Need advice on irrigation for better quality of life

I am a big fan of the two-piece even though my Ostomy Nurse said "Oh, you won't want those. Two pieces are a pain" ha! The one-piece are the pain and are actually 4 pieces that leave more chance for issues when lining up all the pieces.

You say disposable liners. Are you saying you use a closed two-piece pouch? I have some of those from Convetec but I am always in a hurry to empty my pouch when even a little is in it, I would go through so many a day! Lol! I do not mind the drainable pouch except it is bigger than the closed-end ones!

I have a Coloplast two-piece sample pouch on the way to try! I liked their one-piece pouch that I had to cut. The pre-cut ones were not a good fit and I do not mind cutting them. Better than molding them.

I am trying to irrigate so I do have to change the flange about every 4 to 6 days because of the splashback of water when I irrigate. It goes under the barrier some and by the 6th day, it is all gooey!

Puppyluv

Yes, I just put a disposable bag from Aativa inside. Take off front...pull out liner...replace with another and way to go....I'm down to about 4 minutes now.

Nice! That is the first I have heard about the disposable liners! I will have to look them up. I would suspect they would fit down in any two-piece appliance, right? Your pouch lasts a long time as well. As long as the flange. Could be weeks for both, right? I think you said you were on day 11 of your flange, is that day 11 for the pouch too?

I love getting info from people on here! There is always something better than what you have. Are the liners flushable? Now that would be nice! Lol probably too good to be true. Lol

Puppyluv

Yes, my flange lasts the same as the pouch. Yes, the bags are flushable... I wouldn't use any other thing.... Today is 11 days....

Yes, Puppy, there are biodegradable and you can flush them in the toilet. I have been using them for 1 year now. I just make sure when I flush them to drop the open side opposite of the hole of the toilet to make sure it will not fill up with water when it flushes in. But I use them only now after my irrigation with the large sleeve bag for irrigation that I cut about the same size as the liner. I use my Foodsaver to seal it and it works fine... because I have residue 3-4 hours after. :( :(

Danielle

Hey Danielle,

I looked them up last night and saw that they were biodegradable! I am definitely ordering them! I would think the odor would be less as well! And the cleaning of the toilet! Lol

I am waiting to reorder my supplies because Coloplast is sending me a sample of their 2-piece and I am hoping to like them. I like most of their products better than the others even though I have had pretty good luck with the Convetec two-piece. Hollister is not bad either but I certainly like the end of the drainable pouch much better with Coloplast. The other companies are hard to open because of the flimsy plastic at the very end instead of something thicker. I will let you know once I order the liners as to how they do with me! I did not understand what you use the seal-a-bag for. Can you explain that?

Candy

Hello Candy
I take a large irrigation bag that is very long (about 2 feet). You know the ones you buy with the irrigation kit. I cut it about the same length as a disposable bag (the liners) and I seal it with my FoodSaver machine. I insert my liners in it. I hope I explained it better ... lolll .... I just put a picture on my profile to show you with the liners.

Ok, I see! So you have made your own closed irrigation bag and use liners for it! It seems I have more fluid than that would handle when I irrigate, but you use the open one to irrigate and you use this one just for the few hours after you irrigate to catch that extra spurt and then use the pad and adhesive till the next time? I wear the irrigation bag for about 20 minutes after irrigation and then go to bed! I have no activity until the morning when I eat, I will have output within a few hours. I may start to take some Imodium now that I irrigate, maybe it will help! Before, it made everything thicker and it would pancake and bust open my barrier but not thick enough for solid stool. I still wear a full two-piece pouch so the liners would do well for me to save on pouches and they won't be stinky! I love it!

Candy

Lady,

That is absolutely awesome and I cannot wait to order some! How easy can it get and so much more sanitary!

Puppyluv

I find that even with irrigation, I still need to wear a bag, and I still get output. I don't get any leaks though if I irrigate fully. It usually takes 2 irrigations to clear out my bowels.

Deaglun,

I still wear a full pouch as well because I have output most days even with irrigation, but my pouch and flange last about 6 days. They get nasty and the material around the stoma gets gooey and lifts up around the stoma, so output and water from irrigation goes under it. They never leak anymore and they do not just come off. The pouch gets a little worn from friction with my clothes. Use the opaque and it starts to look a little nappy or picked! Hopefully, I will graduate to the caps one day but not in the near future I am afraid!

Great post guys/gals, I'm getting my irrigation kit next Thursday and my reasons are so different from above. My stoma "Alice" never learned to poop, so only Milk of Mag gets her to give output. But I got worried, what if that stopped working? So, I'm going to try irrigating. I got my lil stoma cap samples yesterday. Wow, that will be great! They're so tiny and smooth, no plastic rings to show in my clothes, etc. But it looks like something you need to have at least 30 a month because you'd be pulling them off to irrigate daily.

What type of irrigation kit did you use where you didn't need to snap it onto a flange?

