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Posted 6/11/2012 5:03 PM (GMT 0)
 

It has been 15 weeks since my emergency surgery for an ileostomy and doing well, learning to love life again with Ulcerated Colits. 

I wanted to know how many time everyone empties their pouch a day.  On a normal day (not eating too much, mostly during the week when I'm at work) I empty about 8-10 times a day.  On the weekends when I eat more, I empty like 10 -12 times a day.  Recently I started having startbucks carmel macchiatos, or carmel lattes/frapps and the coffee/milk thing makes me go more. Milk products and coffee products give me a lot of gas too! Is this considered normal, meaning; certain things you eat will make you go more?  And if I have a lot of veges and popcorn I go more. 

thank you

Renee

Posted 6/11/2012 5:17 PM (GMT 0)
     Wow...that seems like a lot Renee.  I have had my ileostomy for almost two years now and I only empty about four times a day.   During the night, if I eat later than usual, I get up to pee and will empty then, whether I need to or not.  Just for good measure tongue .
Posted 6/11/2012 9:59 PM (GMT 0)
My husband had his surgery May 9th.  He empties the pouch probably every four hours or so including getting up in the middle of the night.  But he is also eating very little and I have to scold him to get 48 ounces of fluids into him each day.   He probably takes in less than 1000 calories a day.
Posted 6/11/2012 11:16 PM (GMT 0)
Traffic, how much weight has he lost? Sorry, just curious.
Posted 6/12/2012 6:08 AM (GMT 0)
Salamore--
I also had an emergency ileostomy recently. I got mine on March 9th.
I find that my stoma is most active around dawn to 8:00am.
I check my bag every couple of hours. I imagine when I start back to work later this week, I'll probably empty it every two hours just to make sure I don't have a problem with getting too full in the middle of a meeting or having a bulge for the catty women to look for.
I only HAVE to empty it maybe 5 times a day.
My eating habits are a bit different than the average person.
I've always had stomach ulcer problems (UC was a diagnosis I didn't get until two weeks before surgery--the surgery was an emergency because I was bleeding to death and my colon fell apart in the surgeons hands). To make sure I don't have any other ulcers acting up, I make sure I eat something every 4 hours max and have for 20 years. So I'm already on a schedule of eating something like 6 times a day so my stoma is pretty much always active.

Good luck!
Jen
Posted 6/12/2012 7:21 AM (GMT 0)
Four times a day. I take loperamide to thicken the output. I stop eating at 6:30 pm so that I do not have to do anything during the night.
Posted 6/12/2012 12:15 PM (GMT 0)
I empty more like 6 times a day, usually including one in the night. What I eat makes a big difference, and I like to eat high fiber things that bulk it up and give me more output. I don't drink milk or anything caffeinated though -- mild lactose intolerance and milk makes me gassy too, and caffeine will give you more output.... but if you really like these things, maybe you can figure out how to make them work -- w/immodium, or just accepting that you'll have to empty more often (and drink more water to stay hydrated)
Posted 6/12/2012 3:46 PM (GMT 0)

I normally empty 4-5 times a day.  Sometimes an extra empty if I am leaving the house as I always try to avoid using the restroom while I am out smilewinkgrin

Posted 6/12/2012 6:26 PM (GMT 0)
You can gain more control over your output through changes in what and when you eat. The most complete description I have found is at j-pouch.org. The essay includes details about what to eat at different stages of recovery after each surgery. I keep a food journal during difficult times to find out exactly how I can tweak my diet to improve my quality of life.
Through trial and error I learned I can only handle one latte in the morning. I switched to vanilla soy milk with my coffee and almond milk on cereal. I have no problems with boiled milk so that is what I use in a lot of my cooking and baking. Much of what I have found is not logical. I have no problems with jalapenos but chili peppers are dangerous for me. Our bodies' quirky reactions can be fascinating!
Posted 6/12/2012 6:53 PM (GMT 0)
I empty about 4-5 times a day as well. The only time I empty more is if I wear a mini pouch. They are more discrete, but the have very little capacity.
Posted 6/13/2012 12:24 AM (GMT 0)
I empty 5-6 times a day. As long as I empty before I go to bed I usually don't have to get up to do it in the middle of the night, even if I eat dinner at 9 p.m. which seems strange to me. My emptying schedule changes a lot if I do a lot of strenuous activities like climbing, running or hiking during the day. It seems to slow or stop my output and then EVERYTHING comes out in the evening and overnight once I relax. I still have to empty 5-6 times then... it is just over a shorter period of time. Sometimes I will have to get up multiple times overnight in these cases.
Posted 6/13/2012 1:14 AM (GMT 0)
I empty about 8 or more times too. Don't like the heaviness. My output is minimal in the morning and then bulks up and more flow in the afternoon and evening. I eat alot of fiber and drink alot of water. Depending if I eat late, I don't have to empty in the night.

