Body Posture.

Here's an idea that works for me for anybody who irrigates.

Instead of sitting on the toilet in the conventional way when you fill and evacuate, why not try sitting the other way around.

Straddle the toilet as if riding a horse. Your back will automatically be straightened, you won't slouch, and when evacuating your

tummy will be more relaxed. Also, if you have a low cistern, you have a shelf to put your bits on.

Hello scorsby.Thanks for the idea which is a good one - I tried it for a while but as I'm getting on in years and I'm on there for more than an hour, it became extremely tiring. Eventually I made a comfortable foam-padded flat plank seat which simply goes over the toilet and allows me to sit upright with my back braced on the upturned seat.I also have a board which goes across my knees so that I can work whilst I'm waiting. I've found that working on something else helps me to relax rather than thinking about the stoma and whether or not it's finished. By the time the work is done the stoma is also done and I don't feel quite so resentful about having spent so much time just sitting and waiting.Keep the ideas coming as we all face the same sorts of problems and there should be many alternative solutions to choose from. Best wishes Bill

Hello Bill. Do you have a colostomy? And do you irrigate in the usual way (fill up, wait a minute, then let it evacuate)? If so, why let the bulk of the water flush out in the first couple of minutes? Fold sideways the bottom of the sleeve and clip it with a freezer bag clip a couple of inches from the bottom. Then fold over the end of the sleeve with a little tissue around it and clip it with a strong bulldog clip. Now you're double clipped with no chance of a leak. Go and sit in a chair, on the bed, in the garden, anywhere while the rest of your bowel empties into the sleeve. Empty the poo down the loo and bingo, you're done. Works for me, and I lounge on a bed for half an hour on my Kindle.
John

Hello scorsby. I do have a colostomy and irrigate and I tried what you have suggested as I saw it as part of the advice given on the youtube video from the guy in Aussie. However, my little volcano seems to have a will of it's own and erupts in spasmodic huge amounts. The flange never actually came off but it was a bit worrying trying to hold onto all that (fairly heavy)liquid whilst trying to get back to the loo to empty it. Eventually I decided that I could just as easily set myself up to work for an hour or two whilst sitting on the redesigned toilet and this has so far suited my needs as it is not much different to sitting at my computer in the office (which is what I probably would be doing).Best wishes Bill

Hello Bill. I love big explosions from my volcano; the more poo, the better. I use disposable sleeves that stick around my squashed tomato. Just throw them away after every enema. Never had a leak yet.

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Hello scorsby. You are so lucky not to have had a leak. However, here is a cautionary tale from my own experiences. I had been happily irrigating for years using Dansac irrigation sleeves without any problems. This lulled me into a sense of confidence and routine that was abruptly ended when one of the sleeves came adrift after I had put the water in. in spit of much hope and effort there was no way I could hold the sleeve on during the subsequent eruptions and the faeces shot all over me and the bathroom. What a mess!! After that I made myself a gadget to hold a sleeve on from the outside and still allow the flow.There was a period when an odd sleeve would fail for no identifiable reason. I sent several back to Dansac with batch numbers but had no feedback from them. However, after I wrote explaining how 'inconvenient' it was to have these types of failures the subsequent sleeves they sent me suck so tightly I had to put powder around the edges in order to get them to release from the skin. ( I preferred having to do this rather than have them come off mid irrigation.) I've not recently had any repeats of sleeves coming away but I'm always ready with my little protective gadget just in case! Best wishes Bill

Hello Bill. What a cautionary tale. I've never had a sleeve fall off yet. They do stick very tight and in the past I've had to use adhesive remover, but not very often. My sleeves are 'Braun' iri sleeves. They're very good, but they come one meter in lengths so I have to cut them down to just over 12 which is quite long enough for me. Before I learned how to properly secure the folded sleeve, I was in hospital having a cancer recurrence removed. Not wanting to commandeer the toilet for half an hour, I filled and evacuated quickly then returned to my bed for half an hour. As fate would have it, I must have emptied my entire bowel that night and the folded sleeve was VERY full and heavy. I went back to the toilet to empty it and once inside lifted up my gown, caught the two clothes pegs that were holding the sleeve, and the whole damn lot spilled over my feet and the floor. What a massive embarrassing mess. The nurses were very good about it, but I felt terrible giving them such a lousy cleaning up job. It cost me the price of two very large boxes of chocolates and a lot of groveling before they forgave me. After that, I perfected the sealing method I now use which will NOT fail. Thanks for the information. John

Hello scorsby. Thanks for the story. I like these stories of disasters after they've happened and everything is back to 'normal'. In retrospect they almost seem to be amusing for some reason. They are certainly not that way when you are living through them at the time! Best wishes Bill

Great stuff, thanks, Tom.

