What is meant by irrigation method?

If you had gone through a colostomy surgery then you can try irrigation to manage your ostomy in a better way. This article will help you to know what irrigation is., and all the details you should have about irrigation.

Irrigation:

The induction of a normal to a large amount of water into the stoma to clean the feces in the colon is termed irrigation. This procedure is done after the colostomy. It is a kind of enema. It is introduced into the stoma to clear the feces in the colon. Most of the individuals appreciate irrigation, following the colostomy, to improve the regulation of their stoma. It helps in the prediction of bowel movements and allows the usage of small pouches, during the irrigation process. Several factors determine that whether a person can have irrigation or not. It does not apply to every patient.

Irrigation is applicable for patients with colostomy and most essentially with descending sigmoid colostomy. The irrigation process can’t be used for patients with ileostomy, urinary stoma, or transverse colostomy. If you don’t have any knowledge regarding the type of your stoma then first you need to visit your surgeon or any Enterostomal Therapy Nurse to gain some information about your stoma. Just like this, the patients of continent diversion i.e. Koch pouch can’t use the irrigation method. They need to use any other methods instead of irrigation.

There also other factors that are considered before starting irrigation. You can’t have irrigation if you have gone through or you will be going through chemotherapy or radiotherapy in the lower portion of your abdomen or pelvic. It can cause complexities if a patient who is undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy applies an irrigation method, because, these therapies can alter the stomal functioning. In the case of parastomal hernia, even with the recovering hernia, irrigation is not appropriate. It can cause bowel obstruction and other bowel problems Irrigation cannot be used for stoma prolapses. It is a condition when your stoma gets elongated. In some conditions such as diarrhea or other bowel disruptions, irrigation is not a good choice. It is a general idea that old patients that have undergone colostomy can’t get expert to apply this method. So it advised that they should avoid irrigation. In the end, if you have a temporary stoma then it better not to adapt irrigation.

Despite all these limitations, irrigation can be the best choice for people with descending or sigmoid colostomy, with regular stool formation and elimination. Having and strict and followed the routine for diet and exercise can enhance the process of irrigation.

Irrigation helps in the prediction of a bowel movement: When you induct water from a normal to large range into the stoma daily or every second day, this develops a habit in the colon that it will be cleaned regularly. Gradually, the body will prevent any bowel movement during irrigation. This will also give a prediction about the bowel movement and allow you to use smaller pouches and stoma caps.

You have to be strict about your routine: In case if you need to travel a lot and you don’t have any proper schedules, everything is unplanned then this can’t help you to maintain your colostomy.

There is some special equipment that is used for irrigation. You might get an irrigation set from a nearby ostomy product store. Typically this bag has a big irrigation bag that contains the water that needs to be inducted; tubes along with clamp and a cone that is attached at the end of the tubes. These cones are lodged into the stoma and they avoid the backflow of the water. Irrigation sleeves are used for the splash-free discharge of the waste from the stoma directly into the toilet. These sleeves are longer than the ostomy pouch and prevent any kind of a mess. They can be attached directly onto the stoma or attached to the skin pouch. It is recommended to place a hook over the toilet, this will enhance gravity and fluid can enter the stoma easily. Roughly estimated, 5oo to 1000 milliliters of tap warm water is used by the patients for irrigation. This amount can be different for each person.

Even though irrigation can give a clue about bowel movement there are some negative aspects as well. The people who have been using this method complain about the increasing amount of water that is required for regular irrigation. Most patients reported that with the passing time they require 2000 to 3000 ml water to achieve successful irrigation. It has been observed that once a stoma gets used to irrigation for the thorough cleansing it can cause issues when you need to stop irrigation or you want to get back to the normal pouching routine. It would be hard to have the same bowel functioning without the help of an enema. Sometimes laxatives are prescribed to get back a normal bowel movement. It has been also mentioned that in older adults prolonged irrigation can be a reason for poor hand dexitary and poor eyesight.

Some other important considerations are that if you are using pure water or tap water that is safe. If you are not sure about the quality of your water then you should try bottled water for irrigation. In the case of traveling also bottled water can be the best option. Sometimes, you may catch the flu or diarrhea because of contaminated food. If you still think that irrigation can work for you then you must look at your ET Nurse regarding this matter.

 

Things You Must Know about a Stoma Paste

At some point following the ostomy, every person faces the problem of stoma leakage. In some cases, it is a usual issue during the early weeks or months while a patient is learning to live with an ostomy. This can be very untidy and can affect a person’s self-confidence very badly, especially when in public because they can’t have an access to proper facilities to overcome the leakage.

When some time has passed, it becomes less problematic to handle stoma leakage as the person learns how to deal with it. But in some cases this problem can pursue for many years, leading them to mental illness and other complexities

What do you mean by a Stoma Paste?

Stoma paste is often misled with a paste but it’s a caulk. It is a sticky material that is used to contour the uneven skin, making the skin smoother and flatter so that an ostomy pouch can bind to it easily.

               It becomes difficult for a stoma wafer to get attached to the skin and keep in its place in case of any gaps between the skin and the stoma wafer. In some situations, the stoma wafer doesn’t stick with the skin properly and it develops the chances of stoma leakage. Stoma pastes have been introduced to maximize the period of wearing stoma wafers for a longer period without being disturbed.

In case of scary and deep skin around your stoma and it’s difficult for you to manage your stoma wafer then stoma paste is the best solution because it contours the uneven skin creating an excellent barrier that allows your ostomy wafer to fit exactly with the skin.

