Dealing with Sudden Increase in Watery Illeostomy Output

I have had an illeostomy for almost 7 months. I have not had too many issues recently and was just getting into a groove. Two days ago I woke up nauseous and within 2 hours was emptying a full bag of watery output. I made sure to take sips of water throughout the day but was emptying way more than usual and felt awful...no pain, just nausea and the excessive watery output. It stayed about the same yesterday as well, a lot of very watery output. I did notice that right after eating I felt better for a bit and would get sorta chunky output, but then as soon as my food was excreted, more watery output came. I figured that meant it wasn't a blockage. My husband got chills, sweats, and body aches the first day I was sick as well but he said he didn't have tummy issues.  Neither of my kids are sick, so I wonder if it could be something we ate.  Well, today I went to an infusion clinic to get IV fluids, because I was starting to have symptoms of dehydration. I felt great today and the watery output slowed a little, but this evening I started feeling a little nauseous again and I am still more watery than usual. 

Anyone had similar issues?  I am just so unsure of when to go in.  I cannot afford to go to the ER, especially if it is just a tummy bug. I don't know that urgent care would do much other than maybe an IV and antinausea meds.

Hello rebrur2.

Thank you for bringing up this recurring problem, which is common and not just applicable to people with stomas. 
How do we tell the difference between the causes of this phenomenon?  ‎Chronic Diarrhea? · ‎Traveler’s Diarrhea? · ‎Norovirus ?· ‎Gastroenteritis? etc., etc.
The answer is that most of us don't ever know. If the problem clears up in a few days, then we think it must be something we ate or a gut bug. If it continues, then we often seek medical advice and get prescribed something for it.
The statistics on pharmaceuticals often indicate that there are billions of pound/dollars spent on medications for tummy troubles by humans every year. 
I am inclined to question whether this may due to our modern lifestyles and 'artificial' diet, but that's a whole new discussion. 
Sorry I don't have anything more practical to offer  on this subject except to say that you are obviously not alone with the question you pose. 

I do hope you get well soon.
Best wishes
Bill 

I suffer from rapid transit, so anything I take by mouth comes out within approximately 15 minutes. Which meant when I could still eat solid food that I started suffering from malnutrition... Which to me initially sounded absurd, as I was not exactly slim...
But after many years of high output, I soon had to change to a high volume bag as the ordinary ileostomy bags were causing way too many trips to the bathroom.
And it sounds like you are experiencing what I once did: a little bit gets thickened up followed by watery output, which is what used to happen to me.
As for picking up bugs, I have found that because I have an ileostomy and my immune system is basically fairly useless, I tend to catch a lot of bugs, and stomach bugs do tend to be more severe than if my husband gets a stomach bug.
But I have also had stomach bugs while my husband didn't, but he did have a bug. I wonder if it is possible for us with an ostomy bag to be more vulnerable to bugs.
A stool sample is very helpful to discover if you actually have a bug in your gut, so if it continues, make an appointment with your doctor and ask if they can do a stool sample. That's one way to figure out if you are dealing with a bug or not.

All the best, Gracie

You could have a partial blockage causing your nausea and excessive watery output. Be sure to drink plenty of water so you don't get dehydrated. And if the problem persists contact your doctor.

It does sound a bit like a bug. It is possible for the same bug to hit people differently. But how do you know for sure? As Bill so eloquently put it, you don't. 

If you are otherwise healty and it continues, go see your GP. Watch out for signs of dehydration as you are already doing but no need to make an ER  or urgent care visit unless you need fluids. 

Any urgent symptoms need to be treated as such of course. A blockage would cause significant pain. But you are still passing the food you eat so a blockage seems unlikely.  

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

I can only take a guess; it could have been food poisoning, even though you all ate the same thing. At times, only one person can be affected, or it might be a stomach bug, blockage, adhesions... If it continues for more than a week or keeps coming and going over time, see a doctor. If you start having blackouts, see a doctor immediately. Drinking just water by itself is the worst thing you can do with an ileostomy, even more so with a dodgy tummy. It will come out almost as fast as it goes in, making you even more dehydrated. Add something to the water, drink tea, coffee, milk, avoid fizzy drinks. Coconut milk is really good to help with hydration, and celery juice.