Once recovered from surgery, is it still necessary to chew food like crazy?

Just wondering if the advice to chew like crazy to help prevent blockages applies for life, with an ileostomy, or is that more of a surgery recovery thing? I am guessing to some extent it is for life- not that chewing well isn't good advice for healthy digestion for anyone.

I was fortunate enough to only have a temp ileo and it was reversed almost three years ago. I still chew my food like crazy, drink water like crazy, avoid alcohol (so as not to get dehydrated) and avoid dried fruit and jerky (which I used to love), all to avoid blockages. I've still ended up with a small blockage on three or for occasions, mostly because I didn't pay enough attention to the no wine rule, and also tossed in some dried cranberries as well. Mostly, if the blockages do occur, I drink gallons of water and walk miles, and that usually does the trick.

I have had my ileo since Jan and I like Silent Luddity I have eaten the same way and don't think about the way I chew. I have given some foods up like popcorn, & nuts but thats about it really x

SilentLucidity- not even soft cooked veggies? :(. I am trying to chew like crazy now but I can see that it is really just a very artificial exercise until I have the surgery, because it simply snt neccesary until then..... But I really need to get in the habit,. I can see how it really slows down eating, which can be "good" for not gainng weight but of course means never, ever "wolfing down" a meal in a hurry or because one is starving, again.

BayAreaGuy- I had no idea that alcohol could cause blockages. Granted, with my ailing colon I abstain from all alcohol- so that wont be any worse than now- but I had hoped that the worse that some wine could do sans colon was temporarily liquify output (as per the case with, say, chocolates) but it seems blockages are the bjgger concern eh? Hope that I can manage to sip at least a single wine with the wife for a change as opposed to being a tea-totaler- I guess it will take very careful experimentation.

Granted, I see some (eg suebear) report they can eat or drink pretty much anything and not get blockages, but it does seem that for most of you / us it is a new eating way of life forever. I sure hope that I won't lose the ability to enjoy raw fruit and salad though (once recovered)- it is one of life's true joys.

Post Edited (Probiotic) : 4/24/2013 5:12:17 AM (GMT-6)

I don't have the patience to chew my food to death, I really don't. Having an ileostomy is not worth it if it requires you to spend 5 minutes chewing every bite before you swallow.

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It varies hugely. Some people seem to be more prone to blockages than others, maybe the people who form more scar tissue, I don't know. I've never had a blockage and although I chewed VERY carefully after surgery I now don't really think about it. I see no reason for you to 'practice' chewing a lot now...

I have always been a slow eater though and I'm glad that now when I'm still eating at dinner and everyone is finished I can say "Sorry, I have to eat slowly, doctor's orders" :)

I"ve had my ileo for 36 years... so approx 26 years before I connected to the internet and read it's 'words of wisdoms' regarding ostomies and their care.

Prior to this I ate as I always had without any mishaps, I've never EVER had a blockage. I've never modified my diet and have always eaten anything I've wanted to but I have to admit, reading stories on the internet since then HAS made me chew much more diligently but due to my previous 26 years experience my heart knows it's probably not really necessary.

PS I've never had a problem with alcohol and Penny, I love my white wine and have never had a problem with it. Sure, it makes output more liquid but that's to be expected. It doesn't cause any problems. Just keep up the electrolyte drinks to counteract it's effects :)

I actually took part in a Masterchef Challenge Team Building Exercise with work last Friday night. I'm not a cook but was given the job of Food Safety Officer and Time Keeper, ie I had to stop people from cross contaminating using different chopping boards and saying 'ok 12 minutes left, let's get that chicken on the grill so it has time to cook' etc. We had to make an entree, two mains - one beef and one chicken based and one vegetarian meal. Our vegetarian meal was a whole mushroom topped with a tofu based dressing which was extremely yummy and I enjoyed every bite. BTW, my team won :)

I do chew my food a lot just to be on the safe side, but I have become a little more lax with it as time has gone on. In the first eight weeks after surgery I was very careful.

I eat pretty much everything and have never had any sort of blockage. I have had a few things come out thicker than I would like and it has been more of an issue of how I have mixed foods. For instance, if I eat an unpeeled apple or a salad with a bunch of veggies on a empty stomach, some of the fibrous material can ball up a bit and come out thickly. When I eat a salad or an unpeeled apple with a sandwich, it is entirely different. It is like everything gets mixed up in my stomach and then comes out better. My biggest tips are to experiment with foods (just because one person can't eat something doesn't mean you won't be able to), drink plenty of water, chew adequately and mix fibrous foods with starchy things like bread or crackers.

I absolutely hate still being worried about blockages post-surgery. I was prone to them before surgery due to a stricture in the terminal ileum (now removed, obviously), and remember how painful and debilitating they were. I just can't stand the thought I need to spend the rest of my life still worrying about this.

@Shaz - Well done :p