How do you deal with diarrhea & constipation with an ostomy?

Hello @ostomy1 Welcome to Connect where everyone shares information and tips about their health journey and what worked or didn’t work. It must be very hard for you to deal with diarrhea and constipation. Have you discussed this with your doctor?

I’m going to ask a moderator to move your question to the ostomy group so you can virtually meet others with ostomies. In the meantime, here is some information from the American Cancer Society:
https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/surgery/ostomies/colostomy/management.html

How long have you had this ostomy?

4weeks

Just a month. Still getting to know it.

Hi Sara Jo, I'm tagging a few fellow experienced ostomates like @mlmcg @engelee @dval @msgtrebholtz who may be able to offer some tips when dealing with constipation and diarrhea with an ostomy.

How are you doing with adjusting your diet to keep things running smoothly?

What we put in our mouth is what comes out into our ostomy pouch. What part of our GI track and how much of it was removed can determine what we are able to eat. Keeping a list of the foods eaten can help. Eating spicy foods can cause problems. Treat a new ostomy as if it is a baby by eating soft low fiber foods for a couple of days. Then slowly adding a little more fiber, adding very small amounts of animal flesh after a few weeks of no diarrhea or constipation may be okay. You may never be able to have the foods that you had before the ostomy surgery. I am unable to eat fresh fruit but I can have canned, my body cannot digest the skins. If you recognize any food in your pouch, don't eat it again. Slowly add small amounts of new foods, if it doesn't work don't eat it again. Eat a balanced diet, grains, fruits and vegetables. Good luck. mlmcg

I have an Ileostomy (Due to UC) for 35 plus years and found out I eat everything I like, but some foods like raw veggies, fruit, popcorn etc, cut way back on--but I have found out the big plus is Chew-Chew and chew some more.
I never had a blockage per say, but have had a few very dense output that caused a pouch leakage.
Like others say, if you see it not digested well, it may be best not to eat those foods.
Another note I do when I have bouts of diarrhea is use the BRAT diet for a few days.
Good Luck

Consider loperamide. GP can prescribe this. It really helps.

Wishing you all the best.