Training for Irrigation - Plug or No Plug?

This is a dumb question........I hear a lot about irrigation. How do you train yourself for an every other day event, meanwhile you wear some sort of plug...until that time arrives...Why couldn't you just train yourself for an every other day event, by taking out the plug every other day to relieve yourself? Once your body got used to it....even once a day might be helpful...just pull the plug at a certain time every day........not sure why this might not work? The only downfall I could see is if you're gassy, it might fly out and put someone's eye out....just wondering

Irrigation works by flushing the colon. I don't think a plug at the very end of the colon would work, given the "parabolic" action, which works similar to a hydraulic jack..... Besides, irrigation works well, is painless, and takes about an hour, a good trade-off for 2 worry-free days. Regards. MMSH

Hello letsrock. In my opinion there is no such thing as a dumb question when it comes to stomas. Your question is a good one and in theory sounds quite logical and practical. However, the idea of a site like this is to learn from other people who may well have asked similar questions in the past and come up with the answers you are looking for. It's just as MMSH says. The action of the muscles that normally push out the faeces is very strong indeed and would almost certainly push out the plug and the faeces behind it and then you would still need a bag to catch what comes out. My own peristalis manages to push out the plug every so often and I am always aware and grateful that there is no faeces coming out with it because I irrigate every day.

I have heard that there are devices that can be surgically implanted that act like a tap that can be turned on and off to let the faeces out at your convenience (pardon the pun). However, I would be sceptical about such a device for me because my colon seems to abstract a lot of moisture from the faeces and leave them very hard. I feel sure that this would cause  blockages just as it did when I tried to pass it out through my anus. Sometimes the cure that's offered becomes worse than the original complaint. 

I'm with MMSH in saying that irrigation is not a problem once you get used to it and I'm (relatively) happy to do it every day in oder to gain the benefits of a day's freedom from worry and all that sh-t.

Best wishes

Bill

Mmsh; Bill,

Thanks for your replies. I have thought about irrigation, but I'm just not sure about having the time. I had planned on taking a shot at it earlier this year. Surgery left me with a mound, not large. I was told that it would go down in a few months, so I went to the wound nurse to discuss what I may need to start irrigation. She said I may have a hernia and needed to see the surgeon right away, so I made an appointment with the surgeon. They never called me back to confirm, and after several attempts to see her, I was totally frustrated. I sent her a letter thanking her for making this more difficult than it needed to be. I was really worried that I had a problem. I did finally get in and she suggested a CT scan to take a look, but wouldn't say whether I had a problem or not. Well, I just had a scan as part of the ongoing appointments, so she did pull it up and said, "The only way to tell is to cut you open and take a look." I wasn't really happy about that answer. The problem with a CT scan is that you're laying on your back, so if anything was happening, it might not show up. I did finally get to my regular doctor and he said, "No way, not a hernia." So, back to square one.

Hey Rock..

I had a similar experience with the mound. Nobody really knew exactly what it was but my surgeon suspected some kind of hernia. Anyway, she did cut me open and found a big hernia and fixed it with mesh etc. Healing was kind of a bitch, but I'm really glad I got it taken care of. I've had my ostomy for 16 months now. I haven't started irrigation either for the same reason you mentioned, time. But, like anything else, I suppose it's just a small adjustment in time management. Oh, by the way..the mound has not returned.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

AlistairC,

Thank you for the reply. I do need to do something, at present just watching it to see if it changes in any way... about 11 months out... still the same... I do a lot of racing during the spring and summer... and heard the healing part is not too fun and takes a bit, so putting it off till the fall unless something changes... it's probably just a few extra tools they forget... lol

Hi, I use a plug and it's great, I irrigate twice a week. It works like clockwork for me.