Ana's Irrigation Log

[[ Ana+Alex ]]

Hi there

Just Wanted to share that tomorrow I'm about to start irritagating. A stoma nurse is coming over and we'll have a go at the procedure with a coloplast starter set.

I'm really excited to become stool continent again, although I know it may take a few weeks to create a satisfactory bowl routine.

I'm really grateful for all the information available through the faqs and on every post in this forum.

I feel I'm going in the right direction and I'm so glad that I choose to have a colostomy after my rectal cancer.

I will keep you posted!
Thank you so much for listening and always beeing a help, even without knowing..

Love,
Ana

[Lisa]

Welcome and good luck Ana! Let us know how things go.

Lisa

[ot dave]

Hey Ana,

Welcome "Gator"! Remember to be patient. This is a learning process, trial and error. Once you get your routine and the consistency you want, you won't want to ever stop. Irrigation literally gave me back my life. When questions arise, please come back and ask. It's very likely that another Gator has already gone through it and solved it! Here is a link to a youtube video that I found particularly useful when I started, and I still use some of his procedure to this day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g14kbuw1fU8

Let us know when we can help.

David

[Jimbob]

How did it go Ana.... Inquiring minds want to know.

[steiconi]

Hope it's going well, ask if you have questions!

[[ Ana+Alex ]]

Hello! Wow!

Wow number 1: thank you so much for your interest and kind replies. You brightened up my day with them

Wow number 2: I'm feeling so great! I've irrigated after having a massive bowl movement in the morning, so I don't know how it will go tomorrow.
.. But the feeling of abdominal emptiness was so great. I found the technique really simple and the water flowed without any problems into my stoma... I had output for about 30 minutes and for the rest of the day nothing at all! I wore a mini pouch until now and had minimal output today.

After speaking with my super stoma nurse I will try to irrigate every second day... and even if I have minimal output on the second day I don't mind it works for me

I'm used to midi pouches that are 1 piece, have a filter and are closed. So the experience of having a sleeve for the first time was a little grafic and a little stinky - but nothing that I can't manage having a stoma was for me, until now, way cleaner than the traditional way... I guess I will have to get used to seeing and smelling my poo again! XD but it's tottaly worth it!

I have a congress on the 30.11 and 1.12 and I hope that until then I can find a rhythm that fits my bowls and damn me if I'm not wearing one of my fitted Etui dresses

Already thinking about bikinis to go with my Stoma Cap for the Summer eheheh

Thank you all so much for listening!

Love,
Ana

[[ Ana+Alex ]]

So, I irrigated for the second time yesterday and i muss say it wasn't so smooth.

I had trouble getting enough water in, because I think that there were some kind of blockage in my transverse colon (I could feel the water inside my bowl and it wasnt like the first time). So I did two sets of irrigation and got outpout again a couple of hours latter (late return? To much water?) And again during the night.

I haven't eaten anything today yet (having a CT scan.. yikes!) So I'm curious to see what happens today..

Ot Dave said to be patient - that is one of the things I've learned during cancer treatment... oh it teaches patience all right

In the meanwhile I'm reading through the forum and preparing myself for my next irrigation tomorrow

All the best and thanks for listening:)

Love,
Ana

[Jimbob]

Let me suggest you do the process daily for ten days, then start experimenting with frequency.
Like Dave said be patient and just keep on keeping on.

[Murph00]

Hey Ana,
Welcome to the club. You'll soon find that this is one of the best decisions you've made in relation to your ostomy.

I second the motion by Jimbob. Irrigating everyday will give you a much better idea of how your system will respond and allow you to fully understand what's going on, why and what to expect. Irrigating everyday removes that wonder of will I make it through the day or not?

It's a long and sometimes frustrating road but stick with it and you will be rewarded.

Best,
Murph

[[ Ana+Alex ]]

Dear Jimbo and Murph,

Thank you for your input. I was right now wondering if I should switch to daily irrigation or keep up with every second day.

