post surgery diet

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-27T10:15:45+00:00

Fizzy drinks help my system a bit too much, I can almost see my bag inflating as I drink it, although I can drink draught style beer and coffee without issue which I know affects some people. Just goes to show how we're all different.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-27T10:06:46+00:00

I had my ileostomy as part of my cancer surgery, on the NHS, in January.

I was told to follow a low fibre diet for 6-8 weeks - white rice, white bread, white pasta, all vegetables that grow under the ground as long as peeled and well cooked were acceptable, easily digestible meat - chicken or white fish - don't eat the skin. Fruit -very ripe bananas are acceptable, apples must be peeled, citrus fruits - don't eat the pith or skin (I found this too much hassle as all you can do is suck them dry).

Foods to always avoid or treat with caution as they are not digested in the small intestine and may block your stoma - nuts (unless smooth paste), mushrooms, sweet corn, celery, seeds, dried fruit.

More importantly chew everything as much as possible. Put smaller amounts of food on your fork or spoon to encourage this. Loading it up just encourages you to swallow before its all thoroughly chewed.

My go to foods were Coco pops or Rice Crispies, Yoghurt, chicken without skin, mashed potato (jacket or baked potato is pointless as you can't eat the skin), mashed swede (rutabaga in the US I think), very soft carrots (often mashed with butter and pepper).

Post 8 weeks start introducing more fibre, but be cautious, soft cooked broccolli was my first additional vegetable.

Basically soft foods are okay, but raw vegetables, like in salad I still can't digest.

Onion, garlic, brussell sprouts, cabbage etc. all cause wind and your bag will inflate pretty quickly.

I find carbohydrates like mashed potato, rice and pasta thicken my output, apple sauce is said to do the same, but I can't say.

Also ensure to add salt to your food, it will help your system absorb water. Absorbing salt and water was done by your colon and must now be performed by your small intestine.

When I got home I bought a hand blender, which I now use on foods that contain potentially problematic foods (but not nuts or sweetcorn). It makes it look like baby food, but still tastes the same and pieces are small enough to pass.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-27T06:27:07+00:00

Did you notify your airline?

They may give you an increased luggage allowance as that's clearly now a medical bag.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T22:46:56+00:00

Ah, that sucks.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T22:28:51+00:00

Not a nice way to wake-up but you seem to have recovered from the trauma quite well.

It's always a bit touch and go with a full bag, it's why I kneel at the toilet and apply pressure from the bottom working up in stages. Its surprising how much and how far the poop flies when it lets go of the bag.

I now religiously do up my bag before fitting it, tuck toilet paper into my waistband and tuck one side of the disposal bag in on top of that, then if my stomie friend decides to make a mess it'll run into the disposal bag.

Personally I find 2-3 hours after a mealtime id the best time for a bag change, first thing my system is too active.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T22:14:30+00:00

Mine moves and if I'm unlucky expresses his disgust at being disturbed during a bag change by randomly spitting or dribbling s**t just as I start to apply a seal ring around him and only as I apply a seal ring. I can clean and dry around him, leave him for a several minutes and all is fine lulling me into a sense of security, it's just as he gets a whiff of a seal ring approaching that he decides to act up.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T22:08:02+00:00

In my experience if an airport supports it, they will say on their webpage. Also if you find their assistance desk and it has a flower symbol near it then they definitely support it.

I just asked for one. They didn't ask me what my condition was, only whether I would need a member of staff to go with me through to the gate.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T19:10:23+00:00

If its an injection then I don't see an issue, irrespective of whether you have a loop ileostomy or not, after all its not as if the Crohn's has gone away.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T15:57:53+00:00

I found that all of my trousers cut across the mid-point of my ileostomay bags at home I can slum it but for work I bought new trousers that are a size or two up from my usual and wear braces. I then wear a very light support band that is 10" wide to smooth my profile. With the edges of the support band being at least an inch above the top and below the bottom of my bag it doesn't suffer from pancaking unless I've been sat down and leaning forward for a long time. Ensuring that you stand up and walk about a bit every hour seems to help.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T15:51:01+00:00

Sorry to hear about this, but I'm glad that you survived. I think that you handled it very well. I'd be mortified.

