Hi. I’m new to this forum. I had an APR with rectum removal and permanent stoma 9 weeks ago. I’m looking for anyone on here who uses irrigation regularly. What does it involve? How are you getting on? Thankyou
Hi Elijahs nana
I’ve also had my rectum removed and have a permanent colostomy but so far (6 years from surgery) have not used irrigation.
My colorectal surgeon told me I’d be an ideal candidate and suggested I try it when I was 6 months out from surgery, so I looked into it. I was told you need to be taught how to do it by a stoma nurse, putting warm water through your stoma to wash out the colon and then waiting for everything to come out.
To be honest, I find it very easy to manage a colostomy daily so I decided I didn’t want to spend up to an hour doing this every other day. I had a friend who swears by it, and it means not having to wear a bag all the time, so there would be definite advantages, but I wear a very neat closed bag, can change and clean everything within minutes, so I didn’t go ahead with the training for it.
It's not something I’ve noticed being discussed in the group, so I’d be very interested in hearing others’ replies.
Sarah xx
I was told 24-48 hours, and I know my friend does it once every 48 hours. I’ve not heard 3-4 days, and I’d prefer to “go” more regularly than that. It seems a long time…but we’re all built differently-maybe some like the convenience of irrigating to avoid wearing a bag all the time.
Sarah xx
Hi. I'm back on here after a while. I had an APER op back in Feb 2021 and soon got used to managing "Eddie". However, after around 12 months I discussed irrigation with my fantastic stoma nurse, and we agreed I'd try it. She and a colleague came to my home to train me, with what is a very simple procedure, and ever since, I have irrigated at least every other day. The process is simple, albeit quite smelly, and generally takes a few minutes to get the water in, and then a varying amount of time for it to conclude depending in how much there is! The main benefit of irrigation for me is that I feel amazing afterwards for between 24-48 hours as there's no output. I still wear a bag just in case, but have never had an issue. The freedom this gives is worth spending some time clearing the system in my opinion.
I also do a colon cleanse the day before I go on holiday (the same stuff you have before a colonoscopy), which I order from Boots. Although not a pleasant taste, it again means that for up to 4 whole days, there is no output, meaning that the flight is not a worry (I tend to go away for 3-4 days at a time and so this works fantastically)
Hope this helps 
A poem I wrote (one of many) when I started to irrigate:
Irrigation
Liberation
A new regime
A controllable stream
A ladder in the loo
To hoist the drip
Some KY gel
To moisten the tip
A tube inserted
A flow of tepid water
A hope to report a
Flushing
Gushing
Purge of the colon
Roll on
Feeling clear
A day without stress
Anxiety
About where you'll be
When he starts to ouput
And you're forced to hot foot
To a private room
For a quick change
Now it's strange
To feel so free
To feel so fit
Nothing left in there
Just a bit of air
As the weeks go by
And it becomes routine
It will seem
So much better
Albeit wetter!
Is irrigation the way to go?
I'll let you know
