Foods That Thicken Ileostomy Stool

People with ileostomies have temporarily or permanently lost the use of their digestive tracts from the colon onwards, usually because of congenital illness, injury or cancer surgery. The ileostomy surgery takes the end of the small intestine, or ileum, and routes it through a new opening in the upper abdomen. This opening is called a stoma, from the Greek for "mouth," or "opening," and its output is managed with various devices and techniques. One problem people with ileostomies face is runny, difficult to manage output from their stomas. Fortunately, dietary management can ease this problem.

Fiber and its role in digestion

• Understanding dietary fiber is a good first step toward choosing a diet that will thicken ileostomy stool. Fiber is the chief thickening agent in a normal western diet, and it occurs in two forms, soluble and insoluble. The distinction is made between fibers that dissolve in water, and those that do not. Soluble fiber can be dissolved by the gastrointestinal tract, but insoluble fiber remains as bulk while food is digested. All plant-sourced foods such as grains, cereals, fruits and vegetables contain one or both kinds of fiber. Meats, including poultry and fish, contribute no fiber to our diets.

Fiber and Ileostomy

• The individual with an ileostomy can adjust his diet to make stoma management easier. He can eat foods high in insoluble fiber to reduce the liquid component of the output from his stoma. Thick output is easy to control and allows a more relaxed lifestyle for the individual.

Give it Time

• It is not a good idea to make sudden changes in diet when living with an ileostomy. A sudden increase in fiber could lead to bowel obstruction. Adding foods that increase stool thickness should be done gradually to see how they are tolerated.

Foods that Work

• Some very basic foods like baked potatoes, rice, bread, peanut butter will lead to thicker stool in most people with ileostomies. Among desserts and sweets, pudding, applesauce, and baked apples have the same effect.

Not Too Thick

• Other foods create so much bulk in your ileum that there is a danger they will not pass through your stoma, leading to a painful and perilous obstruction. Obstructions invariably place the patient in an emergency room on morphine or another powerful painkiller. Foods to avoid include raw fruits, nuts and seeds, celery, popcorn, and some hard vegetables like broccoli. Anything that would still be hard if you left it overnight in a glass of water falls into this category.