To avoid stoma leakage it’s very important to have a strong and reliable seal that will avoid ostomy leakage. It also prevents any kind of psychological problems.

Important hacks for Using Stoma Paste

Stomata pastes are lifesavers and very easy to use. They don’t have alcohol. Even though, persons with very sensitive skin can use stoma pastes. Neither they do not cause itching nor do they irritate. They are available in soft and easily squeezable tubes, you can easily them. Moreover, the best thing is pliability, it is very flexible and you can mold it in any specific form to fill the scars or uneven skin.

The fact of applying a stoma paste can be very unsettling for some people, but the following are some steps and tips that can help you to avoid troubles and making it easier and safe to use:

Stoma paste can’t stick with wet skin. So make it completely sure that your skin is well dried and cleaned

You should prevent the usage of soaps or other body lotions that can leave any residue since they can disturb the adhering of stoma paste with the skin.

You should apply the paste on the wafer rather than apply it on the skin to confirm that the stoma wafer has been covered completely.

Avoid using a lot of paste a time because it can give an untidy look. You can apply to paste further to fill the gaps.

How to apply Stoma Paste?

The application of the paste can vary with the brand you have selected. It’s recommended to read the instructions that are specific for each brand’s tube.

There are two ways, it can be applied directly on the wafer or you can apply it around the stoma. It’s mostly advised to allow it to dry completely for 2- 3 minutes after applying it. But this condition is different for every brand.

Once the paste is completely dried it is difficult to remove the extra paste, that’s why it is advised to use a small quantity at first. It can be removed by using a cloth with Luke's warm water. Wipes or sprays (adhesive removal) are also available for this purpose. It’s not necessary to remove each bit of the paste, so avoid scrubbing hardly, as it may irritate peristomal skin.

Stoma Paste Strips and Stoma paste Tubes

 Stoma pastes that come as strips or stomas paste that comes in a tube, both are the same. It depends on your condition which one you should select for yourself. It is advised to test both of the pastes for a better experience.

Most used Stoma Paste Brands

Stoma paste varies for every brand. For instance, some brands use alcohol in stoma pastes, which can lead to irritation and discomfort. It is very important to consult your doctor while selecting a stoma paste. By the way here are some most used brands:

ConvaTec Stomahesive Paste:             

It is among the most easily available paste in the market that comes in a two-ounce tube. It can be spread easily and it’s very pliable. The best thing is that the aluminum tube prevents a lot of paste to come out, minimizing the wastage.

Hollister Adapt:

This paste has a minimal quantity of alcohol. It can be the best choice for alcohol-sensitive people. Just like Convatec paste, it is also available in a tube

Hollister Karaya Paste:

It is a bit more in quantity, most probably it comes in a 4.5-ounce tube and it has karaya that protects the skin from stoma waste because of its chemical properties. It also helps to increase the stoma seal’s age, can be used for a longer period.

Brava Strip Paste

This paste helps in the protection of skin from stoma waste by offering a hard sealing and proper filling of cracks. This paste can be molded in almost every shape you want it to be, and help the wafer to fit in properly

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About convex Flanges

You may wonder if you need a different type of pouch or flange as time goes on, since there may be changes to the stoma over time. Convex is a different kind of pouching and flange as well, and it’s made to correct some of the issues with ostomies, with the most common problem being leakages that happen. You have a lot of options to choose the convexity of pouches and flanges, but it’s important to make sure that the convex pouch matches the stoma that you have and the contours and skin. There are a rage of products, and we’ll get into that here. 

About Flanges 

Flanges are skin barriers, as you probably know. They usually are either flex or convex. Flat means that when you seethe barrier from a side profile, it’s incredibly flat in the way that it looks, without any bulges or anything else that’s sticking out. Convex of course, means that there is some protrusion that goes from the sticky side, which is usually used for those that don’t sit flat. 

Stomas usually have some bit of sticking out and have a middle opening that’s right above the level of the skin. There are some contours, but usually they’re flat. Regardless of where this position is, usually this is how flat flanges, and for the most part, people who have a stoma use this. If you start to notice that there are contours and problems causing issues with adhesion, you may need to correct this with a convex pouching system. 

That’s because when it protrudes to the back parts of your flange, it puts pressures on the skin surrounding the stoma, causing changes to this part of this body. Usually, the changes involve the way that the seal sits, so if you’re told you need to change this because your stoma adhesion is affecting how the pouch sits and is leaking, you definitely want to change this. 

The Benefits of Convexity 

Convexity is good for a variety of reasons. The pressure of the skin around this does provide enough tension to prevent the stool from undermining and then causing leaks and skin problems. It works well as well when the stoma isn’t protruding too much, or is flush to the skin, or is retracted and the mouth tips and then drains onto the sin itself. 

It also helps with skin folds, which can come about because of weight gain, loss, or other factors. When the convex pouch is put on, these follow the grooves of the skin, keeping a better seal, with less tension, and less leaks. It also helps those stomas that tend to sit downward move upwards, letting the stool drain directly onto your pouch, rather than hitting the edge of your flange and creating leaks. 

You can get a variety of products as well. There are barrier ring flanges which help with a convex flange, and you also can add an insert to your average flange. There is some variability in how this protrudes out, and this convexity also offers some depth to this, creating a custom experience. 

This is great because for so me people, it may cause problems over time, based on the types of issues that will be there. It can fix some big issues, or even some smaller issues, whether it’s producing skin creases, stomas, or even any issues with the skin folds too. They also have different products that fit a variety of problems, so if you know there are issues with adhesion, you do not have to live with this, and instead get a convex system for your needs.