Seven months with an ostomy: Safe foods to eat?

It has now been seven months with an ostomy. My question is, what can I safely eat?

You should be able to eat pretty much anything you can tolerate. You should introduce only one new food at a time. Keep a diary of foods you try; there are apps that enable you to record your foods. Blockages are your primary concern.

• Increased risk of blockage (harder separation) Ileostomy only: mushrooms, asparagus, beans, cabbage salad, coconut, corn, dried fruit, grapefruit, peas, pineapples, nuts, oranges, popcorn, raw carrots, raw green vegetables, unpeeled tomatoes.

• Some examples of foods that can cause blockages are: apple peel, raw cabbage, celery, Chinese vegetables, whole kernels, coconuts, mushrooms, oranges, nuts, popcorn, corn, dried fruit, hot dogs/sausages, pineapple, and skins from fruits and vegetables.

Many of these foods you can safely eat, but you should cautiously introduce them into your diet and always chew well—chew up to 60 times.

Define "safely." If you were given an ostomy because sections of your bowel were diseased, strictured, or twisted and those sections are now removed, you should be able to eat anything. If you had cancer and sections of bowel were removed to stop the spreading, you should probably consult with your doc, but again, if the troubled areas have been removed, you should be able to eat whatever you want.

Depending on what type of ostomy you received, you might find some things give you diarrhea while others constipate. It just depends on how your plumbing was changed. So you'll need to tell us a bit more about why you were given an ostomy and what parts of your bowel were removed.

;O)

Stage 4 colon cancer

Safely was used in regard to blockages. I did not choose to address constipation, diarrhea, odors, etc. I was never able to get a surgeon to state absolutely that I could eat everything. They would only say the ruptured part of my colon and the diseased part of my small intestine were removed. I was told I could eat pretty much anything. He also said each person was different and that I should introduce foods slowly. I viewed blockages as the most serious. I had to speak in generalities due to a lack of specific details.

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Welcome to the site; what foods have you been eating for 7 months? Do you have a colostomy or ileostomy? There are so many on the site that say they can eat anything they want. I am not one of them. I have a problem with fruits and vegetables that others say they can eat and vice versa. Try introducing one food at a time in small portions as Traveler suggested. Remember to chew, chew, chew, stay hydrated, and enjoy your meals.

Colostomy for seven months now.

Thanks R1kirby. You should be able to eat and enjoy most foods with a colostomy. I will suggest that you peel fruits such as apples and pears. Watch out for corn and coconut.

Hi R1,

With the cancerous portions of your colon gone, you should be able to eat anything you want. Some things will be tolerated better than others, but you need to experiment and find your new normal. The colon primarily absorbs water and salts, with your small bowel handling the absorption of everything else. So you might need to supplement your sodium and control your water intake, but otherwise you should be able to order anything on the menu!

;O)