Tag: eating

1 year Stomaversary!

So, today marks 1 year since getting my stoma. It’s had it’s ups and downs, but overall it’s been the best year I’ve had for a long time.

The biggest thing I’ve had to get used to is eating like a normal person again; although I am currently keeping to a (mostly) gluten-free and reduced dairy diet, I’m still learning what foods are good and what ones are still bad. Most of the bad ones consist of foods I couldn’t eat before (such as certain fruits and vegetables) but there are some new ones (like nuts and popcorn). Still, it beats living on instant noodles, plain crisps and gluten-free cereal.

Getting back to a normal sleep pattern hasn’t been hard at all; it seems I wasn’t sleeping anywhere near enough before so I’m able to sleep fine now. Other things like doing housework and being able to go out for the day are still a little bit difficult due to a lack of energy, but I have less concern about bathroom location now whenever I leave my flat.

Another thing I’ve had some trouble with is exercise; I was warned not to over stretch or lift anything heavier than a kettle for the first 6 weeks. Because I was practically bound to my room at the hospital for three weeks, my leg muscles had deteriorated quite a bit so I had to work up to walking longer distances slowly. This also meant I couldn’t exercise much at all. After a few months, my legs were almost back to their original size and strength and my stoma nurse said I was ready to start some gentle stomach exercises. She gave me a booklet that outlined ways to strengthen my abdominal muscles in order to avoid hernias. I had a bit of a false start due to some liver problems, but I started going to the gym not too long ago and it feels good to be able to get back into a routine again.

As for what to expect in the future, I’m seeing my surgeon tomorrow morning and, seeing as the issue with my liver isn’t what they thought it was, it looks like reversal is a strong possibility. I hope to get that ball rolling and have a date for the next surgery soon. For now, I’m happy to keep baggie for as long as I need to.

Food!

I’ve been trying different foods recently. Not foods that I’ve never tried but foods that I haven’t eaten since having my stoma because I was advised against doing so for a while. Given it’s been nine months tomorrow since I had my surgery, I thought it was about time I started introducing more foods so the things I’ve found I can eat (but was advised not to) include beansprouts, soft carrots, green cabbage and sesame seeds. Bear in mind these are all in small amounts and I am no way saying that all ostomates will be ok with these foods. My point is that it’s ok to test what your body (and your stoma/s) can handle. Has anyone else found that they can eat something they were told not to? I’m actually really interested to know what other ostomates/IBD/IBS sufferers have been able to digest despite being to told to avoid it.

I survived my first Christmas as an ostomate!

(minor) TMI Warning!

I had some concerns about Christmas this year, all related to food and my bag. I know my family likes to make loads of food (enough to still have leftovers for at least two weeks) and I know it’s mostly meat and vegetables. Meat I’m fine with but I have had some issues with reintroducing vegetables to my diet. I’ve found, so far, that well-cooked carrots are ok in small doses and potatoes are ok when mashed or roasted. Most other veg I’ve not been brave enough to try just yet but I decided to give green cabbage a go today. It seemed to go through fine but, even though I took a loperomide before eating, my output was alot heavier this evening, so I’m making sure to drink plenty so as to avoid a blow out overnight.

I hope you’ve all had a good and safe winter holiday. And in case I don’t post before, happy new year.

En route to Winchester to meet up with work colleagues then we’re all going out for a meal. This’ll be the first time I’ve seen any of them (aside from my manager) in more than two months. I’m a little nervous but also looking forward to it.
I go back to work on Wednesday but only for a short, four-hour shift. I’m doing a gradual increase of hours each week so I don’t overdo it and end up needing time off again. I can’t wait for things to be back to normal.

Ostomy problems

TMI warning!

I had to change my bag early (this evening, instead of tomorrow morning) because it wasn’t emptying properly; the output was too heavy and wasn’t moving down the bag. It seems to be doing it again but not as badly as before. I’ve been drinking loads of squash this evening and I’ve just had tea and chocolate, both of which are good for loosening the output. I don’t think I’ll get a blockage but I’m keeping a close eye on it, just in case.

My first day trip… sorta

So, I finally left the flat and went to a public place today for the first time in over a month! The only places I’ve been to since getting out of the hospital were back to the hospital to collect my meds and to my doctors to have stitches removed. It felt good to go outside and be somewhere that wasn’t medical, and where I could feel more normal.

I had a really nice Eggs Benedict (pouched eggs and bacon on an breakfast muffin) with tea, followed by a chocolate muffin. I am so happy to say that I could eat all that! A couple of months ago I wouldn’t have been able to eat any of it for fear of it causing me major pain and several dashes to the bathroom.

Although this whole stoma/surgery thing has been pretty scary and a bit of a steep learning curve (and still is), I am glad I had it done. I’m no longer in pain after eating, I don’t have to dash to the bathroom (making sure to take my phone because I know I’ll be in there for a long time), and I can eat most foods that I couldn’t before. There are, of course, some restrictions on what I can and can’t eat with my stoma, but nowhere near as many as before. 

It’s odd, but this surgery really has given me a new lease on life. I know I’m still recovering and need to take it slow to ensure I don’t overdo it, but I can feel myself improving, if only a little, each day.

Starting Easter off with pain

Had a bit of a scare this morning; woke up about five thirty to my stomach cramping badly enough I started crying. I had no idea what was wrong so I went to the bathroom incase it was just that I badly needed to pee. It turns out that when I changed my bag yesterday, I cut the hole a bit too small and my stoma was being squeezed a tiny bit. I’ve changed the bag with a slightly bigger hole and it feels a lot better. I think I may have also had a slight blockage as a result but I think that’s starting to clear now.

I need to be a bit more careful when changing my bag; my stoma is still pretty swollen and will be for the next six weeks or so. I also need to be careful with my food intake; I’ve over-eaten for the last two days which probably hasn’t helped. I’m going to try and stick to my recommended daily calories from now on and not allow myself to go over as much as I have. I know I need to put on weight but over-eating is clearly not the way to go.

I made garlic and honey chicken with oven chips for dinner tonight. It was really tasty and surprisingly easy to make. (Recipe here)

I may have over-eaten again though today; I’ve had quite a bit of one of my Easter eggs this evening, not to mention having a large lunch and snacks throughout the afternoon. I know it’s not a bad thing though because I need to put weight on (I lost almost a whole stone whilst in hospital).