicy hamburger with onion, lettuce, and tomato and yes, Pam, I popped some Beano before eating but that doesn't stop an attack either. So today I didn't eat anything and so far no attack, just the bearable post-op pains.

What I want to know is if this is the same thing or similar to all I've seen on this site related to blockage? And if so, most of the advice I've read on diets is for ileostomies -- I assume that the same rules apply to colostomies? And finally, will these attacks subside with time?
Thanks for any advice you can offer, Carolyn

Hi Carolyn, I've had an ileo for almost 26 years. And seeing how you're only 3 weeks out, it almost seems early to be eating a full meal and not on a limited diet like low residue foods such as soups, yogurts, and pastas. It's good that you're drinking lots of fluids; it all helps to pass poop. Good luck, Ron in Mich.

I can tell you from experience, foods like hamburger (if you must eat one) should be chewed very slowly. I mean to the point where you are spending the better part of 25 minutes or more having one. Same goes for most other solid foods. I would avoid popcorn, corn, thick large steaks, or anything like that.

I bought a product called 'Magic Bullet', and was in the habit of juicing some foods (fresh veggies, fruit, some meats, or anything I thought might pose a problem) as a way of supplementing my mealtime intake. My first two years with my ostomy were real hell until I realized that I could have some control over potential blockages by adjusting my diet. I also drank Ensure or Boost to help maintain essential vitamins and protein.

I have been hospitalized four times with blockages in the early going. I haven't been back for the past three years (knock on wood).

Good luck to you!

Okay... at the risk of sounding like I know zip... which apparently I don't know a lot LOL... I really get confused when I read the posts on here. Some people talk like they can eat pretty much anything... other people it sounds like almost anything they eat gives them trouble.

Is it just different for everybody? Why do some people seem to have so much more trouble?
Is it like someone mentioned one time before... scar tissue?

Just wondering... they say no such thing as a dumb question... Shelia

Sheila Baby, you do know a lot. You know about the things that affected you during your ordeal, and those things relate to a lot of folks.

I had an ordeal with scar tissue the first time I had a blockage (the area around the stoma attached to the abdomen). Doctors are always most reluctant to go back in and dispose of the bad tissue and then re-attach the stoma because, according to my doctor, 'it's like trying to sew tissue paper'. Nevertheless, it was done, as they opened me up at the same place where the initial operation took place, the damaged part of the colon was removed, and I spent another week in the hospital attached to a supposed morphine drip.

It does happen indeed, but for some people, an initial 'ostomy diet' is necessary in order to avoid blockages because of the way certain foods (like corn and raw veggies) break down in our systems. Of course, everyone is different, and maybe not all people with ostomies have these problems. But I would caution against trying to 'pig-out' on any type of food all in one sitting. Chew real good, and skip to a liquid and soft food diet when things seem to get clogged up.

The most important thing is to stay hydrated (something I myself have a problem with, forgetting to drink enough water per day). I have warded off potential blockages by stepping up my water drinking and various other methods that I discovered while surfing the internet on forums such as this.

If gas is causing the pain, then a diet designed to avoid gas is looked into. I wouldn't say that there is an association (gas and blockages), because blockages most often don't produce gas, more of an accumulation of food not willing to pass fully, and indeed if you are passing gas that is a good sign that you're not blocked up completely. Also, painkillers often times slow your motility and cause constipation.

Good luck to all!

Hugs to everybody in here....this site is the best resource for our info and support....So much fantastic advice given in this thread....And yes, we are all different, personally most of my "blockages" as the word we most often use, are actually caused by inflammation in the intestine due to my Crohn's and the passage becomes so narrow from being inflamed that makes for a great deal of pain in the belly, no matter what I eat, or don't eat.........But there are other times I eat too much popcorn or peanuts and such, naughty little Doe has weak control and sometimes friends have had to literally grab stuff out of my hands like a child lmao to save me from trouble later on......No matter what our situation though, I think every ostomate should have a good quality juicer........Which reminds me I need to save my pennies and get another one......They are well worth the investment!

A friend and I both got permanent colostomies 6 months apart due to cancer. The tumors were in almost the same location. She had surgery, chemo, and radiation and has far less tolerance for foods than I do. I only had surgery. Maybe the radiation and/or chemo is a factor.

Hi Travelling Lady - I've had my colostomy almost 2 years now and still can't eat onions; lettuce, and tomato can give me some problem later in the day; even certain ground beef like whatever they use at Carl's Jr. restaurants! Beano can only do so much!

