What foods can I eat after ostomy reversal?

Now that your ostomy has been reversed, what specific foods are you eating on a daily basis?

My doctor tells me I can't have anything that has a peel or shell. If it doesn't dissolve in water after about an hour, then I shouldn't eat it. Only soluble fiber stuff.

I'm having a hard time finding a specific list of these types of foods or wondering if certain ingredients in my recipes contain insoluble fiber.

I eat one egg and an English muffin for breakfast with a protein shake. I have had everything from spaghetti, pizza, chicken, pork chops, fish, white rice, mashed potatoes, and even some ground beef for lunch and dinner.

I'm wondering about sushi, potato chips, cookies, and other junk foods that I have been too scared to try. Anyone eat these yet?

I should add that I have not tried ANY veggies or fruit except the small bits in my Activia yogurt. Anyone try hummus yet??

Not to muddy the waters even more, but I had my reversal just a few weeks ago and on the day they discharged me from the hospital, I hadn't been given any specific instructions from anyone.
I was just about to walk out the door when one of the surgeons stopped in, so I asked him...and he said I could feel free to eat whatever I wanted, just make it small meals for the first while.

I have had sushi, potato chips, and fresh veggies. Went for Indian food with friends last night and I had beef, rice, and a few other things I am not really sure of...lol

So far, no issues and no pain.

Well, hi there Fable! Glad to see you are recovering well and are back amongst us!

I've been a real chicken when it comes to adding foods after my reversal.....
I have done fruit like strawberries, bananas, and raspberries with success. Veggies....not so much. Green beans, potatoes, squash....that's about all I am brave enough to consume at this point. I am not a huge fan of broccoli or cauliflower so it doesn't bother me to cut these for now. I've done avocado rolls and dragon rolls in the sushi dept...not really "sushi" but good, nonetheless.

When I spoke to my surgeon last week, he told me to stay away from anything with large peels like apples; or lots of membrane like oranges....other than that, he said I was good to go on just about everything else. But, I don't have a large intestine and residual adhesions for things to get caught and cause blockages, either, like some of the others who have recently undergone reversals. I have done a few potato chips and went out for Mexican food this weekend....had a few tortilla chips and a chicken quesadilla and that fared well. Also a couple of Girl Scout cookies.....but not the Samoas with the coconut in them. I am afraid of coconut as well.

I found a good link for insoluble fiber foods ....
http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/dietary-fiber/insoluble-fiber-sources.php

Oh, and I am also taking 9 Metamucil capsules per day to help with "bulking up" the stools.

Wishing you continued healing and recovery!

Darla

Hi Dave,

I'm amazed that your surgeon didn't provide a list of foods that were preferred during the 4-6 week healing phase. My doc ran down a whole list, but didn't provide it in writing so of course I forgot most of what he said. I'm overjoyed to hear that you've eaten sushi and have had no significant problems or issues. Do you eat raw veggies?

Darla!!
It's great to see you too. I've been reading here. I'll be honest; sometimes the posts here scare the shit out of me. I consider myself extremely lucky that I have not suffered 1/100th of the pain that others experience on a daily basis. My heart just breaks when I read about what others are going through. I haven't posted much because I don't want to rub my small successes in anyone's cyber-face. If you know what I mean. I did find another board on the UOAA site that has quite a few reversal posters. Lots of good info there.

I completely understand your fear of certain foods. I am the same way. Considering I had a partial blockage at the reconnection site and had to have a second surgery a week after the first reversal surgery, I am so very leery about introducing insoluble fiber foods before the 6-week mark. I definitely don't want another blockage or anything that will send me back to the hospital. I was so scared when I had that bout of constipation. You mentioned Mexican food... I live in NM where there is real CHILI (not chile sauce ha ha ha!!) and had a small bite of my famous red chili beef enchiladas for my husband's birthday. I did ok, but it was just one bite. I miss chili so much!!

Wow! 9 Metamucil pills per day?! I bet that really gets things moving, doesn't it?! Do you still have the butt burn?? Mine went away finally.

Anyhow, take care everyone! Please keep posting and letting me know what new foods you are trying and if you're having any issues from certain foods.