Good luck Puppyluv56

Hi Sadie,

Good luck with your irrigation! I use the Convatec kit. I thought I was ordering just one kit and they sent me 10! So, like them or not, I am stuck until my time to reorder. I like the Convatec and because I use a two-piece system, you have to use all the same products. The irrigation sleeves, the barrier wafer, and the pouch all fit together. I only have to change the two-piece barrier wafer every 6 days, so it does save on the skin using a two-piece. I have tried several Coloplast products. I like the one-piece pouch so much better than the Convatec one-piece, but their two-piece is fine, so I will use them up or find someone to give them to if I get to where I cannot use them. Irrigation really allows you to live again without the fear of leaking. I would not wear a cap in the beginning but continue to use a full pouch because you will be training your colon and it takes time. You may do very well right off since your problem is completely different. Irrigation is not bad but would not call it fun, and I have good days and bad! The bad days were relying on the clip in the kit! DO NOT use it, from experience, you will be mopping up poop for the rest of the night! Go buy some regular clothespins. They come in a 24-pack that will last you a lifetime! Lol Be sure to watch the YouTube videos on irrigation. They show you everything! The kit's supplies are not proportioned. The water bag and IV tubing will last a year, the cone for 3-6 months, but there are only two pouches, so order the supplies separately after you get the kit. If you look at my profile pic, I took a picture of what all comes in the Convatec kit. If you do not use a two-piece pouch, you will need the belt in the kit, and it should last a year too. Your insurance probably allows lots more than that though. I tell them to send me everything my insurance will cover for three months! Lol I may not need all of it, but it never helps to get a stash, especially knowing Medicare allows less than my private insurance. And I will have Medicare as Primary in 3 years! I am currently irrigating every two days! I found every night kind of intrusive! I can live with every other night. Unfortunately, I have only gone output-free for the two days only twice but have much less than without irrigating! Hopefully "Betty" will get the hint and cooperate with the 2-day schedule! I wish you the best of luck with your irrigation. I am sure you will be successful!! There are bunches of great people that have helped me along so far. They will also chime in when you need advice too! Please ask anything! Glad to help!

Sassie, I am sorry I called you Sadie! My darn autocorrect kept changing it!

Good evening Puppy,

The stoma and other people on this site have always told me to irrigate every day for the regularity of the colon is important if you do not want to have a leak for 22-23 hours. You are lucky to irrigate every 2 days, I have been irrigating since April and I must really irrigate every day :(

Hi Danielle,

I started out doing it every day and now that some others do it every other day, so I thought I would try it! I have only had two times that I have not had output in the two days, but I am hopeful that I can train my colon to this schedule versus every day!

My Ostomy Nurse did tell me one or two days! So, taking the chance I can do the two days! We'll see! Sure makes life easier!

Candy

Yes, you can get stoma plugs in the US. Liberator Medical has them--they're in Florida and have since been bought out by Bard. If you key Liberator Medical, it will probably redirect you to the new site. They sent me a bunch of samples--but didn't like any of them except the Unisolve adhesive remover. Lots of weird filter systems and convex bags, which I don't need.

Before you get a plug, check with your Ostomy nurse and your surgeon. When I was in rehab (not a good choice), one of my ignorant and untrained nurses said that 14 years ago when a patient needed to 'stem the tide' while changing an appliance, they would use an OB TAMPON (guys, that's just a tampon without an applicator) sliding it halfway in to stop any flow.

My Ostomy nurse had heard of this practice but will not allow her patients to do it. My surgeon went ballistic. He hates stoma plugs. Why, you ask? Because it stops the natural flow and can cause a backup (uncomfortable) or a BLOCKAGE. For those of you who've had a blockage, I need say no more. My surgeon's practice is comprised of more blockages than he cares to handle—he said it's like removing a block of concrete from a human body.

Not nice for anyone. I haven't asked him about irrigation yet, but I know he would tell me to use a waterproof stoma cap to contain any natural fluids. Your stoma is a one-way valve meant to keep your system clear. Don't back it up or block it.

Hello dls. Thanks for your post which provides an interesting perspective from one surgeon. I can understand his logic regarding blockages . However, it does seem a rather dogmatic approach to hate stoma plugs. Like all stoma devices, there is a reason for their exisitence and not every device will suit every individual.  I have been using them for years without any problems at all, but then I irrigate, so there is very little output to get blocked. I have a parstomal hernia which closes tightly over the hole just behind the stoma and lets nothing at all out, including wind. My logic is that (in my case) the stoma plug helps to keep the hole open and 'trains' the stoma to be more flexible than it might otherwise be. It also lets out wind because it is porous, which avoids a great deal of pain. I too would not recommend tampons because they are not designed like a stoma plug and can get stuck inside with potentially disasterous results.

Looking back on many past posts, my impression is that taking advice from professionals is a bit like listening to advice from anyone else. We need to keep an open, objective, pragmatic, common-sensical  (sceptical) mind about all advice and try to find whatever suits us as individuals, rather than blindly following what other people recommend.

Your post raises in me the question as to whether this surgeon has actually had to manage a stoma of his own. If he did, he might not be quite so inflexible in his thinking.

Best wishes

Bill      

Good morning Bill, your article in response to DLS was very informative. I was wondering which company sells its plugs because occasionally several hours after my irrigation at my job, I have leaks, like diarrhea, and I would like to try its plugs... but I do not want to spend a lot of money. Do you have photos, please? Once again, thank you for your sincere help for us :)

Hello Shit Happens. 

I have tried to insert  a photograph of the Coloplast,Conseal plug on here but it won't let me, so I'll give it a go on my profile photos. The plugs are kept tightly wrapped in a dissolvable wrap to allow them to be inserted easily. This wrap dissolves and the plug expands inside the stoma.  I have been thinking about what you say you want the plugs for and my own impression is that they will not likely be very effective for diarrhoea. The reason I say this is because (unlike tampons)  they are not made from material which is very absorbant. It is more the consistency of a fine pond filter which lets the air and liquid through, rather than absorbing it. However, most of the time it will prevent soft and solid stuff from passing through - although sometimes small pieces do get pushed out along the side of the plug. Also, occasionally the whole plug gets pushed out and lodges in the flange,  but that's not very often and it's never posed me a problem.

I hope you can view the plug on my profile.

Best wishes

Bill  

Hi Bill! My husband would like to try this because we also live in the US where they are not available. Can you provide any pictures and more explanation?

Hello Bill, I have started experimenting with irrigation since July of this year. I hope you don't mind me asking. What do you wear afterwards? I still wear a disposable pouch as I found the cotton pad/Tegaderm film didn't work out for me unfortunately.