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The process of installing a moderate to a large amount of water into a colostomy to clear the colon of stool is known as the colostomy irrigation. This method uses an enema, which goes into the stoma and pushes water inside to trigger a bowel movement. As a result, the colostomy evacuates stool. The top benefit of this method is that it makes the bowel movement more predictable, which enables a person with a colostomy to use a small ostomy pouch or a stoma cap instead of a conventional ostomy bag.

Colostomy irrigation is an appropriate method only for people who have colostomies. More specifically, people who can benefit from this method are the ones having a sigmoid or descending colostomy. This procedure is not for you if you have a transverse colostomy, an ileostomy, or a urostomy. If you are unsure whether or not you can irrigate your stoma, you can contact your surgeon or Enterostomal Therapy Nurse (ET) to discuss your options.

You may have to consider other factors when determining if you can use stoma irrigation to manage your colostomy. For instance, colostomy irrigation may not be for you if you have undergone, or about to undergo, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. Chemotherapy and radiation alter the way your stoma functions. Irrigating your stoma in that scenario can be problematic. You may not want to irrigate your stoma to trigger bowel movements if you have a parastomal hernia. Choosing to irrigate your stoma when you have parastomal hernia can lead to bowel obstruction, which can be quite painful in many cases.

That said, stoma irrigation is successful for individuals who have a descending or sigmoid colostomy that passes semi-formed or fully formed stool at regular intervals. Having fully regulated bowel movements is one of the necessary prerequisites that qualify a person for colostomy irrigation. Frequent irrigations habituate the bowel for a predictable routine, meaning that the bowel will start waiting for the irrigation to start passing stool. Over time, it will learn not to function between two irrigations. If you are not sure whether you will find an appropriate opportunity to irrigate your stoma, you might not want to go for this procedure.

The most desirable result of colostomy irrigation is predictability. Knowing that you won’t have a bowel movement before you irrigate your stoma can provide you the necessary peace of mind. But you may notice over time that the amount of water you need to irrigate your stoma has increased. It happens because the bowel becomes increasingly dependent on water irrigation.

You may want to discuss with your doctor whether or not you need to irrigate your stoma. There are certain criteria that you must meet if you want to be able to irrigate your colostomy. Your nurse will surely provide you the necessary help in this regard.