Alcohol and Ostomy: Experiences and Advice?

I have a urostomy. I don't normally drink a lot. Maybe a 6 pack a month. For this Christmas, I have been having a 4oz glass of eggnog and a shot of rum every night. I found myself getting thirsty, but I drink lots of water daily to flush my kidneys. If I don't drink lots of water, I get urinary tract infections. I don't have a bladder or prostate anymore. Bottom line, no issues with alcohol and my urostomy. I have noticed that if I eat lots of salsa, the glue on my barrier breaks down and leaks are more likely.

I drink what I want, normally red wine or cider. I tend to drink most nights. I sit with my wife every night for a few hours and we chat. She on white wine, me on the red. Normally, no more than a bottle of red. If we go out, I will have a few pints of cider down the pub. I don't really get rat-arsed anymore; it's more a bit unsteady on my feet. I do notice that the more I drink, the more forcefully and fluid the output is. I have had a couple of leaks, but with extra products like the elastic tape, it is less frequent. The main thing is I don't let the bag alter my behavior in any way. I eat as I did and drink as I did and don't worry about the output. I do make sure I have a fresh bag on a regular basis and if going out, use my support belt that clamps it all in place. I've never really had sugary drinks like lemonade or coke, so I can't really comment on where that goes.

Hi hard times. I do enjoy an odd drink of rye, and on occasion, I will have 3 or 4 with no problems. Everyone is not the same, so I say each to their own. Hope this helps. I guess trial and error is the best way. Happy life.

Regards, Raydog

I eat and drink whatever I want, sometimes it is looser sometimes it is noisier and certainly not under any controls at all. I drink wine, cider, and gin and tonic. None of them have much impact on my stoma output. I have become pretty drunk at times and carried out a change on a few occasions without incident. On two occasions when out at the pub, I have had very liquid output in quite some volume. I don't know if it was due to the cider or wine at the time, but it certainly wasn't a pleasant experience or outcome. I tend to drink responsibly on the whole.

Hmmmm

I'm having surgery on 7th May, ileostomy

I do enjoy a few glasses of white wine,

probably more than usual at the moment as I'm already stressing about surgery in 2 weeks' time

I'm guessing it will be a very long time after surgery before I will be able to have a glass of wine

I also wonder how long I have to wait before I can have a bong (sniggers)

VB

Same here! I have always drunk alcohol!

Have had colostomy for 5 years! Drink whiskey, no problems! Do eat very healthy and take supplements!

Hi all, I decide it's better all around not to drink so I don't

Hi VB,

I like your priorities... don't sweat the big stuff! But I have a funny feeling after you get your ileostomy... drinking wine will be the least of your problems for a while... it really is a life changer. If I were you, I'd stop reading posts on here about all the problems people have and just enjoy a few more bottles of the good stuff. You can't change the future... oh wait, maybe that's you can't change the past. Oh, whatever.

I gave up alcohol a zillion years ago when some ill-informed doctor told me I couldn't have any when taking Prednisone. I instantly noticed I had money in my pocket all the time and didn't miss the hangovers. Funny thing is now I don't want any at all, and my tolerance for dealing with slightly to severely inebriated dumb-ass people has dropped to zero. Pains me to think I used to be one. But we all live and learn, I guess.

Bottom line is you'll be able to get back to your wine fairly quickly. Until then, your ostomy will provide you with plenty of entertainment. Welcome to the team!

Regards,

Bob