Have you ever thought about not having to wear a pouch anymore? Well, if you have an end colostomy or a sigmoid colostomy, you don’t have to wear one, but it does require you to learn colostomy irrigation.
Irrigation of course is where you empty out a ton of water directly into the stoma, helping to evacuate the colon, just like an enemy. Once you irrigate, you don’t have to worry about the stool coming out, and less flatus as well, which offers a safe and easy way to manage the colostomy.
How it’s Done
This can take about an hour, and it needs to be done consistently at the same time each day. There are irrigation kits that you can buy to hold the water, a tubing and regulator for the flow, a stoma cone to help attach, but also a sleeve for irrigation, along with the belt to.
The procedure is quite easy to do, but not always a very simple one at first, and it can be a bit messy at first, but once you get it, it makes sense. It basically means putting up to 1000 mL of water that’s warm to the stoma, and then wait about 30 r so minutes to purge said contents.
Conditions of This
This is not for everyone, and it is something that isn’t ideal for everybody. Those who have an ileostomy, have stool that is loose and isn’t consistent, have UC or Chron’s disease, or a hernia should not do this. Different types of stomas also affect this. Those that are prolapsed and structured should not do this either. Finally, you also need to make sure you have the time. Those who also have radiation of the pelvic area and chemotherapy should check before attempting this.
The Best Tips
The best thing to do is to drink lots of water before doing this, since a lot of water can offer better output. Knowing the output does vary between the status of hydration, and sometimes, if the water is too cold or too fast, it can cause cramping, which can be a bit of a problem for those at first.
You should check the irrigation sleeve, making sure it’s the right size that you want, but only condition is that the bottom of it is cuffed to help make sure it’s clean. When starting this, it’s very common for stool to breakthrough, and while you’re getting used to this, it does happen.
That’s not the end of the world, so make sure that you wear a small stoma pouch to catch any of the stragglers. Once you’ve managed to get a good schedule for this, you don’t have to wear pouches, but also instead switch over to a cap to help catch this.
The cool thing about this is that it can be done over time, and while it does take a little bit for you to get on a good schedule, there is always a chance that you can get on the right schedule to help with this.
But overall, this can offer a better quality of life for those who do it. It can offer less skin problems, your sleep will be better, and you’re less self-conscious during sex than those who wear ostomy bags. It offers a lot of freedom you may not get otherwise with a pouch, and also it does lower a lot of expenses for you financially in lots of cases, and also lowers the plastic waste that’s out there, so it can benefit lots of people in the world too.
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