Irrigation Experiences for Better Quality of Life

Please, please, can you, my ostomy friends, post me your thoughts on irrigation? This is something that I think will give me a better quality of life. I need to know how long and often this takes. I am worried that I will be restricted as to where I can stay when away from home. Looking forward to hearing from you all xxxxxxxxxx

There are several posts on this; if you do a search, you will find them. Irrigation is a very good thing if you qualify. The remaining colon must be healthy, so before you do anything, ask your doctor or nurse if you can. There is a good video on how to do it on www.youtubbe.com. Go there and search for colostomy irrigation. I am in a hurry this morning but will post a few links when I have time. I'll be glad to coach you if you have any trouble, just PM me. Good luck and let us know how you do. Regards, mmsh

Here's one thread...https://www.meetanostomate.org/discussion-forum/viewtopic.php?t=1661

Thanks, Mmsh, I have watched the demo on YouTube and seen all the posts. Now I just have to hope I will be able to try. My stoma nurse will be calling at my home tomorrow. I can now tell her the information I have learned, thanks to your help. Hopefully, I will get the go-ahead; if I do, I will keep you informed. xxxxxx
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Irrigation is a trade-off. The amount of time spent irrigating versus the time between irrigations, where ideally, there is no output.

Your doctor/surgeon also needs to clear you for it.

Usually, it is once a day and should take about an hour. The ideal no output also takes a few weeks to solidify (so to speak), so patience is a virtue both during the session and in the long term.

Good morning! I have been irrigating for approximately 6 months now. This process takes me about 1-1.5 hours, but once you have it down, it gives you freedom for the other 23 hours (no convex appliances, bags, emptying, etc.). Because I have relatively sensitive skin, I now no longer suffer from irritation/rashes and do not use any skin prep stuff anymore. I change out daily after irrigating and use the Hollister stoma cap product (cost savings here also!). It gives you a great sense of freedom and brings back a near-normal quality of life. Is it 100% foolproof? No, but what in life is?! If I happen to have output during the 23 hours (maybe 1-2x/month), it is minimal and due to an unusual dietary change (self-induced if you get my drift...!).

Good luck with irrigation. I think you will find it liberating (although it takes some effort) over the long run. Here is the YouTube video I watched to learn about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g14kbuw1fU8

Let me know if you have any questions!

Living with Your Ostomy | Hollister

I never watched any videos, but I hear it helps a lot of people. I have been irrigating since September '10 (9-11 to be precise). I have yet to achieve no output for that length of time, but the amount of output that I do get is rather minimal. Since I love my soda, sometimes gas is more the issue.

I don't let it bother me that I have yet to get the glorious 24 hours because it is a process. I'm also very leisurely about it because in the beginning I was hating it for a while.

I feel irrigating gives me a much better quality of life - in fact, I did not agree to my colostomy until my surgeon mentioned it. I think it is really helpful to do your first irrigation with a WOCN (ET nurse) on an outpatient basis.

It seems like the longer I irrigated (since June '09), the shorter the period of time spent has become. I have it down now to only about 35 minutes. I do irrigate every 24 hours - some can go longer. I've tried to go longer, but I like to eat a lot of stuff with fiber (fruits, veggies, etc.) so every day works for me.

I really like the Coloplast irrigation kit as it has a water temperature gauge on the bag and a little water wheel that shows how fast the water is going in. You need to get the right irrigation sleeves to go with your brand of ostomy supplies (I use Hollister).

Good luck! Hope it works for you!
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Thank you all so much for your post. It's been three weeks now and things are looking good. I irrigate every day and the time it takes is getting quicker. Had a few hiccups the first few days, but all is well. I am sure this is the best choice for me. I have the Coloplast kit, but I use the Dansac disposable sleeves. I'm sure that this will give me a better quality of life.

I prefer the Convatec irrigation bag because of its flow controller. It has more finesse for control of the flow.

Coloplast's flow controller is more of an it's on or off thing and it sticks.