Colostomy Irrigation Procedure

By: ColostomyCentral Staff

Colostomy Irrigation

 is not an ABC ladderlike method. There are variety of ways to do this procedure and it all depends on your body's response, comfort level and of course, experience.

Your physician and your ET nurse will not give out the same verbatim instruction as there is none. Normally, nurses like most of us in colostomycentral.com, have our own way of explaining procedures to patients. However, for your ease and convenience, we have outlined the procedure at the easiest way we could imagine.

So we begin:

•  Gather Necessary Materials Needed - You will need the following materials: a colostomy irrigation water bag with tubing and cone (will be given to you by your stoma nurse, ask about the variant coloplast 1510). This is good because it has a very handy temperature indicator to prevent any stomach cramping and has a flowmeter to control water flow. Another thing is your Irrigation drainage bag with belt (ask about the variant from hollister 7724) this is a reusable bag which comes very handy. Of course you also need your paper towels.
• Hanger - Select a a spot in your bathroom where you can hang the colostomy irrigation bag preferably above your shoulders while you are instilling the water to your stoma.
• Fill the colostomy irrigation bag - Patients use tap water for this purpose but if your

   

  water source is not guaranteed clean, you can always use mineral water. Just make sure the temperature is a variant of your body temperature and not on any extremes.(normal body temp is 37.5 degree celsius). The amount of water still varies per individual; some use 750ml and some use 1.5 Liters of water. If this is your first time, you can start with 750mL (again, your doctor's advise is important)
• Attach irrigation sleeve - your irrigation drainage bag can now be attached using your belt placing your stoma on the middle of the ring.
• Insert the cone of the irrigation water bag to your stoma - This can be a real challenge for beginners. The stoma has the tendency to adjust itself if not properly done. Just make sure you insert the cone firm enough to avoid water leaks.
• Infuse the water to your stoma - Start at a slower rate and gradually increase water flow. The infusion will last from 3-5 minutes. You dont have to fill in the whole 1,000mL in.  (Remember: if you encounter any discomfort at this stage, stop the water infusing, remove the cone for a while, then continue again and start at a slower rate of infusion)
• Let the stool exit - After you have infused, you are now to remove the cone and let the stool exit to the sleeve or the collection bag with belt that you have attached earlier. This process will take around 45 to 60 minutes. Feel free to coat yourself with some robes and do something else like watch TV or read the paper. If you see enough stool has collected in the bag, go back to the bathroom, deposit the contents to the bowl and close the sleeve again. Repeat this process until everything has evacuated from the bowel.
• Remove the sleeves and Put on regular pouching system - After the bowel is empty, remove the sleeves, wash it with soap and water, rinse and dry them. You may way to use disinfectant to make it odorfree and clean. After this, you can now freely use a patch or your regular pouching system. If youre a beginner, use the pouching system as you are still adjusting. Just feel the difference.
• Youre done! - You now have irrigated yourself and is now independently controlling your bowel movement schedule thus giving you more time to eat at restaurants, socialize, and even play your favorite sport. This is how colostomy irrigation helps patients live a normal life. 

Irrigation Sleeve with belt                                Colostomy Irrigation water bag w/ Cone

If that's not easy enough, here's a video we hope will help you a million:

We at colostomycentral.com, really hope this colostomy irrigation guide helped you one way or another. Do stick around for more helpful information to fully control your stoma.