How long does it take until one knows that you can go two days after irrigating or if you have to switch to everyday?

I irrigated yesterday with 500 ml and was again smooth as the first time (I had a blowout after my CT, so that's probably the reason why ).

But I had output yesterday and today again since morning.

I eat a lot of vegies, fruit, soups, salads - and I won't change my diet because of my colostomy. I had a cancer diagnosis so it's really important for me and my conscience to eat healthy...

So I'm thinking I will try again with a little more water (around 750 ml) and give it one more try with the two days waiting - if it doesn't cut I'm switching to daily

I'm really happy I started it and I fell good doing it. Also it doesn't take so much time as I though... 15 minutes and then I can go about my life around the house and then 5 minutes afterwards

Thank you so much for doing this trip with me..

Love,
Ana

[ot dave]

Ana,
What helped me get to the 24 hour mark was more water and multiple infusions. I infuse 1500cc three times. I'm a big guy, so I think my colon holds this much without too much difficulty. If you're contemplating bikini's, then your colon is likely to hold less water than mine !
I do the first infusion which usually cleans out a majority of the colon. I sit for a few minutes before I do the second infusion which gets all the stuff hiding in the corners and in the grooves! The third infusion, which I call the mop up infusion usually comes out mostly clear, but gets me that deep cleaning feel! This works well for me. And, if I control the amount of input and use some immodium, I can easily hit the 48 hour output free mark.
As suggested, I would irrigate daily so that you can see how your system works with varying amounts and infusions. Keep a record and see what is working best.
Hope that helps.

David

[Murph00]

Hey Ana,
Eating healthy is very important however your diet will largely reflect how your ostomy reacts. Fruits, veggies and salads are high in fiber and will transit through your system a lot faster than a higher carb diet. I'm not suggesting you change your diet but particularly with fruit you can expect to have output every day. Trying to go 2 days and eating fruit MAY not work too well. Keeping track of what goes in and how fast it comes out will give you a good sense of how often you'll need to irrigate.

One infusion of 750 doesn't sound like a lot to me. It may be enough to get part of your bowel cleaned out but it sounds as if it's not getting all that it could. You may want to try two infusions of 750? I experimented for a long time with multiple infusions of varying amounts and have settled on one infusion of 1250. That allows me to go 24hrs without worry and I'm happy with that.

Also, if you're not doing it already try using hot, (common sense) water. If it's too hot to touch comfortably then it'll be too hot for the colon. Nurses and videos all seem to suggest luke warm water but I consider that to be a "cover your ass" term. Hot water does a much better job of loosening things up in there.

Lastly please don't forget to hydrate prior to irrigation. If you're not hydrated the colon will absorb a good deal of the water you infuse and your results will be less than ideal.

It all sounds so easy, and it is, but getting to that comfort zone is anything but easy. You have some awesome people here to offer suggestions so keep coming back and I'm sure you'll be a Happy Gator before long.

Murph

[steiconi]

When somebody posts that they can go 4 or 5 days between irrigations, I always wonder what the heck they're eating. Must be all low-residue foods like white bread. Veggies and other foods with fiber move through a lot faster.

[[ Ana+Alex ]]

Today was my forth round. Everything went in smoothly, but maybe to fast/ the water to cold (lukewarm). I felt terribly afterwards....

Then after an hour came a late return and I was ok, and then it hit me again in the course of the morning. I had to stay home and call my husband to come to us.

It felt like I was having a heart attack, pain in the upper abdomen, shivering, nausea.

I've eaten my lunch yesterday maybe a little too fast - I wondering if this could be a blockage that was woken up through irrigation.

Any experiences?
Anyone with heart problems irrigating?

I'm wondering if I should drop it?

[[ Ana+Alex ]]

PS: I weigh 55 kg and had 25 cm of colon removed. 750 make me feel like I will blow up... so I'm sticking with it for now

Yesterday I had output only before going to bed.. so.. 36 hours with 750, give or take