Transverse colostomy

[Rgp]

Hi all,
I am tired of emptying my transverse colostomy
and also the smelly bags and wanted to give irritation a shot. I was looking for anybody who had some success in irrigating transverse colostomies. Any input/feedback is much appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your help.
RG

[ot dave]

Hey RG,
Not that all colostomies are the same, but irrigating with a transverse colostomy would probably not be as effective as you desire. Transverse colostomies are much like ileostomies in that the output is still very thin and thus not conducive to irrigation. Doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, I just fear that the time involved would not yield the results that you are seeking. I don't have a transverse colostomy, so I can't give a definitive answer to your question. I'd check with your surgeon to make sure that they are on board with you giving it a try. I'm a big fan of try it....if it works, great! If not, you move on and try something else. I don't know of anyone on the boards who are irrigating with a transverse colostomy, but maybe someone reading will see the post and chime in....
Hope that helped some.

David

[Rgp]

Hi David
Thank you for the reply. My doctors always told me that nothing about my colostomy is irreversible. But lately they changed that and saying that LAR reversals are always problematic and I won't have a good quality of life. Anyways looks like I am stuck with the colostomy.
I my output switches between solid and semi solid, never liquidy as ileostomy. So I was thinking of giving irrigation a go. But looks like none of the people here had any success with transverse colostomy.

[ot dave]

If it were me, I'd give it a whirl and see how it goes....Like I said, if it works, great! If not, you try something else. It might give you 12 hours of output freedom instead of 24 or 48 hours like it does for others. When I started irrigating, I decided that if it would get me through the work day, that it would be worth it for me.

David

[Rgp]

So I started couple of days back with 500 ml in the evening. It lasts for about 12 hrs. I am not sure whether the irrigation is working as my ouput is usually low in the evenings.

[ot dave]

So I started couple of days back with 500 ml in the evening. It lasts for about 12 hrs. I am not sure whether the irrigation is working as my ouput is usually low in the evenings.

That sounds like a good start. Did you get good returns after the infusion? If so, you might want to do a second infusion and see how many hours that gets you. I infuse with 1500ml 3 times to get to what works for me. I call my third infusion the "mop up" infusion. I could probably do without it, but it I like that "squeaky clean" feel...plus, it doesn't take very long as all of the "heavy lifting" was done with the first and second infusions.

David

[steiconi]

My normal output is very soft and irrigation works for me. I get 24 hours or more with a single infusion. (It has improved since I created the thread about retraining.)

I think you need to give your intestines a chance to get used to a scheduled irrigation. It might also help to irrigate at a time when you already have a lot of output; many people irrigate in the morning, but was already on an evening schedule, so I "rinse out" before bed.

[Zenobia]

RG, I have a transverse colostomy and have been irrigating for 13 years now. The colostomy gave me a life back and irrigating each night has added QUALITY, especially freedom of movement to ride my roadbike, travel again, be away from a bathroom, and not have to even think about poop for over 24 hours. I've just tuned in to this site after a long absence and I am so thrilled to have come upon your post!

Because I have (as you do) a shorter colon than most other 'gators, my irrigation sessions take me only 20-30 minutes start to finish. I have always irrigated in the evenings (around 8pm) rather than mornings because I like to be relaxed, done with my day, and not having to rush for time at all. Now, for sure, there was a learning curve for me at the beginning! I recall some 2-hour sessions which frustrated me no end when I was first starting out with all this, but after about a month or two I got the hang of it all. This forum is a great spot for asking ALL YOUR QUESTIONS, so I asked everything and always found a helping hand along with a lot of emotional support and suggestions of "tricks" to try. In the days before irrigation, I found no reliability with the seals on the pouches I had to wear; "BLOWOUTS" were frequent and that was the worst!

Ultimately I found that what works best for me (and gives me 24+ hours) is infusing 1200cc of warm water before removing the appliance to allow the returns to flow into the toilet. Then I infuse a second time using the remaining 800 cc of warm water left in my irrigation bag ... then pull the "plug" and allow the second returns to flow. So, all total, I infuse 2000cc water every evening. For years I only wore a stoma cap to protect my stoma from clothing irritation; more recently I've taken to wearing a pouch just because it feels safer in case my system decides to "surprise" me (which has happened, but only rarely and, even then, it's never dramatic -- I'll just have something in my bag when I go to irrigate that evening).

Feel free to send me a personal message if you have questions and I don't happen to be on-site to answer them right away. I'm happy to help out if I can. Perseverance in learning how to irrigate is KEY! xo Zenobia