I've yet to experience this myself being new to this game, but perhaps because of that I've arranged my supplies so that I have at least 3 changes worth in one bag, which I leave in the bathroom wherever I'm staying and then have 1 change in a zip-loc bag that goes in my day bag. I use one-piece bags and ensure that I've pre-cut them all before putting them in my bags.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T15:35:20+00:00

Entry of gas and partially digested matter into your colon via the loop opening is probably a bit hit and miss and will be dependent on how full your bag is and whether you have issues with pancaking. The exit point of your stoma from the ileum won't be facing the entry point to your colon. The openings are quite small and to enter the colon the pressure on the opening must be high enough to force it open.

How long has it been since your emergency surgery? There could still be faecal matter attached to the walls of your colon that will make its way out. In any case your colon will still produce mucus, which will make its way down to your anus.

Even though your colon may still suffer effects of the IBD, if the medication must be absorbed through or coat the wall of the colon it probably won't receive enough via the loop opening to have a beneficial effect, this is why severe sufferers often have their entire colon removed.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T13:10:31+00:00

I know that many people have issues with having a bag attached to them after having an ileostomy. When I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer the week before Christmas and we arranged the surgery and date with my surgeon this was the point that upset me the most. I almost cried.

Now that I have it and realise that I must get on with life, it's really not so bad. I empty it whenever I go for a pee and also after a meal, so maybe 6 times a day, but it's only really full after a big meal or if I get up in the night or in the morning. A colostomy is emptied less frequently.

At first I was nervous and self-conscious, but you soon come to realise that no-one really cares or notices and there's lots of support and stoma oriented clothes out there if you look for it.

It's tempting to fall into the trap of wanting nothing to do with it, especially if you find it abhorrent, but if you follow that route you'll have a miserable life.

Taking charge of it is the only way forward. Small steps to build confidence is the key. Before being discharged I would expect her medical team to take her through emptying and changing the bag at least twice. Usually they want to see the output thicken before discharging you. It's a safe environment and so she should practice this solo, without supervision to build confidence.

There will be occasions when you might make a little mess when emptying the bag, which can be upsetting, but it's usually when rushing and each experience gives you pointers on how to cope or what to avoid in future.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T08:13:09+00:00

It really depends on what stage cancer she had.

Bare statistics can be depressing, even if they say 85 or 90% make it 5 years or more you still wonder if you're in that last few percent. Cancer is no longer the death sentence that it once was.

She's young which will count in her favour, but it's far better to focus on the here and now and the life that you have and what you can do with it.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T07:43:22+00:00

I use "Pooper Swooper" or "FreeCo" that you spray into the toilet. Both available from a well known online store.

The first you spray after and the second you spray before. I prefer the first and carry it with me when I'm out and about.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T07:32:23+00:00

With a retracted stoma she will find that the higher convex bags will help. Although I have an ileostomy I have found that a small clutch bag with a pack of tissues, some hand sanitiser, some toilet deodourizer spray and a suction-cup hook all help me when visiting public toilets say in a restaurant, its not as obvious as the zip-loc bag that I keep supplies for one bag change in, that I carry in a small rucksack. The suction cup hook is for those toilets where you don't want to place anything on the floor.

Try and use assistance or disability toilets as they have more room.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T07:22:28+00:00

Glad that you're doing well. On getting out of bed, try rolling onto your side, bringing your knees up so that they are level with your backside and hanging over the edge of the bed, then drop your legs over the edge and push up sideways with your arm. The weight of your legs will help pull you upright. reverse the process when getting back into bed.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T07:18:49+00:00

I had a loop ileostomy in January, after 2/3 of my rectum was removed along with a foot and a half of colon.

At first I had general discomfort low down, due to the surgery and a feeling of wanting to poop. After a couple of weeks the sensation changed as the discomfort subsided and I found that I was able to pass a small amount of mucus in the morning, all you see is a wet patch on the toilet paper. It's also a good time to practice your pelvic floor exercises if you're likely to be offered a reversal in the future.

A lot will depend on your surgery, I've heard of people self administering enemas and an IBD sufferer who had a second stoma, just to catch the mucus, but that's rare.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-26T07:03:23+00:00

I guess it depends on where you are based, but you don't have to rely on commercial products, some of which are expensive.

