This topic is about an individual who is 8½ weeks post-surgery with an ileostomy and has experienced a sudden, high-volume, dark-green, watery output from their stoma. The output was intermittent and lasted about an hour before slowing down. The person is curious about what might be causing this and whether taking loperamide would be appropriate. Here are some helpful insights and advice:

- Dark-green output is usually bile. It can appear when:
- You've consumed a lot of leafy greens.
- The contents in your intestines are moving quickly, which is common with ileostomies.
- Your gut is "empty" because you skipped meals or haven't eaten since the night before.

- Skipping meals can result in output that is mostly saliva, mucus, and green bile. It's beneficial to eat small, frequent meals, especially if you have short-bowel syndrome.

- Stay hydrated by drinking about 8 glasses of water a day.

- Some over-the-counter cold medications, like NyQuil, can cause watery output.

- If you've recently stopped taking opiate-based pain medications (such as Norco, Percocet, Tylenol with Codeine, or morphine), you might experience a temporary increase in stoma activity and high, squirting output because the bowel speeds up after being slowed by these drugs.

- Foods that can help thicken or slow down output include rice, potatoes, bread, and pretzels.

- A practical tip for changing your appliance: eat a few marshmallows about 30 minutes before the change. The sugar gelatin can often slow or stop squirting long enough to complete the change.

- If you tend to have high, watery output, it's best to avoid beer and other carbonated drinks.

- Don't panic—green output alone is rarely dangerous. However, contact your stoma nurse if the volume remains high, you become dehydrated, or you have concerns.

- For support in the UK, you can reach out to:
- Ileostomy & Internal Pouch Association (IA): https://iasupport.org
- Colostomy UK (CA): https://colostomyuk.org