Fable-

I do understand about a lot of the posts on here....if I really let myself think about some of them, I would just cry all the time. I know I have said this before, but I am truly humbled by the sufferings of others as compared to my own situation. When this all happened to me, ileostomy wise, I hadn't had Crohn's, or UC, or cancer, or anything causing such intense/immense suffering in the digestive tract.....lupus killed my large intestine; quickly and quietly. And now I have been able to have a successful reversal. So do I think that some folks on here surmise that I haven't got a clue as to what having a bag for the rest of your life with no chance of reversal is like? Sure they do. Do I know that I have SOOOO much to be thankful for? You bet! But, what some don't realize is how much they TEACH ME....about acceptance.....about living LIFE no matter what it hands you......about taking chances and risks and just loving life for the JOURNEY instead of some predetermined "outcome!" Things I need to keep in touch with at a core level. So if I get some "chilly" receptions from time to time, so be it. (And I do/have) I'm sure my postings will lessen in the next few weeks, from a recovery standpoint, as I move more towards my "new normal" and there is really nothing new or informational to report.....but I will continue to hang around and keep track of some of these wonderful folks. Including you.

You gave me quite a scare when you had that partial blockage and had to go in for round #2, surgery wise. I could tell how frustrated you were becoming and how the "no answer" thing was scaring you so I was SO thankful when they were able to fix the problem and let you go home, FINALLY! Even more grateful that you are home now and doing well.

On the Mexican food thing.....yeah, it's more "Tex Mex" here than anything else. The Dallas area does have a few authentic little, cozy places.....but we are spoiled to the "milder" side of Mexican food for the most part. My daughter's first hubby was from NM, and he would always laugh at us when we said we were going out for "Mexican." There was this one NM dish that he introduced to me called "Christmas".......an egg dish with both red and green peppers. He said it was a local NM favorite. I love it!

The Metamucil is part of a "cocktail" we are trying out to try and slow down the BM's. Lomotil, Tincture of Opium, and Metamucil. I would have thought Metamucil would keep me running, but it actually helps bulk it up a little bit. With me having no large intestine, there is no real "stopping place" for the food....it slides down the stomach into the small intestine and then makes a real BANG, with its entrance, if you know what I mean. They tell me that eventually the rectum will learn to hold more, and that the small intestine will learn to hold more water....thus slowing things down a little bit naturally. We'll see about that....it can take a year or more for the body to re-train.

And yes, I still have butt burn....but the Metamucil helps with that, too. I think it absorbs some of the stomach acid. Weird, eh?

Take good care of yourself, and let others close to you help take care of you, too!

Blessings!
Darla

I've been slowly adding to my diet and am now on 3 normal-sized meals per day. My surgeon had me on 6 small meals a day to start with. Then, in the middle of last month, I started increasing the portions and cutting the number of meals by one each week. I don't eat much junk food as I have a bad heart too, so I can't help you there. My normal snacks are usually fresh fruit, even before the heart attack. When I saw the rehab dietitian, I had to change my diet, but I was already on a pretty healthy diet, so I have to be even more careful now. I am starting to slow down on the number of trips to the bathroom too, now that my meal times are back to normal.
I hope everything gets back to normal soon for you. My recovery has been a lot faster than the others who had their reversals recently. I think it is because I only had the bag for three and a half months. You guys have had them a lot longer.
Stephen

Hi Fable,

I had a reversal done almost a year ago and returned to a normal diet almost immediately, just being cautious at first with some foods that have historically upset my stomach, including chilies and curry.
Now I can eat anything, but if I do have spicy food, I make sure that it is accompanied by natural bio-yogurt! I would avoid pineapple and papaya for some weeks after surgery because they digest protein and you will have internal wounds that will be healing for some months yet. So, go carefully but experiment a bit!
Your surgeon is giving you what would appear to be common sense advice. I doubt whether he has researched the subject in detail! Every one of us is different.

My reversal was done in October and I am eating almost anything I want now. I started on a very low fiber diet at first. Gradually increased fiber, fruits, raw veggies, etc. I still pay attention to my chewing. I chew thoroughly everything I eat. I am eating pecans and cashews - they appear to be softer nuts.

I may never eat raspberries or blackberries again since I am sure they are what caused my problems way last summer. I was eating lots of berries and paid the price! I also am careful with bread having seeds. I stay away from poppy seeds, caraway seeds and even larger seeds like pumpkin seeds, etc.

All in all, I have had very little trouble. I feel bad for those who do not heal as quickly as I did. No pain at all anymore. Sure hope I never have to climb that mountain again!!