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my father in law just had most of his intestines removed.

Sent to Health Experts October 1 2006 at 3:35 AM
   

my father in law just had most of his intestines removed. since the operation he has lost 45 pounds. i would like to find a good diet for him

 

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Male , Age: 70

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October 1 2006 at 3:45 AM (10 minutes and 13 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark

You need to understand what has been removed, and what impact that will have on his ability to digest and absorb nutrient and vitamins. He may need supplements which are prepacked and designed for people with absorption problems.

Do you know what was taken?

Has he got a colostomy bag?

Has his doctor given him any information about do.. and donts?



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Pauline -- Pharmacist -- 99% Positive Feedback on 3810 Health Accepts
MRPharmS. Worked as Community pharmacist for 15 years. Undertaking a second degree in medicine.
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October 1 2006 at 3:51 AM (5 minutes and 37 seconds later)
         
Reply to Pauline's Post: yes he has a colostmy bag.most of his intestines has been removed because of radiation scarring
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October 1 2006 at 4:18 AM (27 minutes and 24 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark

In general we need to giving him high carbohydrate, moderate protein meals in order to build up his weight but without bulking his stool. He will need about 2500 calories daily, so focus on things that the rest of us are not allowed such as cakes, custards, thick meaty soups. He will need to drink plenty of water, and over time will come to see what works best for maintaining his colostomy output. It needs to be a balance between too watery and too solid.

Rather than me listing everything out have a look at this info sheet:

patienteducation.upmc.com/Pdf/OstomyNutrition.

If you have trouble getting it to work let me know.

You can ask his doctor to write him up for carbohydrate and protein powders which you can sprinkle over his food. And he may need injections of vitamin B12 and multivitamin capsules to reduce some problems associated with poor vitamin absorption.

Rather than going on sheer body weight, have a look at his hands, arms and cheeks. As he starts to build up these should look more rounded and less 'wasted'.

Does this help?



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Pauline -- Pharmacist -- 99% Positive Feedback on 3810 Health Accepts
MRPharmS. Worked as Community pharmacist for 15 years. Undertaking a second degree in medicine.
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October 2 2006 at 10:50 AM (1 day and 6 hours later)
         
Reply to Pauline's Post: i have not received a diet as of yet
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October 2 2006 at 11:27 AM (37 minutes and 9 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark

A diet is a very individual process. Did you manage to look at the link?

I can recommend which types of food to avoid but I don't know what foods he would like and then be able to incorporate that into a diet. That would be the job of a nutritionist and I strongly suggest he gets a referral to a nutritionist who specialises in ileostomy and coleostomy patients.

There will be a process of trial and error until his stoma settles down. And the first 6 weeks or so will be pretty stressful. There willl be accidents and problems. Ideally he should have access to a stoma nurse who can talk through these sorts of problems. Also the stoma itself will change shape and size once the immediate post operative inflammation has gone down.

If he has trouble putting weight on then his doctor can recommend specific meal replacement drinks which he can have in addition to his regular meals. Again, we may need to choose these carefully.

In the short term, any food that he wants to eat which is easily digestible will be fine. Its vegetables in particular that he will have a problem with.

Regards

 



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Pauline -- Pharmacist -- 99% Positive Feedback on 3810 Health Accepts
MRPharmS. Worked as Community pharmacist for 15 years. Undertaking a second degree in medicine.
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