Hello, I have heard great responses from several folks here that irrigate. I finally received my supplies today. I received the stoma caps and wafers, in addition to the irrigation kit which includes the sleeves and the other items. I am very nervous to start. The nurse that I can call is the surgeon's assistant, not an ostomy nurse, but she has recommended that I start. They are pretty far from where I live. Does anyone think that I can just go for it or do I need to sit with someone to teach me how to do it? I have been checking out the YouTube videos and I must say that they have been very informative. I also have a stoma that is not completely hidden and I am hoping that this is not a problem. Can you guys please send me some information? Thanks.
I've been irrigating for 4 years, totally thankful to the inventor. Make sure the water is around 36°C in temperature before you put it in. I use 1.5 litres. Have a big glass of room temperature water to drink bit by bit after you start emptying the water out of your stoma into the toilet. The glass of water helps with the body naturally moving everything out. After I've input the 1.5 litres (you may need less than this amount), I wait for about 4 minutes and massage my abdomen during that time to mix it all up inside. Then, after the 4 minutes is up, I let it all out. You'll work out what's best for you. It's basically get set up with jugs of water, sleeves, water satchel, and cone, etc. Get the water in through your stoma (you can stop any time and empty if you feel the need to), wait a little while (I do 4 minutes), and let it all out and wait about 20 minutes for it to completely empty. This is how I do it. You'll work out the best way for you. It ended up very easy for me. Good luck with this new ability.
Why Join MeetAnOstoMate?
First off, this is a pretty cool site with 37,000 members who truly understand you.
It's not all about ostomy. We talk about everything.
Many come here for advice or to give advice, others have found good friends, and some have even found love. Most importantly, people here are honest and genuinely care.
🛑 Privacy is very important - we have many features that are only visible to members, ensuring a safe and secure environment for you to share and connect.
Create an account and you will be amazed by the warmth of this community.
Good morning. Sadly, irrigating this morning did not work completely. I placed all of the appliances in place in the restroom. I inserted the cone which surprisingly did not hurt nor did I feel anything. As I let the water flow, at times it would back up and fall into the sleeve. This went on for several minutes. I thought that because of that, my body did not irrigate. No output whatsoever, strange. I will try again tomorrow morning. I filled the bag with at least 1.5 liters of water (not hot nor cold), just right I am thinking. If anybody has any suggestions, please chime in. I hope that this model works for me. I can see how appealing it can be. Thanks.
Learn about some basic diet and ostomy pouch routines that can help prevent them.
Hey Betty, you sound courageous, that's good, you'll see it's worth it. After my last message, I remembered some things I left out. Just lately, I've realized it's better to irri after eating, about 1 hour after, because I found if you eat after irri, even if it's small, it's like a shock to my digestive system and makes a little output happen even though I emptied the large intestine previously. So, I'm trying to irri after eating, it works for me. Another thing is I irri every day, some people I've heard can do it every second day, amazing, but I feel more relaxed having less expectation of an incident. Regarding the problem you had, I forgot to mention to get the air out of the tube leading up to the cone, just drain it to that point where all the air is out. I put the cone in, the stoma can try and resist it being inserted so just wait, it will give up and when it's sitting in the stoma as far as it can go then turn the water on to fill yourself up. If I do it this way, I get minimal leaks, and the leaks do cease. When I said to massage the abdomen, what I should have said was when half the water is in, I give my abdomen little jolts with my knuckles, just to make sure the water is getting past blockages to fill the large intestine. I do this gently though, that's all that's needed and it may be a solution for the problem you had with getting the water in. Remember, don't turn the water on until the cone is comfortably seated in the stoma as far as it can go, after the stoma has given up trying to reject it. When all the water has been input, I wait about 3 to 4 min before letting all the water out, also in that 3 to 4 I give little jolts to my abdomen with my knuckles, gently, to mix it all up inside, works great for me.
PS remember when the cone is happily seated in the stoma, and the stoma has given up trying to reject it, and you've turned the water on (temp should be around 36°C) remember to hold the cone firmly in the stoma and just wait. You'll work out what needs to be done from here.
Power on Chicken.
Let me know how you go,
We will definitely get there.
I seem to have the best luck irrigating on an empty stomach, you might try it both ways. It's important that you relax when trying to get the water in, hold the cone in firmly, you may have to tilt the cone to direct the water to the path of least resistance. Breathe calmly and shallow, a large breath will almost always stop the water from going in, again try to relax and find the "sweet spot" where the water flows in the best. Watch your flow indicator on the valve. Put as close to the 1.5 liters in as you can get. The water may flow in for a bit then stop, continue holding the cone in and give it a few seconds as sometimes it must overcome your colon's parastolic action...be patient. How high is the water bag? The bottom needs to be about shoulder height. If you don't have any luck the second time you can PM me your phone number and I would be glad to coach you through your next try. Good luck, keep us posted.
Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister
Yes sir, this morning was a bit better but not much. I will take all of these suggestions into consideration. For I will do it again tomorrow morning. I will keep you guys posted. Thanks.
Just take your time and it will come for you. I find that I have good success early in the mornings. It sort of wakes my system up. Sometimes you will build up deposits of fecal matter in the area near the aroma and that will cause it to spit back out. Just keep at it and you will clear that out. You will eventually see changes. I typically use 1.5 liters every third day, but my diet dictates how often I need irrigation. The videos are what I used to learn. I have been irrigating since one month post surgery. Your hydration level also affects how easy it is to irrigate, if you are dehydrated you might not get all 1.5 liters back out. If you have any questions just keep asking and I will help all I can.
Wow, thanks for sharing. You are right, the deposits are true. I am staying with it. I do have to drink more. My diet actually sucks. I think it's affecting my mood.
I have been irrigating for 4 years. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I suggest you do it at the same exact time every day. I also suggest you do it at the time that you normally had a bowel movement before you lost your colon. I believe your life will be much better once you start doing irrigation regularly. I hope this helps. Bye.