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Cancer

Find advice & support if you or someone you know has been diagnosed with cancer

Recipes for husband with stoma

8 replies

Buzzer3555 · 17/05/2026 17:06

My husband has recently been treated for bowel cancer and has been fitted with a stoma. This limits what he can eat. Have any of you got any suitable recipes you could recommend?

OP posts:
Sylv10249012 · 17/05/2026 17:51

Are you asking for 'surgery recovery' recipes or generally?

It will be different depending on both of those but also what sort of surgery/stoma he has. If he had an ileostomy (small intestine diversion that by passes the large intestine) this usually needs low fiber diet and avoiding things like olives and popcorn that can result in blockages and to eat things like jelly babies and bananas to thicken the output. If he has a colectomy, then my understanding the long term diet is closer to normal. (My knowledge is more about ilesotomies). What sort of stoma are you talking about?

Either way:

  1. First port of call should be his stoma nurse who will be able to advise. If he hasn't been allocated one, ask for one. They normally have leaflets and stuff with recipes and advice in them for post -surgery and longer term. A good stoma nurse is a godsend. A bad one will not help and give misleading advice (ask me how I know!) so fingers crossed all is well.
  2. No one tells you this but you should know there are a number of manufacturers/distributor of stoma care products. What typically happens is that whatever hospital the patient has surgery in, has a relationship with only one manufacturer so they leave hospital with products from them and they just sign you up on the NHS delivery system. But there are others some are better for some products than others - obviously they are all keen to get the job of the supply to a new patient. Be aware also that it is likely your husband will be send home with the cheapest type of pouch/skin adherent barrier - there are likely to be other ones that are available

This is not for right now when he's still mentally adjusting and the stoma still has to settle into its final size post surgery. They tend to shrink. Once the stoma has settled and he's got used to changing the bag and living with it, then you can get samples from all the main manufacturers to test out the different types of bags.

Anyway - the reason I was mentioning this is that most of the manufacturer websites have information about eating and recipe suggestions. However, exactly what he can eat will depend on the type of surgery and whether you are dealing with surgery recovery and in what stage. Here are some of the manufacturers I'm aware of. There will be others I'm sure.

https://www.convatec.com/ostomy-care/meplus-patient-support/diet-after-ostomy-surgery-what-to-eat/
(Amcare owns convatec https://www.amcarebyconvatec.com/ )

https://products.coloplast.co.uk/products/ostomy-care/

https://www.dansac.co.uk/en-gb/livingwithastoma

https://www.fittleworth.com/advice-centre/stoma/dietary-advice-for-people-living-with-a-stoma/

3.There are various support associations for ileostomy and colostomies and their websites have advice. Here are a couple but I'm sure others if you google that will have diet and recipe advice

https://iasupport.org/information-support/
https://www.colostomyuk.org/

Lots of useful links here too:

https://comfizz.com/pages/useful-links

Finally, if your husband hasn't been told this already, there is a strong risk of a hernia after stoma surgery so he should ask for advice about this - for example holding your stomach when you sneeze and this sort of thing because if it herniates, then attaching the bag becomes more hassle as you need a different sort of pouch attachment.

Resources for Living with a Stoma | Dansac UK

https://www.dansac.co.uk/en-gb/livingwithastoma

Buzzer3555 · 17/05/2026 18:15

Thanks for the comprehensive reply
It was very useful. For information it was a colectomy as his large bowel was removed. I have had some general advice on what food types to avoid. I was looking for inspiration on recipes to add some variety. He's enjoying the jelly babies!. Thanks again

OP posts:
Sylv10249012 · 17/05/2026 19:00

I don't know about colostomies so you need to speak to his medical team. I would just search online for whatever you dietary advice is - so if he is on a low fibre diet at first then search for that

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/low-fiber-diet-recipes/rcs-20534074

I thought long term (post surgery recovery), that a colostomy diet was pretty similar to normal because the large intenstine is still in operation but like I said - ignore me as not something I know about and speak to his stoma care nurse.

Good luck with it all. You've probably been told this already but just to be aware that mentally it can take at least a year or so for the patient to adjust to it and he may have periods of feeling very down about his stoma. It's a lot for someone to deal with as a cancer diagnosis itself is traumatic enough. If you are his care support, it's good to be aware of this. If he has problems - like skin soreness around the stoma or leaks - do speak to the stoma nurse and also google wildly, you can find some very good advice on forums for whatever your problem is.

It maybe worth getting a couple of breathable incontinence bed pads - this sort of thing -

https://www.mobilityproducts4u.org/product/guardedsleep-bed-protector/

whilst his stoma is settling because having a leak in the night is unpleasant and upsetting and having to change all the sheets can be very distressing if it happens repeatedly.

EDIT: sorry I misunderstood your post just reading too quickly - if his large bowel was removed, then his stoma will be an ileostomy - so this will be a long term low fibre diet.

Healthy low-fiber diet recipes for easy digestion and abdominal health - Mayo Clinic

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/low-fiber-diet-recipes/rcs-20534074

decorationday · 17/05/2026 19:14

If his large bowel was removed then it would be an ileostomy?

A colostomy is when you still have at least some colon.

Sylv10249012 · 17/05/2026 19:29

decorationday · 17/05/2026 19:14

If his large bowel was removed then it would be an ileostomy?

A colostomy is when you still have at least some colon.

Yes I know as my edit made clear. I was reading too quickly and misread colectomy for colostomy. OPs husband has an ileostomy if the large intestine was removed.

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