Irrigation Frequency: Daily or Every Other Day?

I irrigate my stoma each evening with 4 pints of water. Is it more healthy to irrigate every two days instead?

Am I damaging my colon by over irrigating?

I don't know about damaging, I really don't think it could do that BUT; I was irrigating every day for about 6 months and was really struggling. I thought for the longest time that I must be doing something wrong.. not enough water, not waiting long enough.. etc etc.. then I asked my Colorectal Surgeon about it and he suggested trying to just irrigate every other day, that not everyone needs to poo every day. So, I started doing that and I am just so pleased with the results! What freedom! I feel so much better about it now too, after feeling so defeated by the whole situation. Good luck! We are all unique!

I also irrigate every other day, watch your fiber intake and adjust as required to get the best results. I find that things work best for me early morning before I eat. You must stay on the same routine for about a week to judge accurately how well things are working. I use 1.5 liters of water, my wait time is 1 hour. Good luck.

Ahh, good question... I do it every day... and if I cannot, every other day... never had a problem. I have been doing it for 14 years. Like anything else, it depends on what you eat. I, however, eat a lot of fiber... muesli every morning. My intestines are used to it; remember, they are muscles also. I do not have a wait time... seems to just work as planned... shows you all of us are different.

Thanks so much for the information, folks. My Stoma Nurse gave the impression that there are not too many fixed rules. I use 1.5 to 2.0 litres of water, but I don't wait long, no more than five minutes on the toilet. 30 to 40 minutes suits me fine. I really enjoy my me time when I'm guaranteed not to be disturbed. An oasis for free thought.

I wonder... if, like me, you use disposable sleeves. Do you shorten them? They arrive 1 meter long and I cut mine in half. Pity that they don't make shorter versions. Who wants two feet of sleeve slopping about in the toilet bowl? Manufacturers, take notes.

I use the sleeves, I cut them to be about 1 inch above the water level in the bowl, this reduces splash. After I get the water in, I wait 1 hour. If I shorten the wait time, I sometimes get a little output later on. Since I put on a fresh non-drainable pouch afterwards, I want to be sure I can go the rest of the day and the next day on that same pouch. The long wait time is just insurance so to speak. Everyone's results may differ.

How do you hold the water inside you for an hour? I leave the cone in my stoma for a few minutes, then just let it evacuate into the toilet. It takes about four minutes, then I lounge on a bed for 30 to 40 minutes with the sleeve clipped to form a bag. Sometimes loads of poo comes out, sometimes very little. It's fun though watching it. Then a bath and the job's done for 24 hours.

Lol...sorry I confused you. My 1-hour wait is similar to your lounge time....I don't hold it in for an hour, but rather wait until all possibility of any output is over. As you stated, most everything comes out in a few minutes.

An interesting question! I irrigate every (early) evening at the same time because I always get an after-burst of activity about an hour or so after the main event and it's more convenient to deal with that in the evening than it would be during the day. I find it useful to put a small amount of water in and flush out the old hard pooh first before I irrigate the rest. (this was a tip from the stoma nurse to get rid of 'blockages') I can actually feel when it's ready to come out which is an advantage. the hanging bag is too small for my method so I use a 5ltr pressurised container so that I don't run out of water. Some time ago I reviewed a pressurised system by one manufacturer which was quite good but also did not contain enough water for me.(and it was an expensive gadget compared with my system which is just a garden sprayer. ( I would be reluctant to take it travelling with me as it's got 'KILLER-SPRAY' printed on the side!) Best wishes Bill

Hello Bill. Wow, I didn't know that having a poo could be so technical. I've never heard of a pressurized water delivery system. Don't you blow up like a balloon? I just use a 2-liter bag suspended from a hook in the bathroom wall about 6' up. I like the idea of a pre-flush, I might try that. Thanks for the ideas, love to hear more. John.