When I was recently hospitalized and in the ER, one of the surgical residents asked me this question. It was the first time I've ever been asked this. How much do you output a day? I told her how do I measure that? Explained about my emptying. Boy was she was hell bent on a number but I just couldn't give her one because I just dump and go so many times a day and I'm always eating small meals with some fruit in hand. Of course I understand the importance, so I just told her that it's 'OK' and 'normal' in my perspective....again she wasn't happy.
Posted 6/13/2012 5:17 AM (GMT 0)
This question concerns me too, although I have yet to get the surgery. Renee, what was your output like prior to surgery. Did others feel,they hadvhighboutput during flares. I feel I do, and even when in remission from pred I have been astonished at the output. I only weigh 125
Posted 6/13/2012 1:00 PM (GMT 0)
Estimating for hubby....6-8 times each day. Primarily because he drinks so much water and pees often. If there is enough to empty he will do so at the same time. Basically it is never that full or heavy except upon waking in the morning if he has slept 5-6 hrs without getting up...usually gets up once during the night and is not a real early riser.
Posted 6/13/2012 6:03 PM (GMT 0)
My GI told me 8-10 times a day is considered normal. Now, I do eat a lot, when I eat less I empty less. Plus, I am like Windy City, if I feel any kind of heaviness or bulge I am in that bathroom. I work full time now, in an office environment and I'm very self conscious and always touching my right side, if I feel ANYTHING I am in the bathroom, I am too afaird of a leak or blow out at work.

Mystique2, I work with those catty women, would like to see them go through what we have gone through, they would have a different opinion.

Renee
Posted 6/13/2012 9:25 PM (GMT 0)
REnee, what is the consistency of your output? If it's very watery, you might want to do soething about that and prevent dehydration, by taking immodium. Aside from that, I remember that I would often empty my bag as soon as I felt the weight, which could mean there was about 3 tablespoons or so in the bag, so obviously that meant I was emptying many times more than I would have if I waited until the bag was2/3 or 3/4 full. How full the bag when you empty?
I don't think 8-12 times is abnormal. I'm often surprised at how much I now poop compred to how much I actually ate.
Posted 6/14/2012 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
I empty when I go to the bathroom to urinate - I don't typically need to do it any more often than that. I do wake up in the night to urinate and will empty it then too, but there is the ocassion that I don't wake up and I am usually fine. I try my best to not eat after 6pm or as close to it as I can get. I find that helps with the overnight business.
Posted 6/14/2012 5:48 PM (GMT 0)
I almost never eat after 2 pm. Sometimes I sleep thorugh the night. Often I have to get up twice, no matter if I stopped eating early or not. This afernoon I ate cake because I was at a conference and we had some time to relax. Shouldn't have eaten the cake though, it gave me the runs but at least I know I'll stay empty until tomorrow morning. I am getting tired of this being such a major subject in my head and tired of doing all these calculations!
Posted 6/15/2012 3:47 AM (GMT 0)
B'D I have been out of commission for awhile getting my stoma revised, thank GOD as the other one just quit out on me March 11. So far so good with this one. How has the pelvic floor PT come along I take it you are still having some issues from the above post. Rosemary
Posted 6/15/2012 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
Rosemary, I'm still having issues but have it much more under control, enough that I can go to work and go out without much worrying and being prepared with a plastic bottle in my bag to fill with water and use as a bidet when I use the bathroom at work or anywhere else but home. The therapy has started but barely started. She is teaching me to relax the musccle because it is very, very tensed most of the time, the problem being that it is very strong but has to learn to coordinate itself again. I recieved the biofeedback machine but it is being adjusted now to have a setting that relaxes the muscle as well as stimulate it. So slowly, slowly..
I've kept up with yll your posts of course but haven't had too much to say, just that I'm so glad you finally went to New york to have some decent doctors figure things out, which they did. such a simple and obvious diagnosis and so many idiots in your home area didn't have a clue. Don't be so worried about it working out, it is already working out, and just stay with light foods for a while, just like you did when you got your very first stoma. I remember 3 months of being cautious and then eating lots of salad with no problem, and having to start from scratch again after getting the 2nd stoma, and waiting that long agian before really eating lots of vegebables and mostly whatever I wanted. Now I have to be even more careful because I don't have a bag anymore, I feel everything as it comes out and it comes out very often, so I try to not eat after around 2 pm, and no sweetes or chocolate at all, because it gives me diearhea, same with butter and cream. I've been slowly losing weight, which is a nice little perk after all this crap!
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