Transit time

     Just wondering if everyone else in here is like me .  I have a permanent ileo but my transit time seems extremely fast.  When I eat a meal, within half an hour I can see particles of the food, i.e....cereal, corn, etc..  Then how in the world am I gaining weight?  You'd think I would be a string bean!

Ditto both to seeing particles of food (admittedly not as soon as half an hour after a meal, but fast enough sometimes) and gaining weight - well, I'm not gaining but I'm not losing either, and I'm technically overweight after years of being underweight. I gained weight before surgery; I wanted to put on some weight for the surgery and being on high doses of Pred for most of the time made it possible. But then after surgery I put on even more weight, quite rapidly. That was not expected.

Unfortunately not having a colon doesn't mean absorbing fewer calories, that much I can tell you :-/ All the particles you are seeing will be insoluble fibre, ie stuff that the body couldn't break down and absorb during digestion. It also seems to be the stuff which passes the most quickly through the intestines. 'Normal' people with intestines can't digest insoluble fibre either, but in solid poo you tend not to see anything. Undigested food particles aren't anything to worry about by themselves, but if your transit times have speeded up, that's probably worth checking out with a doctor.

My transit times are all over the place. Sometimes I do seem to pass a meal within an hour or two, but then I can go 16 hours without eating and the stoma will still be producing output (like today in the shower).

Mine is typically about 10 hours (end ileo) and I have lost some of my ileum due to failed J pouch surgery and excision. I take no bowel slowers. It does vary with what is eaten can be shorter or longer, plus the system typically slows down in early morning. I am somewhat amazed at how well the food is (looks) digested in that it is typically unrecognizable excepting things like tomato skins. I do chew really well.

My transit time varies a lot....anywhere from 2 to 7 hours I would say, and it seems to get faster as the day goes on. While we do still absorb calories, a quicker transit time can mean we aren't absorbing all of the nutrients from our food, which can be a problem. I am careful to eat pretty healthily and take a multi vitamin every day.

Even before my surgery, my WOCN suggested to not drink liquids with meals, and to only drink a very small amount if I just had to have something while I ate. She also suggested not drink 20-30 minutes before and after eating. This can help slow down transit time and aid in nutrient absorption because everything isn't being rushed through by liquids. I usually follow these rules and have never had any trouble with blockages, just slightly thicker output from time to time.