About

If you have a colostomy and you want to have control over when to move your bowels, you may consider irrigating the colostomy. This method involves flushing the bowel using warm water. Supplies that you will need to irrigate your colostomy include an irrigation kit, water-soluble lubricant, and a hook. You may want to discuss with a wound-ostomy-continence healthcare provider before starting irrigating your colostomy.

Who should perform colostomy irrigation?

You can irrigate your colostomy if you have:

• An end colostomy that produces semi- to fully formed stool
• Good eyesight and dexterity required to perform the irrigation
• Time and patience to perform the procedure
• Approval from your surgeon

Irrigation Procedure

Fill the bag

• There will be a clamp on the tubing attached to the irrigation bag. Close this clamp.
• Fill four cups of warm water in the bag. Water should neither be too cold nor too hot.
• Attach the hook above the toilet and hand the bag with it. Make sure that the bottom of the bag is on the level with your shoulder.
• Hold the tubing and open the clamp a bit to release air from the tubing. Close the clamp once the water starts coming out from the tubing.

Put on the tubing

• Remove the ostomy bag or cap from the stoma and clean the peristomal skin with warm water. Dry it after cleaning.
• Sit on a chair next to the toilet and wear around opening over the stoma. Place this opening in the sleeve.
• Place the other end of the sleeve over the toilet.

Insert the cone

• Attach a small cone to the tubing and apply a little amount of lubricant to it.
• Place the cone into the stoma.
• Hold the cone in place and open the clamp on the tubing. It will allow the water to flow into your stoma. Allow the water to flow in for 5-10 minutes. Close the clamp.

Remove the cone and attach the sleeve

• It will take about 60 minutes for the irrigation to result in a bowel movement. Remove the clamp and seal the sleeve from the top.
• The water and stool will flow through the sleeve. It may take 15-20 minutes for your bowel to empty. You can then close the opening of the sleeve with a clamp and get up from the toilet.
• Empty the sleeve into the toilet when the water and stool stop flowing from the stoma.
• Clean the skin around the stoma, and wear an ostomy pouch or a cap over the stoma.

Clean the irrigation sleeve and cone

• Clean the irrigation sleeve and cone with warm water. You may want to mix white vinegar in the water. Pour this water solution into the sleeve, close the open end, and shake it until the sides of the sleeve are fully clean. Then rinse the sleeve with plain water.
• Hang the sleeve for a few hours to air-dry.

Colostomy irrigation is a wonderful alternative to wearing a bag the entire time. It indeed takes a fair bit of time to complete, but it gives you almost complete freedom from wearing an ostomy bag the entire time.