Hello John.I could never get along with the little bag hanging from the hook. It was just about enough for the first flush and then I had to refill it. with the bigger container I only have to fill it once and the last bit is useful for flushing around the sleeve when I'm done. Interestingly my body doesn't allow for blowing up like a balloon for as soon as there is enough water inside it starts to pump it's way out whether I like it or not!However, I do have a little story about blowing up like a balloon that I will share with you. I have to use a CPAP machine at nights (this is an Continuous Positive Air Pressure machine to help with sleep apnoea). I also suffer with my oesophagus and had to take some pills that relaxed it so that I could swallow food. The first time I used the CPAP machine I woke in the night in dreadful pain with a stomach just like a huge inflated balloon. The relaxed throat muscles had allowed the pressurised air to go straight into my digestive system as well as my lungs. It took ages for the 'wind' to clear itself but after that I never took the pills (or ate anything) after lunchtime and that seemed to solve the problem. There is a water pressure machine for irrigating stomas made by Braun medical. I tried it before I made my own and did a review which I blogged on 08/17/12 (see Review of Braun Irrimatic. I hope this is helpful. best wishesBill

Hello Bill. Thanks for the story. I'll check out the Braun machine. Any innovation is worth a try. John

Hello scorsby.At the time I used it Braun offered a free trial period for their device. This was quite useful as the machine is not cheap and if it doesn't suit you at least you can send it back within n the timeframe and get your money back. Best wishes Bill

Hello Bill. Lovely to hear from you. I looked at the Braun machine. It is expensive but a nice bit of kit. The spec says it fills you in about 4 minutes, but it only takes me that time anyway. I just fill the bag, open the tap and let it go. Once you've mastered the correct cone angle, water just floods inside me. Great to hear from you Bill, and thanks. John

I irrigate 2 hours/day for pain relief. Usually, I use 12 pints (6 liters) at 5 AM and 4 pints (2 liters) at 3 PM.

You could always check with your doctor, but irrigating frequently really shouldn't hurt your colon.

The sigmoid evolved to store and move large quantities of waste, up to several times/day in some people. It's tough and elastic, and lined with strong muscles. As long as your colon is anchored well to your abdominal wall, and you don't have prolapse issues, you should be fine.

This is all new to me, but why do you wear a pouch if you're irrigating?  I was hoping to try this to get rid of the pouch...........

I wear a pouch as insurance, it is still possible to have a small amount of output even if you irrigate. Some folks just wear a stoma cap or a "patch".... but if you have any output at all you're going to have a mess.

MMSH.....is correct.......what is confusing is that they call it a cap....probably because it looks like the top of a hat (Cap); however, it is just the smallest one-piece unit with flange and bag..........Output is possible even when you irrigate....it does not happen often with me..but it can happen.

I do not use a stoma cap, as it only comes in one piece...and as MMSH said, you can still have output........I would wear one if they had a two-piece system.........but now I use the smallest bags from Hollister...(two-piece system)....

I have spoken to companies about making a two-piece system (Stoma Cap) but have not found one yet..if anyone knows of any companies doing it...let us know please............

http://www.medicalmega.com/medical/hollister/3402.html

Coloplast used to make a 2-piece system cap. I used to use them but switched to Hollister flange after my most recent surgery. I will see if I can look up the product number.

Hi Bill,

I read your posts with interest but wondered if there are really specific advantages with an irrigation machine? I have mastered irrigating with a gravity-fed hanging bag and have been doing this for nearly 2 years now after my colostomy op for severe diverticulitis/diseased bowel section. I use about 1.5 liters of water, then I repeat with a second "flush" using about a liter or so. I find that I need to irrigate twice to "get rid of everything," then I'm usually fine until 24 hours later. I'm keen to know if irrigating twice is a normal practice or maybe I'm not using enough water the first time or maybe a machine would be better? Appreciate any advice you might have here. All the best, Mike.

Hello Mike.