Good afternoon from Ireland. Can someone help me here? When after surgery can you begin to do irrigation? I had surgery 4 months ago and I have a bad problem with pasting all the time in my bag, so I thought irrigation would solve this. Would anyone please advise? Really appreciate it.

Hello chachacha. I would give me great satisfaction to answer your question and reassure you that my answer comes directly from my very helpful consultant and stoma nurse. Knowing that I was keen to irrigate as soon as possible they both said that I should be able to irrigate after six weeks post-op. It sounds as if you are well past that time. However, a word of caution -- everybody is different and your circumstances might well not be the same or even similar to mine so if it were me I would still go to seek advice from a stoma nurse or your consultant if you have access to them. I cannot imagine what life would be like without irrigation as it frees me up to do whatever I like during the day without the worry of having to manage a bag. So, although it's not for everybody I would encourage you to give it a try as soon as you can.best wishes Bill

Dear Chachacha,
Can I endorse all that Bill has said, so I won't repeat it. Like Bill, I cannot imagine life without irrigating. I have a lifestyle where, for most of the day, I completely forget that I'm incontinent. Like you, I had a torrid time with bags, but simply by putting 30 to 45 minutes a day to one side to flush out has made having a stoma very bearable.
Do talk to your Stoma Nurse, though I have met some who themselves don't fully understand irrigation.
If the medics say it's okay, then get kitted out. There will always be loads of help on this site. Sadly, fewer people irrigate than are able simply because the process isn't explained to them. For me, I thoroughly enjoy my irrigation time each day as it makes me sit (lie) down to relax.
John

Good luck. I waited four years until starting irrigation and wish I had started six months after surgery. I agree nurses don't really say much, if anything, about it unless you ask. I too have pancaking (your pasting - think). Irrigating doesn't seem to work all the time; I seem to have good days and bad days, but yes, I think everyone who can should irrigate. Take care, everyone.

Hi Sunasea. Thanks for the note. Glad you irrigate, though if it works properly, there should be very little to pancake. Have you tried different approaches to filling and flushing? A little change might make all the difference.
John

Hi John, thank you for the post. I was wondering if you had any suggestions on filling and flushing? I use 1000cc of warm water, and it flows into my colon quickly, like in 5 minutes. It takes an hour, maybe an hour and 15 minutes to flush. The flushing seems to work better some days than others. I just relax and then even walk around to get some movement. Any advice would surely be appreciated. I have been at this for six months now. Thanks again, John.
Sincerely,
Tom

Hello all. Sitting at my desk in Dublin, I just want to update you: I have contacted my surgeon for a letter to give to my Stoma-Nurse, who in turn will get me my irrigation kit. Most likely, it won't happen until the end of September now, but reading your replies, it seems to show that the quality of life is much better, and it will also help with my very bad pancaking, which is driving me nuts. I can cope with the change in my life with now having a bag forever, but the pancaking is hard to deal with. I have done all the oil in the bag, tissue, drinking loads of water, and maybe I now need to look at my food intake, but to be honest, it's pretty good (except at weekends I go off track), but this has to be allowed. So, if I run into difficulty, I hope I can touch base, and you can advise. Life is for living, and the bag has to become a natural part of that, so here's to fingers crossed it works well for me. Thanks for reading this. ChaChCha

Dear chachacha,
Best move that you can make. Remember, what's not inside, can't come out. Your Stoma Nurse may not have all the answers, but we do. You're going to irrigate for the rest of your life, so enjoy it. Some random ramblings. Look for simple, easy solutions to problems. Don't rush the flush; take your time. The colon is a canny bastard and knows your moods better than you. Pick a time each day to suit your lifestyle. Regularity is the key. I spend about one hour, and that includes a soak in the bath. Don't get despondent if at the start getting the water in is difficult. It's just a case of getting the angle of the cone right. If in doubt, stick a finger inside. Reusable sleeves are better than disposable ones. They can be useful, but they can also fall off. Don't sit in the toilet any longer than necessary. Sleeve up, and lounge about in comfort. There are lots of us irrigating every day; don't get stuck, ask. Good luck.

Hello Chachacha. I won't ramble on as Scorsby has covered most of what I might have said. So here's hoping your first attempts at irrigation go well and that you become flushed with new enthusiasm. Best wishes Bill. PS: I love the catchphrase don't rush the flush!

I don't use an irrigating bag when I irrigate weekly. I just irrigate through my regular ostomy bag. It takes approximately 20 minutes to clean everything out while I just kneel in front of the loo and catch up on the weekly paper. After about two hours, I can strip off my appliance, shower without any concern of getting any further output from my colostomy, and then I allow my stoma to breathe a little for an hour or so before I put on a new appliance. A week later, I repeat the process.

Hello Crudeoil53. You are so fortunate to be able to go a week before the next irrigation. I tried a couple of (experimental) times to leave it and only managed a day and a half on each occasion. This was most 'inconvenient' as I really only have time to do this type of thing in the evenings and having a mess during the day made me think that I might just aas well be wearing bags. So now I just stick to a daily routine and that works fine -- until I hear that someone like you can go a week and then I start to feel jealous!! Best wishes Bill.