Also, eggs are notorious for gas and odor.

It's always trial and error, but if you are having that much pain, then I say your ostomy is not doing what it should for you (not fulfilling its purpose). If your output is minimal to none, then suspect a blockage. Otherwise, if you have reasonable output, try easy-to-digest foods that aren't so gassy, like bananas, oatmeal, white rice, applesauce, peanut butter, and build up from there.

Also, notify your surgeon about your pain and how long it lasts. I hope this changes for you very soon!

Traveling Lady:
There is a great deal of information available that can help you understand more about blockages and foods. See below:
http://www.ostomy.org/ostomy_info/#ileostomy
http://www.cgh.com.sg/library/english/CGH%20Ostomy%20120309.pdf
The CGH site is very good for covering problems and beneficial foods. I hope this helps you! There is a lot of great information passed on this site. I had my surgery 6 years ago and thank God I have not had a blockage. The one thing you must remember is CHEW, CHEW, CHEW and drink plenty of liquids daily. I believe that's the best advice I received from my doctor and ostomy nurse. I must admit I stray off the good food list, but at the same time, I drink a lot of liquid daily.

Best wishes and I hope this helps.
Bob

Hi Traveling Lady all,

I've had my ileostomy for 45 plus years, and have gone through all types of "pain" issues. At the beginning, I had pains that were sometimes caused by foods. As I eliminated "problem foods" from my diet, I had fewer pain incidents. But about 4 years after my surgery, I started getting regular bouts of pain and cramps in all areas of my stomach, belly, etc. A doctor noted that I seemed to "gulp air" as I spoke. His opinion was that pockets of gas were causing the attacks of pain. After ruling out blockages or adhesions (X-rays), the doctor put me on a low dose of Valium. That seemed to control the "gulping air" during the daytime and night. As I've gotten older, my digestion issues have changed, and more foods cause problems. The doctors think that I probably have scar tissue or adhesions that may be causing some of the problems. I've started to eat slower and eat smaller meals.

Sometimes I feel fine right after eating, but will develop some pain 4-6 hours later, just before the food should be "passing through".

So with all the advice given here, you really have to be the best judge of what you can eat and when. Take it very slow....and add new food and food combinations gradually. Remember, you are still healing....and it can take a long time for your digestive system to adjust.

Best of luck.

Marsha

Hi Traveling Lady,

As my colostomy dates from Aug. of "09 and I had a temporary ileo before that, I will contribute my 2 cents. With the ileo, I was told by the nurses to be very careful with food. With the colostomy, I was told I could eat anything. I never had a lot of pain with either but had problems with difficult-to-digest food coming out of the stoma the way they went in. Such as corn from the cob, blueberries, cherries, mushrooms, tomato. It got better with time and I now eat anything I want. Mind you, my colostomy works like an ileo in that it runs all the time, pure liquid, and I can't irrigate because of that.

Good luck.

Cee

I have an ileostomy and some foods give me bad pain.

It takes time for your body to adapt to certain foods. Stay away from salad (lettuce, tomatoes, etc.). Eat small portions. What I noticed is that a variety of foods help. Everyone is different. I use digestive enzymes and drink alkaline water and orange juice. I am also on a low dosage of morphine and an antidepressant from my doctor, and that has helped. My body is just getting used to this situation, and it's been 7 months. I'm trying to move on emotionally, and it is hard!! Good luck, Butterfly48.

Thank you so much everyone! I believe my pains were due to blockage -- no stool or gas escaping. I ate nothing on Saturday - no pain; soup on Sunday - no pain; and a sandwich on Monday and Tuesday - still no pain. I'm trying to chew, chew and drink lots of liquids but don't want to pulverize my food if I don't have to. As many have pointed out, we are all different. Still it helps to know what people have found to work for them. Right now I'm just concerned about the pain episodes but soon, when I return to work, I will also be interested in amount, consistency and odor of my droppings. I think some of the diet advice is possibly more aimed at these issues... Thanks again and love to all of you, Carolyn

I liked the CGH site -- seems to summarize post-op ostomy diets nicely.    And I think I may have found the culprit in last week's blockage in their stoma obstruction column -- coconut!    Normally not part of my diet but I had a craving for some Thai coconut soup, made a big pot and ate it over several days. Thank you, Bob.