Question

I’ve noticed that I lost 6 pounds overnight. I know the scales are accurate. I could feel it in my clothes as well. How is this possible? Is this common?  

Response

Regardless of the type of ostomy or bowel diversion, it is not typical to experience a 6-pound weight loss overnight. Having said this, if you have recently undergone ostomy surgery, most people are underweight due to the illness that led to the ostomy requirement, and the challenges directly following surgery, which is typical. Once you can begin eating even semi-normally, you will experience weight gain. It is advisable to make an appointment with a dietician, the expert that will assist you in developing a good diet regime. It is common to lose some weight overnight, due to water loss. Two processes will cause water loss. The first is respiration. Each time you exhale, you lose a little bit of water. The second is transpiration through the skin, also known as sweating. Throughout a night, both of these processes eliminate quite a bit of water, and so you will experience a drop in weight, that will be noticeable on the scale first thing in the morning. You will then notice you have gained the weight back by the end of the day. People with an ileostomy are at an increased risk of becoming dehydrated. This is because of the large intestine, which is either removed or unused if you have an ileostomy, plays an important role in helping absorb water from food waste. You must ensure that you stay hydrated to ensure that you do not manifest an obstruction, (constipation). It is highly recommended that you contact your physician if the weight loss continues for more than a day or two more. As stated, it is not typical to experience rapid weight loss due to having an ostomy of any type. Jo-Ann L. Tremblay
THE OSTOMY FACTOR Blog – joannltremblay.wordpress.com
FACEBOOK – Author Jo-Ann L. Tremblay
TWITTER @joanntremblay
Author of “The Self-Coaching Toolbox” , “Better With A Bag Than In A Bag” , “Another BAG Another DAY”, “BAGs Around the World”, Why Buttercup Wears a BAG!”, “The Sibs Gang Cave of the Golden Heart”
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Website: jo-annltremblay.com     Our friends over at Nurses Specialized In Wound, Ostomy And Continence Canada (formerly called The Canadian Association for Enterostomal Therapy (CAET)) have renamed their handy look-up page on their website. It was formerly called “Find An ET Nurse” and is now called “Find a NSWOC“. Click on the image to the left or link here to go to their site.