When irrigation does not go to plan

WHEN IRRIGATION DOES NOT GO TO PLAN.
For years I have successfully irrigated and I am an enthusiastic advocate for people to try out this procedure for themselves as it frees up the daytime hours from the potential tedium of having to manage bags/pouches or whatever you like to call them and finding facilities which are either unsuitable or often non-existent when we need them. `I note that all my previous posts have been very positive about irrigation and I want to make it clear that I still feel this way, in spite of the fact that sometimes things can occasionally come amiss.
Below I will share what happened to me yesterday and today and perhaps shed some light on some of the minor things that don’t quite go to plan.
Yesterday, I irrigated as usual and, unusually, had very little output during the irrigation process. This should have set off warning bells in my head, but I just thought it was because, through splashback, I often lose a lot of liquid and maybe that was all there was that went in. I was completely wrong in my assessment of this situation, in that after I had gone almost the 24hours without any problems, I began to have rapid and copious output. I only had a plug in situ and this did nothing to keep the flow at bay. Fortunately, I had a hernia belt on, which captured most of it, but ruined the belt. By the time I had Irrigated again tonight, the output was about as much as I would have had in two nights. Now I only have tentative guesses at why this might have happened but It is worth remembering that even with the best procedures and the best of intentions, things don’t always go to plan.
Best wishes
Bill

Bill... I also irrigate, of course you and others coached me. However, I don't use a cap; my digestive system is unpredictable. I only hold out for 12 hours. My stoma nurse said everyone that had a colostomy cannot irrigate. Perhaps I fall into that group, but 12 hours beat nothing. Very informative blog. Thanks, Bill...
Angelicamarie

Thanks Bill. Sorry for your uncommon day! I have had some comical adventures irrigating. Remember I am only on my 10th day of irrigating! It is good to know that all days are not as good as others! Some days, I am cleaning up after myself more than others! Note that I am a clean freak.
So any accidents really go against my nature. Cleanup takes as long as irrigating some nights! Lol.
Hope your future days are better!
Puppyluv

It's really curious to hear about your story because it looks a lot like what happened to me yesterday and today. I irrigated yesterday in pain and misery. I had a very bad stomach and the water did not want to enter... and I had no residues... maybe due to the Imodium that I took for 2 days because of the anti-inflammatory that the doctor had prescribed on Wednesday for a big pain in the lower back. I could not move without my cane. And tonight I managed the 1500 cc but I did not have a lot of residue. I hope, like you, that everything will return to normal soon. Thanks, Bill, for sharing. I feel less lonely in my non-residue stuff. :)

Thanks everyone for your comments. I posted this because I think it is important to be open and honest about what goes wrong as well as right in our daily lives. I have to admit that, if I had stuck strictly to the advice I was given at the beginning, then irrigation would not have worked at all for me. What with the numerous equipment failures and the inappropriateness of the 'one-size-fits-all' approach from manufacturers. After many years of experimenting and making stuff for myself, I can now irrigate to my satisfaction without many of those earlier problems. Yet, as illustrated, things can still not always go according to plan. However, I am not at all put off by the last couple of days. I will simply learn from the experience and, if there is a 'next time', when I don't have quite as much output as expected during the irrigation process, I will wear a bag the next day rather than a plug. Also, I will try not to be quite so complacent about the management of the thing, as this could have happened in the street, rather than at home. In which case I would have had much more of a problem cleaning up as I never carry any cleaning stuff or spares with me because up to now I have not needed them.
Best wishes
Bill

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Hello Veejay. Thanks for your response to this post.I received an email with your reply but unfortunately it does not seem to have made its way onto this site as yet. In answer to your question: I use hernia belts from CUI who do those ones that have overlapping velcro, so the adjustment is more precise. They will also make them to my specification which helps. Just as an aside, I have an extra hernia belt made from a seat-belt for wheelchair users. Depending on what I am wearing, this goes directly over the top of the CUI belt or over the top of my boiler suit. The buckle fits directly over my stoma and applies pressure on my parastomal hernia. I can only do this because I irrigate and don't ( usually) have any output during the day. I hope this helps
Best wishes
Bill

Thanks for the info, Bill.

Will look into it in Australia....see what's available.

I deleted my original reply because for some reason the paragraphs all run into each other. Not the way I was taught to write.

Will try again though.

V.J.

Hello veejay. Yes - I did notice that when you hit the space key it put in what looks like machine code. That's modern technology for you! What usually happens with me, is that after I have written a lengthy piece the computer gobbles it up and it disappears before I can post it. (so frustrating!)Sometimes it was happening two or three times, so I took to writing it all out in MS WORD, then cutting and pasting it into the relevant post. This way I got a decent spell checker and a safe method of keeping the writing until I was sure that it had been posted properly. Best wishes Bill

There is more to it than that, Bill.

There is a way a new topic can be started and the paragraphs are fine.

I do the same as you, I write my "posting" on another program and cut and paste too. (Not that I 'post' as much as you do)

If you look under Latest Forum Topics, your original post....Irrigation not going to plan.....is not there. If I had more time and was more "savvy" I could probably work it out. There has to be a reason why paragraphs don't work????

Keep posting, Bill.

V.J.

Hello Veejay. There is a very simple explanation why my post is not in the 'forum' topics. It is because I posted it as a 'blog'. as for the paragraph issue. Who knows? I just put it down to the vagaries of modern technology.
Best wishes Bill