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Mouth to bag transit time

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Posted 3/25/2016 2:20 PM (GMT 0)
Does anyone know how long is ideal for food to stay in our system with an ostomy? I think what I eat is in the bag within 3-4 hours and I'm wondering if that is part of my weight gain problem. My output is pudding consistency 90% of the time and not watery but I still feel like its moving too fast.

I am eating pretty well and high calorie and my weight will not budge a pound in almost 2 weeks since I've been home.
Posted 3/25/2016 2:37 PM (GMT 0)
As your Small Intestine heals your transit time will increase, right now it is in shock from the surgery. You could take a bowel slowing agent to help.

I had a loop ileo and it didn't slow down for 2 months, by the 3rd month it had healed and acted almost as an end ileo with much slower transit times.
Posted 3/25/2016 4:41 PM (GMT 0)
I sometimes think I'm the only person on this site who had no issue with gaining weight after surgery - in fact I gained more than I wanted to and didn't lose another pound until after my second surgery. My transit time was quite fast too; only a few hours.

Basically, everyone's metabolism is different. What you can do is work out how many calories a day you are currently consuming, then increase it by another 500. Just randomly trying to eat more probably won't work if you don't have a good appetite.
Posted 3/25/2016 6:26 PM (GMT 0)
My mom also suggested counting my calories because I feel like I'm eating a lot but don't really know the calorie amount. I hate counting calories so haven't done it yet.

I might tty just adding a cup of carnation instant breakfast with whole milk first and see what happens. That's an extra 300 plus calories a day.

My first surgery I also had no issue gaining weight either and I was back to a normal weight so fast I had to start watching what I ate. That was with a loop so I think that's why this is catching me by surprise. Plus I'm just too skinny, being under 100 pounds is very upsetting to me.

Post Edited (cupcakespinkgal) : 3/25/2016 6:35:01 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/28/2016 1:45 AM (GMT 0)
I remember it took me 10 weeks to gain 2 lbs. I was drinking ensure 2x a day. I found that to be very helpful, along with eating frequent snacks throughout the day.

I also was amazed at how quickly I would eat, and then the output would occur. Also, how many colors different things would turn my output.
Posted 3/28/2016 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
I have a very fast transit time. Even when I had my colon! I remember when I was first diagnosed with UP back in 1998. They gave me that barium to drink and said the test would run between 3 and 4 hours till completed. All that stuff was out of me in 2 hours. Doctors couldn't get over it.

It took awhile for me to gain my weight back after my operation. I am now starting to lose weight again. Going for a CT scan of pelvis and abdomen this afternoon.
Posted 3/29/2016 7:27 AM (GMT 0)
My mouth to bag transit time varies with what I eat - sometimes it's starting to come out in two hours, sometimes it's 5/6. I'd say on average though with most things it's about 4 hours. Straight after surgery, I'd say it was 2-3 hours, depending.
I gained some weight in the few weeks straight after surgery, though I literally had no appetite for I'd say almost two months - if it wasn't for my mother (I was in my parents house to recover) handing me things to eat every couple of hours, I don't think I would have eaten nearly enough. But my weight at my 5 weeks post-op appointment is the same as what I am now. Even though I know I'm eating way more now than I was at 5 weeks post-op!
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