In the build up to the surgery I had been given a whole load of information to read including what foods and drinks to try and avoid or at least be cautious about. These foods and drinks wouldn’t cause any harm to the stoma but there may be unwanted side effects such as extra gas. 

When I was living with Crohn’s I found that nothing disagreed with my bowels and I was able to eat and drink anything I liked. After my new bum was installed I wanted to enjoy the same freedoms as before. My plan would be to try everything that I used to eat and drink, monitor what happens and then if nothing happens, great, and if something does happen, decide if I should deal with the outcome or avoid in future.

Two things that I had read to avoid, or be weary of, were fizzy drinks and beer. I already drink too many fizzy drinks and could do with cutting back but I wouldn’t want to cut them out of my diet completely. I quickly discovered that when drinking fizzy pop, most of the gas comes out of my mouth and not the other end so that was a success. Next up Beer. 

Colostomy Bag, Meet Beer. Beer, Meet Colostomy Bag

When leaving hospital I had to take a course of antibiotics for 7 days so when when completed it was time to hit the local Tiny Rebel bar to test out beer! As Tiny Rebel’s Clwb Tropicana is my usually my tipple of choice I started with a pint of that. After a quick introduction to a colostomy bag it was down the hatch and waiting to see what happens. 

Of course, as this was serious research, just one beer wouldn’t be enough to really test how well my new bum copes with it so I also had to try a Peaches n Cream, a cask ale and a 10% imperial stout. Much like fizzy drinks, I found that the gas was exiting via the front door rather than than the side door. My bag appeared normal and hadn’t filled up with any gas and I hadn’t heard a whisper from my stoma so it would appear that this too was a success. 

During my research I also ticked something off the list – changing a bag after a few beers!

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Diagnosed with IBD in 2002, I have experienced the usual ups and downs of having a chronic disease and tried numerous medications but the time finally came in 2018 to elect to have surgery to improve my life. I had the surgery in 2019 and this is my journey having a 'New Bum'.

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  1. Hi Robert, this sounds promising. I’m 3 weeks post-op myself and yet to try the beer test. I would hate to give it up!
    Take care
    Richard

    1. I’m 3 weeks post-op tomorrow and have managed well with beer. Have found that the gas was coming out of my mouth so no issues there.

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