My Experience With Irrigation

Ostomates don't often hear about irrigation

I contacted SecuriCare on Facebook to ask if they would consider featuring an article about irrigation. I know it’s not for everybody but it has made a big difference to me and I felt that it was something ostomates don’t often hear about. They asked me if I’d like to share my own experience! So, here it is…

I had my colostomy created in December 2014, which was ‘upgraded’ to a new stoma in 2015 after a few initial problems. Thankfully, all went well this time. I had always originally intended to irrigate, which is where you can regulate your bowel movements to set times every day by infusing water through your stoma, stimulating your colon to empty. Now that things with my stoma were going smoothly, I wanted to book an appointment with a stoma care nurse, to confirm that irrigation was the best way forward for me – my rep. at SecuriCare was really helpful in arranging this.

I was petrified at first, but Sue from SecuriCare put me at ease

It was arranged for Sue Peckham, one of the SecuriCare stoma nursing team, to come and see me. She came along with an irrigation kit to look at and a DVD to watch, explaining how to put the kit together and what was involved. She then made 2 more appointments for training – it’s all a very carefully managed process! After watching the DVD, I was more determined than ever that I wanted to irrigate.

On day 1 of my training, Sue arrived, we had a chat and my irrigation kit was set up. I sat there, petrified, not knowing what to expect. I needn’t have worried, though - Sue soon put me at ease. She found out what position my bowel was in and inserted the cone into my stoma, making sure that the water flow was right. When the water had all finished going in, it was a case of sitting and waiting for my bowel to evacuate. Once that had completed, it was amazing! All I had to do was take the bag off, put on a small stoma cap (or mini bag if I preferred) and off I could go, free to get on with my day.

It's time consuming, but it's given me a new lease of life

Irrigation can be time consuming and you need uninterrupted use of a bathroom for up to an hour. It involves a water tank with a pint of warm water in, which then works like a drip system with tubing and a cone attached. You put on a clear plastic bag which seals at the top - long enough to feed into the toilet - and you cut it to a length you’re happy with. You insert the cone into your stoma (this does not hurt at all, I promise!), turn on the flow meter and let the water flow from the tank into your stoma and bowel. Once the water has all flowed through, you can remove the cone and seal the bag up. At this point, you can just sit and wait for your bowel to function… or you can even go about jobs or get a coffee. You soon get used to the feeling of your bowel functioning. When your bowel has finished emptying, you open the seal on the bag and let the contents out into the toilet, remove the bag and clean your stoma.

The best part is putting on a stoma cap or mini bag and going about your day, care free, no worries about your bowel functioning or needing to change bags. I certainly have no regrets, I used to live in fear about going out, now irrigation has given me a new lease of life. If anyone would like to chat to me about my experiences, I am more than happy to speak to them on Facebook (just comment below and SecuriCare can put you in contact with me) or leave a message sharing your own irrigation experiences.

Please note: only certain stomas are suitable for irrigation, so if you are interested in this method it must first be discussed with your doctor or stoma care nurse. Even if suitable, proper training by a stoma care nurse must be given first.