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.