The Surprising Benefits of Fiber for Ileostomates

 

Get your fiber! Ya ya whatever... yes, this was my bad (as in attitude). I believe this affliction (bad attitude) happened to me after having surgeries and extended hospital stays. One for a drainage tube, one for an ileostomy, a heart attack, followed by stent placement. Each stay resulted in talking heads directing me to get many prescriptions filled... one word for all these meds and directions... OVERWHELMING... Oh yes, I started out with good intentions to do as told, but it was short-lived. This resulted in failure to communicate and participate. Fortunately for me, with time, research, and this website... I improved.

The one thing I was told and disregarded was to take a fiber supplement daily. I think Metamucil was prescribed. When I
hear "take daily" in reference to meds, a switch turns off in my brain and the devil on my right shoulder makes the "humph" noise. That little devil immediately computed Metamucil as medication. Well, can I blame him? Not for a moment. As we both thought that "M" word taken daily was a medication for diarrhea. So, if output was watery, why would this be helpful? Well, the answer is - It's kinda like a thermos; it can keep things hot or keep things cold... "how do it know? Go ask Alice when she's 10 feet tall. Fiber regulates accordingly.

Anyway, the whole point of this post is to say, ileostomates may need fiber and it has been a game-changer for me. I use Kirkland Signature, a Costco product, which is comparable to Metamucil with orange flavor.

Keeping Bill Withers' wise advice to try my hand at "DIY," I attempted to make some gummy candy from my orange fiber powder. Thinking it would be a nice break from a smoothie. I am no Julia Child or Martha for that matter, and my recipe failed miserably, so it's back to the powder! Bottom (or bag) line is, I do not think it possible to do better than a morning smoothie... jb

I take a fiber supplement, but I take it in pill form. I take psyllium fiber. I really don't know what it does for me, but my doctor said to take it. I used to take Benefiber, but the pills are so big and hard to swallow, and they weren't any better than the psyllium, so I went back to psyllium. I still have watery output, especially at nighttime. So it hasn't done anything to thicken me up at night, at least. I take it three times a day with each meal.

Tried Cheerios? No brand name. Nighttime snack.

Thanks! I eat them almost daily - love them… as a snack when we were young (that would be many moons ago) and funds were limited in a family with four kids, we would fry them in butter. Yum, almost as good as popcorn - and hey, thanks for reminding me - what a great snack when popcorn cravings come around (don't like the husk shells). 🫶🏼 jb

Interesting.  I've previously noticed that Honeynut Cheerios thicken me up when taken as a snack (sans milk).  

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Wondering why you take it in pill form... I cannot take pills - they just rush right through my belly and bounce into my bag in full form... You might want to try the powder form; it makes a huge difference in my output. Just a suggestion. Costco has the best deal, but my Costco only has it with orange flavor - good thing though, I like orange. jb

I take benefiber but I have it in powder form. Put a couple tablespoons in my morning coffee (sadly decaf) and I'm done. It's tasteless and not like taking medicine or a pill. 

I think we get the flavorless benefiber from Sams. 

I don't have a problem with the pills; they don't come out in my bag or anything. The only pill that ever came out in my bag was gel caps of fish oil. They came out in my bag all the time. Gel caps are not for me.

Hi guys,  FYI, psyllium fiber is Metamucil, ie, Metamucil is just a brand name for psyllium fiber.  I think you can even get psyllium fiber in a gummy, if I'm not mistaken, but I don't know what brand makes it.  

Terry

My mom takes fiber gummies. I am always worried about the sugar in it. I avoid sugar if I can. Added extra sugar. Also not sure how a gummy would digest with my ostomy.

Applesauce is a great thickener; it can even stop stoma flow if you haven't eaten in a while, but it has to be eaten with whatever else you're trying to thicken at the same time.

For instance, rice, pasta, wheat, or potatoes come out very liquid, so minimize those. Coffee, tea, and chocolate as well. Also, fried foods and alcohol. Salads and leafy greens seem to stick inside and cause higher liquid flow to get rid of them or something.

Chicken breast, lightly grilled so it's juicy, with cilantro mayo on a toasted bun. No veggies. That's my favorite meal and the least problematic. High in protein.

Good thing there's a Pollo Tropical near me; they see me almost every day. 😋

KFC, brined rotisserie chicken, anyone else's fried chicken, run away bag flow. 😒

I don't eat fried anything. I don't want to deal with the results of that. Not a healthy thing anyway. I am about health as much as I can be. 

Grilled is not fried. True grilling is a healthy way to fix food because the fat drips down into the flames or a collection tray.

Frying involves heating the food along with oil or fat. The food absorbs some of the fat.

My husband was a chef; I get constant lectures on food prep... Looks like I've picked up the habit. Next thing you know, someone will say we look the same...

I have 3 or 4 dry crackers with a glass of wine around an hour before bed time and find it firms things up quite well. I must add that I also take 2 loperamide along with the crackers