191 Days Carnivore with an Ostomy: Health Updates and Challenges

Hey there, I hope all is well?!

Today is day 191 of Carnivore and I'm still feeling great! My weight loss since June 1st is 36 lbs without exercising or calorie counting. The weight loss has slowed down but not stopped.

I'm using lotion on my skin now because we are so cold and dry in Alberta in the winter, but otherwise, my skin is doing great. My face did rash up in the shower, but I think that's the city adjusting the chlorine in our water, which I'm sensitive to.

My friend asked if I've colored my hair. She said my grey is hardly noticeable anymore! I'm allergic to hair color, so I'm grateful if the grey goes away. My hair is growing fast, shiny, and strong. No more bleeding gums and minimal arthritis pain even where diagnosed. Although I'm going for an X-ray tomorrow on my right thumb as it may be a cyst and not arthritis.

I've been eating more eggs, processed cheese, meat, and hamburger than usual but haven't felt any different other than some gas from the dairy, but it has saved me a lot of money.

In January 2024, I have a pancreatic biopsy followed by a CT scan, but no other procedures are imminent.

I stopped the AG1 because of the expense (and the fiber bothers me), but I still take an electrolyte every day and add salt and creamery butter to every meal.

My ostomy was doing really well until I got sick 3 weeks ago. Since then, I've had a couple of skin rashes and a rare blowout yesterday, which may have been from not snapping my gear closed all the way after my change.

My kids shared their colds with me. Theirs turned into bronchitis, and mine stayed a cold.

After 2 weeks of coughing and blowing my nose, suddenly my neck, shoulders, and hips were too sore to ignore. I ended up with a severe migraine that affected my vision. It was a mirage migraine that reoccurred several times that week. You can't see past the shimmery rainbow to do anything. I need regular adjustments to my neck, shoulders, and hips, but it's so expensive that when I feel good, I don't go. So off I went to Dr. Dave to adjust me over the next 2 weeks. No more migraines, but I need to keep doing regular maintenance.

My cold is almost gone, and I'm looking forward to Christmas baking and decorating once the snot tap turns off. I guess it's better than being stuffed up?!

Take care, everyone.

Terri

What kind of lotion is good for cracked and bleeding hands, with no shea butter? It only happens in winter. Thank you!

I find that Amlactin works best for me. It's not as "greasy" as some others. I like the below, but there are other variations. It keeps me from having to wear gloves when I empty my bag in the winter. :-)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/AmLactin-Ultra-Smoothing-Intensely-Hydrating-and-Moisturizing-Cream-for-Body-4-9-oz/252814470

Daniel

Hello Terri,

Happy to hear you are making good progress and you sound happy. I also hit the chiro once per month for a bit of maintenance; it works for me.

The back of my hands around the knuckles started to dry and crack about 2-3 years ago. I tried several moisturizers, but I had to use them constantly, and they never fixed it. A dermatologist told me to replace all soap with "Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser" on my hands instead of any sort of soap at all, and my hands have been good since. She said only "Cetaphil or QV brand, nothing else." Worked perfectly.

Thanks!

Hey Kittybou, 

My side effect from chemo is cracked heels on my feet and cuticles on my hands. I can crack and bleed easily in the winter if I don't stay on top of it.

I have and use Cetaphil cream, CeraVe cream, or Glaxal base cream. I use it from head to toe in the winter.

Non-scented and all chemicals but very effective. Use sparingly 2x a day or more as a little goes a long way. Keep a light sock or glove on after applying cream whenever you can. Unfortunately, these are quite expensive but they do work. I hope this helps you. 

Terri

Hi Axl

I swear by mine, I would be physically handicapped without him. Have a great day!

Terri

Nice! I can't use any kind of soap or cleansers on my face without rashing up.

Thanks, Daniel

Thank you! 😸🐕‍🦺☃️

Thank you 🐕‍🦺😸

I'm glad you're doing great on carnivore! Keep up the good work! It's definitely worth it.

I have been doing the carnivore way of eating for over 7.5 years, and I definitely feel it if I go off plan. Cheese makes me feel bloated, usually makes my joints ache, and gives me a stuffy nose. I love it, and I eat it occasionally, but I have to be ready to pay for it, lol.

Good luck during Xmas baking time!

I haven't seen that one, but probably because I shop mostly online. Thanks!

Thank you! I'm so happy to find people who are ostomates and carnivores!

I've actually been baking off and on since Halloween lol. If I can cook it or bake it I don't feel like I need to eat it lol ;)

My daughter is just about 6 months pregnant and I cook and bake whatever she craves so I get my fix too lol. Have a great day!

Terri

More and more, I am hearing that carnivore is the way to handle an ileostomy well, and this is very, very difficult for me because it goes against everything I believe in, but I feel like this is correct. The more research I do, and this is just my opinion, it seems to be the optimal way to go. I'm sorry that I didn't do this before; maybe I could've avoided what happened, but the colon is gone, so I can't go back. I just have to look forward, but I admire that you can do this. One thing I will say is that I discovered that I hated the smell of sulfur in the bag from eggs, but I love eggs, which are also carnivore diet approved. If you put, I think it's a tablespoon of white vinegar into the boiling water with boiled eggs—I like mine soft, like seven minutes—the sulfur smell dissipates, so burping the bag is better and cleaning it is better sans smell. I have a friend of a friend that has had an ileostomy for 30 years, and she swears by meat and blended vegetable soups. I don't know if I can give up my curry, coconut milk, turmeric, milk addiction. I love that as a base for veggie soups. But I did get a pressure cooker after this ileostomy, and it has been a godsend for meat dishes. I read that it was very good for people with ileostomy and people who want to go carnivore.

There is a guy that had a small intestine transplant, if you can believe it or not. He swears by carnivore. You can see his blog: http://roarofwolverine.com/archives/412

Hi JVM61,

I'm sorry this way of eating is painful for you :(

One of my BFs is dealing with the same issue. She sees the positive results in my physical and mental health and needs the same results but is struggling with eating anything that isn't a plant. She is not an ostomate.

I was unable to function independently physically after 2 years of becoming an ostomate, and my weight had skyrocketed while trying to eat the doctors' recommended diet.

If I went out at all, I used a cane and/or a wheelchair and was exhausted for days afterward.

Digestive pain after every meal; bag leaks and gas bulges, 5 or 6 full bags of output a day, awake and exhausted at night, severe arthritis in both shoulders, hips, and right thumb, often dizzy and/or headachy, and I had eczema and cracked dry skin issues on top of the weight gain. It was not living but existing.

In Feb 2023, I had a PET scan to locate the rest of the cancers in my body. When the scan came back, all I could see was how big my body was, not the details of the scan itself. I was shocked.

Suddenly, the remaining cancers were a lot less important to me than getting my body strong enough to fight them. A month later, I had lung surgery to remove the bottom third of my left lung, and I hit my highest weight ever at the same time, 194 lbs.

I had to do something, so I decided to try carnivore.

After 6 months on carnivore and daily electrolytes, I am back to being the mother, daughter, and sister I once was. I'm 40 lbs lighter, and I feel I can do anything I need to do physically or mentally. This is great because I'm about to become a first-time grandma in March!

After 2 years of ostomate misery, I started following people who have healed themselves by eating a carnivore diet. They are not ostomates themselves, but the positive results for me, an ostomate, cannot be ignored.

I wish you good luck and good health on your journey.

Terri