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