As with most gadgets and advice they will be helpful to some and not to others.  I do not know what is 'normal' practice as I'm not overly aware of what other people do. I presume that sharing information on this is partly what a site like this about.  I can give you the advantages that I feel I get from my pressurized flusher by sharing the reasons why I thought it necessary.  Firstly, I had developed a hernia that was applying pressure closing over the back of the stoma so as to stop me getting the cone inside to irrigate. I thought about more surgery and disliked the concept so much that I decided to explore possible alternatives.  I felt that if I pushed too hard on the cone it might damage the stoma wall. My reasoning was that if I could use water pressure to ease the way for the cone it would lessen the chance of damage being done. This proved to be the case!  Secondly, I was regularly having to fill the hanging bag up twice and,  contemplating travelling, was wondering how I would get from toilet to sink in public places half way through an irrigation. I decided that (for me) the bag system simply wasn't holding enough water to get the whole job done. A 5 ltr pressurised container resolved that problem. Also the modern one that I recently aqcuired was designed so that when empty I can put supplies inside, so it doesn't take up quite so much room without having an alternative use. Thirdly, It holds enough water to flush twice and have enough to rinse out the sleeve on completion. Again this is an advantage if the alternative is having to find a tap somewhere other than right next to you in a toilet.  4) Public toilets and even designated disabled toilets do not have bag-hanging facilities. This system works with the container on the floor so there is no problem with finding somewhere to hang it or precariously try to balance it on an outstretched arm.  5) It is very easy to ascertain the temperature of the water simply by feeling in the filled container. whatever temperature you have will last until you have finished because the volume of water will hold the heat better that a small, thin plastic bag.   I hope this gives you some idea of the reasons and advantages the pressurised system works for me but I would add that when using such a device and it works my confidence and general feeling of wellbeing is lifted. This is probably the main advantage with most things about having to manage an ostomy.

Best wishes  

Bill 

Thanks for your prompt reply, Bill. Much appreciated. I'll check out what machines are available here in New Zealand and then decide whether to get one or not.

Best wishes.

I tried some usable ones but they kept leaking because they never quite fitted right on me, so I went back to the Dansac irridrain disposable sleeves even though they were sometimes unreliable. Then I made a gadget of my own to stick their sleeves on to and that works fine and the sleeves will last about 20 days without needing to be replaced. I irrigate every night having tried a couple of times to go for two days and found that I would only last a day and a half. That meant I either had to wear a bag or revert to irrigating everyday. The latter was my choice.Best wishesBill

I tried some usable ones but they kept leaking because they never quite fitted right on me, so I went back to the Dansac irridrain disposable sleeves even though they were sometimes unreliable. Then I made a gadget of my own to stick their sleeves on to and that works fine and the sleeves will last about 20 days without needing to be replaced. I irrigate every night having tried a couple of times to go for two days and found that I would only last a day and a half. That meant I either had to wear a bag or revert to irrigating everyday. The latter was my choice.Best wishesBill

Does anybody who irrigated use 'reusable sleeves'?

Yes. I use them. I prefer the reusable ones. I tried the disposable ones, and they were really annoying, wouldn't stick, etc.

I tried some usable ones but they kept leaking because they never quite fitted right on me, so I went back to the Dansac irridrain disposable sleeves even though they were sometimes unreliable. Then I made a gadget of my own to stick their sleeves on to and that works fine and the sleeves will last about 20 days without needing to be replaced. I irrigate every night having tried a couple of times to go for two days and found that I would only last a day and a half. That meant I either had to wear a bag or revert to irrigating everyday. The latter was my choice.Best wishesBill

Thanks, I've just started to use 'reusable sleeves', but like you Bill, I've had to adapt them. Much better and no leaks so far. I sit about on a bed after initial evacuation and so far perfect results. I used to hate disposable sleeves and all the faff of disposing them in dog poo bags. Thanks for the reply Bill and musicboxx.