Hey Bill, please don't mistake what I wrote. I cannot go the full week between irrigations without any output, lol. I just irrigate once a week right now because I find it very convenient to just do it before I change my appliance. I wear a one-piece appliance throughout the week.

Thanks for that your reply makes me feel a lot better!!!

Good morning, all. I started my irrigation for the first time around 9 days ago. I am currently doing it every night, as that is what my stoma nurse said... and this will, in around 3 weeks' time, go to every second night. How do you know when you can skip a night, as the output so far has been significant? Do you build up so that after a few weeks there is less in the bowel? And does this then allow you to skip a night? I bought the new Braune Iry Pump S, and I have to say it is much easier to irrigate than I thought. I do it in my bedroom, and to be honest, the pump does all the work, with the actual water going into the stoma only taking around 3 to 5 minutes (if even that), and then just the wait time for it to expel. I really want to go to every 2 nights, but I am not confident as to when. Lastly, yesterday I did have output through the day, not a lot but enough. Is this normal? Thank you for reading this, and I look forward to the replies. Slán leat from Ireland.

Hi Chachacha. Don't rush the flush. I irrigate every evening like you do. I don't use a pump but a gravity bag. The knack is to first use at least 1.5 liters of water. Hold the cone in place when you're full for a good full minute so the water can spread in the bowel. After the initial evacuation, clip the sleeve securely and relax for a good 20 minutes. Don't rush this, and you'll get secondary evacuations until the bowel is empty. Enjoy the space. It could take several weeks to get to a two-day pattern, but there's always the danger of some product starting to emerge towards the end of the second day. It seems that we're all different. Personally, I prefer to put a clean stoma cap on one day and take it off clean 24 hours later. Experiment with different techniques. John

Good morning, Scorsby. Your replies are always so good, not just to me but to all. I see in your reply you suggest 1.5 liters. I have not used that amount, so I will up the water from tonight. It is comforting to know not to worry, and yes, please God, I will get to every second night sometime after the Christmas season, and I promise I won't rush things as I really do want this to work. Cheers, Adrianne

Dear Adrianne, just take your time and enjoy it; after all, you're stuck with it from now on. Make irrigation time something to enjoy. After initial evacuation, lie back, get comfortable, and let your bowel do the work. Anytime you want to check something, just send a note.
John

All good advice! I would have difficulty in lying back and enjoying it as I can only really relax when I have something to do to exercise my mind. Using the time to do some writing has been useful for me over the past few years but this week I met a guy playing a keyboard in one of the day centres I take people to. We got chatting and he told me that he didn't start playing until he was 72 years old. I've always fancied playing the piano so this gave me the idea that utilising the two hours that I sit on the loo each night could be my 'practice' time.Of course it'll have to wait until I've finished my present book but It will be something to look forward to. However, the main advantage in having something productive to do is that it stops me becoming resentful of the time spent just sitting and waiting. Best wishes to you all Bill

Hi Bill. You don't actually spend two hours sitting on the loo? That must be dreadful. My total irrigation time is less than an hour, and that includes soaking for twenty minutes in a bath. Filling takes about 5 minutes, initial evacuation another 5 minutes, then I securely clip the base of the sleeve and recline on a bed for the next twenty minutes while the bowel does its work. I have a Kindle so I read or, as now, write letters. It's fun time, relaxing and me-time uninterrupted. I don't think that I could last two hours on the loo.
John

Hello Scorsby. It's not every day I spend two hours on the loo - just most days! I tried walking around and doing other things but the output was too much and I was going back to the loo every five minutes - so decided that I might as well sit there and see it all through. I have redesigned the seating arrangements to make it much more comfortable. I made a flat board with a thick foam cushion on top which is all enclosed in a pillow case that my wife donated so that it could be washed regularly. I've also made a back rest so that my spine isn't being bent into the hole left b y the upturned toilet seat. All in all it makes for quite a comfortable chair even if it does look a bit unusual for a toilet seat. I have a shaped piece of laminated wood that is placed on my knees to form a table top where my paperwork can be spread out and I can while away the time writing. In fact most days I don't even notice how long I've been on there until I've finished my work and returned to normal life. Before I found something useful to do with my time I used to have a slight feeling of resentment at being forced to tend to the needs of the stoma for such a long period, but since I started using that time to write I now enjoy the experience and appreciate the opportunity to multi-task in a much more productive way. I hope one day to get myself a laptop so that I can word process my thoughts while I'm doing the business on the loo rather than having to write it all out by hand and then type it all later. That does seem like a waste of time and effort!Anyway enough of my routine - thanks for sharing how you spend your 'fun-time'. Best wishes Bill