UOAA Discussion Board

Hi folks- I'm a irrigator for about 8 years now- had my APR surgery in Jan 2011 permanent colostomy - and have been irrigating since.

I used to have quite predictable output - I use 1,000ml 3 x per week (Tuesday AM, Thursday AM, and Saturday AM) - of late however I have found that volume of my returns when doing my morning irrigation has changed and sometimes is very little. The real issue that I am having lately is unpredictable output during the day- which has been less than desirable.

Today for example at around 1pm (non-irrigation day) - I had my 9" Holister closed pouch fill up and have to be emptied 2 times within 30-45 minutes, the output was very loose . This same issue has happened a few times in the past 2 months -

I get a pretty sharp cramp right before the action begins, but given that I am at work full time in an office environment, it can be tough to get away for a chunk of time to handle things.

Any feedback / recommendations would be welcome !

Thanks in advance...

Any possibility that you might have developed a hernia? I have one, and sometimes if it isn't situated correctly, I have a hard time getting water to enter the colon, and then sometimes, it goes in and I wait longer than usual for the returns. Late, loose returns leads me to think that there is something in the way of the output. Occasionally I will shift positions after the input, and that helps to facilitate the output to begin.
Any changes in meds, stress, diet, etc? All of those could lead to changes as well.
Hope you find an answer.

David

hi- what about increasing the frequency of irrigating to daily? I do daily and about the same amount infusion as you - 1,000ml once. At least you may not have the unpredictable output during the day. Huh, if I skipped a day, I'm not sure I could make it 48 hours until the next gator-time. Best to you!