Seeking Advice on Optimal Timing for Ostomy Irrigation

Hi, my name is Gord and I am over two years into the ostomy and have recently started irrigation. Has anyone got any pointers for me? I have started with the help of a stoma nurse to do it every night around 8 PM, but I am thinking I should do it a bit later. Or do people find the morning is better? I have had few problems while I have had my ostomy. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Logically speaking, the mornings seem the best time for myself. The advantage lies in the fact that whatever you have eaten has had time to process through your system and instead of being in your stomach or small intestines, it's in your colon where you can flush it out. If you manage your diet and eat a low fiber, low residue diet, you should be able to go two days between irrigations. That effectively cuts the work part in half; for me, that's a good thing! Why not try mornings and see how it goes 👍

Hello Firefighter22.
With all things to do with stomas. it seems to be q question of experimentation to see what suits you best.
My routine has been shaped by the fact that I have a slow system that produces output for unpredictable hours after I have irrigated.
Thus, after trying many alternatives, I now start the process at 18:00hrs and the bulk of it is finished by about 20:00hrs. However, there is a residue of output that happens at various intervals throughout the night, so I fold up the irrigation sleeve to form a bag which I then empty out (& change) in the morning.
This procedure allows me to have an output-free day, until the process starts all over again at 18;)hrs the next evening.
It's not ideal, but much better than the thought of having to find facilities during the day without irrigation.
I do hope you manage to find a routine that works well for you.
Best wishes

Bill  

Hi Gord. I've irrigated successfully for ten years now and I'm a firm advocate. I'm lucky in that I use a (failed) Braun irypump which, on its inevitable demise, I converted to run off mains electricity stepped down to 12v. A very easy conversion. Bill is right that experimentation is the key to what works for you. My routine is 6pm each day (I can go 48 hours if needed) and it takes me about 45 minutes in total, but only 5 minutes to get filled up. It's good to check how much seepage you get when filling. I put in 1.5 liters of water and, taking a little seepage out, that's adequate. Clip the bottom of your sleeve when filling. Relax. You might as well enjoy irrigation since, unless you move to an alternative, you're stuck with it. If you're getting 24 hours clean, cap on, clean cap off, you'll know how lucky we are.

Hello Firefighter22,

I'm not sure if there really is any particular best time to do it. I think it really all depends on your work schedule, and the best time you can work it into your day, at least that's how I look at it. I just can't imagine taking the time to do it daily, but perhaps that may change once I retire 😂😂😂

I use the Assura #15879 1-piece ostomy pouch from Coloplast. I have been using it for years. I only irrigate once a week, and it usually ends up being around 17:00 in the evenings. The bag has a fairly wide opening, so with a little skill and determination over the years, I'm able to just leave the bag on and do my irrigation using the opening in the bag. Of course, this requires me to spend 20 minutes or so kneeling in front of the throne while I do the initial irrigation, but after that, I can put a clip on my bag and go about my regular activities for the evening. I have little to no output within the next 24 to 36 hours, and sometime around that 24-hour period after I did my irrigation, I remove the bag, take a shower, and then I'm able to leave the bag off for the next 8 to 12 hours with just a covering over the stoma with the assistance of an ostomy belt. I then put a new bag on in the morning before heading out the door for work.

Not sure I really helped you out much here, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it, lol

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister