Refeeding ostomy output helped with my recovery.

I am a 62 yo male, and a year ago I had major issues after a sigmoidectomy that left me with an ileostomy, 6 abdominal drains, and a large, dehisced abdominal wound. In total, I spent 4 months in the hospital.

The ileostomy left me with around 150cm of small intestine to absorb nutrients, and even with nightly TPN infusions, I was having a difficult time maintaining or gaining weight.

My Dr. inserted a J-tube so we could pump formula into the lower part of my intestines at night, and bolus feed some of my ostomy output during the day. My lower intestines were idle for 5 months before the J-tube was inserted, so I could only tolerate small amounts of formula and ostomy output at first.

My understanding is that refeeding ostomy output is not common in adults, and because of that we had to invent ways to process it so that I could push it through the small tube. We did not have much success while I was in the hospital, so my Dr. sent me home to “engineer” a solution. I ended up using a medium sized kitchen strainer to process my output for refeeding.

My ostomy output was always high, averaging between 1500-2000cc daily, but after several months I was able to tolerate and refeed 80-90% of that each day. As a result, I was gaining weight, my abdominal wound was healing, and I was having regular daily bowel movements.

Once my abdominal wound was mostly healed, my Dr. reversed my ileostomy. That was 8 weeks ago, and because I had been refeeding ostomy output for 5 months, I started having regular BMs 4-5 days after surgery, and have continued to do so since.

At first, I wasn’t sure what to think about handling and refeeding ostomy output, and I would say it isn’t for everyone, but the results have been spectacular and I am so glad my Dr. suggested it. My life is getting back to normal and I am eating foods I have avoided for years because of diverticulitis.

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