Dilating with Hegar: Frequency and Lubricant Recommendations?

Anybody on here use Hegar dilators?

How often do you do it?

What lubricant do you use?

Dave

Hello Dave.

I do not use the Hegar dilators but I have used anal dilators in the past after surgery. and, more recently (as is my want)  I have made my own dilator which sounds as if it is similar to the new type being proposed. 

There is a useful guide to using these techniques on: https://www.adlermicromed.com/anal-dilator-instructions/

I use a prescribed water based lubricating jelly called Aquagel (which is similar to that recommended on the above website). It is distributed in the UK by Ecolab Ltd and is widely used in NHS hospitals. It is perfectly safe and I also use it for my anal catheter which I use for irrigation. However, I have noticed that the instructions say that it is for 'professional use only'. This is probably why I get it on prescription.  

I hope you find this useful.

Best wishes

Bill

Hi Dave,

Have not used a dilator but do irrigate and use a lubricant on the cone. I started out buying the expensive stuff through Edgepark but found the Equate Lubricant Gel from Walmart does the exact same thing at a fraction of the cost.

Hope this helps,

Puppyluv

Dilation was a piece of cake. I just used some store-brand KY Jelly.

Dave

what?i could've dilated my stoma and not needed this stupid revision??

Yeah, you could have. I bought Hegar dilators from Amazon. Over a period of a month and a half, I dilated with every pouch change. Even then, my opening slowly reduced from 12mm to 9mm, so really it's just a delaying action. The abdomen just wants to close no matter what's in its way, I guess.

Dave

Well daggone it.

It's like the stoma thinks I have to be Sphincter Jr maybe. Are they keeping your stoma in the same place or moving it, BTW?

Actually, it's the abdominal wall trying to close after all. It doesn't know that the hole was planned!

From the description, the hole will be widened such that the healing process will run out of steam, leaving a decent hole. The argument regarding retracting stomas is that surgeons sometimes find that they didn't have as much gut to play with, and when they anchor it to the abdominal wall, the gut gets pulled back in and basically "unrolls" back to the anchor point. This can usually be resolved in the OR by changing the location of the stoma, but sometimes they get really close using the planned location and then something occurs after the fact. Another cause is necrosis. Let's say some of your stoma tissue dies (lack of blood flow is usually the cause), there's a loss of elasticity, and then the stoma basically shrinks back.

Some of the pictures I've seen would have made me want to change the location of the stoma, but I guess sometimes there's only so much you can ask of the abdominal wall.

Just love all the stuff I'm learning.

Dave

Well, Dave, you obviously do too many sit-ups to empower your abdominal wall to close in like that. Hehe.

Interesting information and what you're saying makes sense. In your case, the danger would be a hernia. Yeah, all stomas pose this risk, but opening the muscle more could leave space for bowel to "pocket" into. That'll mean you'll have to lay off the sit-ups.. : ) Trying to be funny, not sure if it's appropriate, so forgive me.

Colons are fascinating.. So stubborn, such personality, hard to tell them what to do, where to go, how to do their thing.