In addition, Sally consulted with her physician regarding the best anti-diarrheal agents to use on a routine basis. The Results After adjusting her intake as described above, Sally was able to decrease her ostomy output to a more manageable level and reduce her TPN dependence to three nights per week. In the TPN she gets water-miscible forms of fat soluble vitamins, divalent cations and vitamin B12 for which she is still at risk of malabsorption. Sally's story is a simplified example of what it takes to alter nutritional intake and output. Certainly a perfect diet for short bowel syndrome does not exist.
Every person is an individual and every gut is different as well.
Each diet will need to correspond to what the patient has in terms of bowel length, disease activity and time lapse since surgery. In addition, it should be noted that change is not likely to happen overnight, but often takes time and attention to detail. Sally's story points to the value of developing a specific nutrition plan for the patient with short bowel syndrome with a registered dietitian with a background in nutrition support and experience with malabsorptive disorders. Judy Suneson is a registered and licensed dietitian specializing in gastrointestinal disorders at Baylor University Medical Center's John S. Fortran, MD Center for Digestive Disease in Dallas, Texas. Carol Ireton-Jones received her PhD in Nutrition from Texas Woman's University and is a registered and licensed dietitian and Director, Nutrition Program Management, for Coram Healthcare.