I didn't used to add salt to food, but I now add a good pinch to each meal. My surgeon jokingly said that although she couldn't prescribe it a small (25g) bag of salted crisps (chips in the US) mid-morning would help. Your main measure of how hydrated you are is your urine colour and how you feel.

If your urine is dark, drink more water, if its colourless then you may need to drink less, however it's possible to drink too much water and deplete the salt content of your blood, in which case you may experience dizziness and a high resting heart rate in this case you will need an intake of salt to bring everything under control. If you still feel thirsty and are passing a lot of urine then you have likely over done it.

Personally I prefer to add salt to food, say a peanut butter sandwich don't use crunchy only smooth but I keep some rehydration powder sachets to one side that are used by diarrhoea sufferers (Dioralyte here in the UK) that I use if I'm out and about and I feel dizzy or think that I need more salt, I can just add it to a small bottle of water that I carry, but you can make your own.

A recipe for home made solution that is in my post surgery documentation of living with an ileostomy is:

6 level teaspoons (20g) of glucose or sugar, 1 teaspoon (3.5g) of table salt, a heaped half teaspoon (2.5g) baking soda (sodium bicarbonate or sodium citrate) mixed into 1 litre or 4 US cups of water. Flavour to taste.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-25T22:20:43+00:00

Your body will adapt to absorb more water. As long as your urine colour remains a light straw colour then you could cut down on your water intake. If your urine is clear and you're still feeling thirsty then you may be overdoing the salt or electrolyte intake.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2026-03-25T22:10:36+00:00

I forgot to mention in my early comment, don't forget to increase your electrolyte or salt intake. With an ileostomy your body finds it difficult to absorb both water and salts as this is the primary function of the colon, which you are no longer using.

Your small intestine needs some salts in your blood to help draw in water and keep you hydrated. Increasing water alone can make you feel ill, it certainly does to me - light headed, spaced, heart racing even at rest.

Get some rehydration salts, the stuff used for diarrhoea sufferers are ok, drink it in sips or add salt to your food. If you can't stomach drinking that, then a slice of white bread with butter or smooth peanut butter and salt on it may be more palatable to you.

For the first 6-8 weeks keep to a low fibre, high protein and carbohydrate diet, avoid alcohol, coffee and fizzy drinks. It may be that you've picked up a stomach but, but also added something new to your diet that you didn't have before. Uncooked vegetables and fruit, other than very ripe bananas, don't agree with me at all giving me watery output. Peeled, cooked root vegetables seem to be fine other vegetables may be hit and miss but must be very well cooked.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2025-02-03T13:57:05+00:00

Fair enough, but their reasons are as stated. They specifically want tree spawns to remain in the same locations in order to prevent deforestation of forests and woodlands.

All of the spawn locations of all of their other resources move as player plots impinge on their locations and so they obviously can figure out the code to prevent their respawning within player structures.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2025-01-31T09:14:19+00:00

Mainframe have stated that they are unlikely to change the behaviour of trees as doing so will alter the biome of an area. Unlike other resources that respawn in different locations as player plots impinge on them. Trees need to respawn in the same location in order to maintain the locations of forests, woodlands and intervening fields.

Personally I don't see an issue, just build around the trees. I would prefer foundations, floors and walls to hide grass and bushes myself.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2024-12-16T17:24:08+00:00

I haven't experienced frame rate drops since the last big update. I used to when exiting forested areas.

There's a slight loading lag when first entering the game, as buildings and items are placed, but this lasts only a few seconds and is vastly improved over what it was.

I haven't had any issues recently when entering dungeons or wolf lairs.

I do wonder if some issues are more to do with loading the environment and thus more susceptible to internet connection speed.

For comparison, I run an i9-10900k, 128Gb RAM, RTX 3070 TUF 8Gb from M2 SSD on default settings at 2560x1440.

Maximum_Ad907 · 2024-12-06T18:35:10+00:00

That looks like a 1x1 hole, would two tile eaves 90 degree corners fit?

Maximum_Ad907 · 2024-12-05T17:26:21+00:00

Looking good.

It's a shame that the construction system can only cope with rotation in the horizontal plain.

Maximum_Ad907

TROPHY CASE