151 replies to this topic

[voodoo]

hehehe.. you did it again!|!? Just to make sure?! LOL I think thats funny.. I was pretty bemused the first time, couldn't believe my luck so to speak.. all done in less than an hour, and probably better than I've ever done it!!!


Well just wasn't sure, it just seemed to easy and i thought for the first time i would just make sure, but then the balloon burst so just left it there, it's a learning process and will take a wee while to build confidence up with it.

Got a grumbly belly just now, just hope there is nothing brewing, I am choked with the cold tho so all the gunky stuff I'm swallowing won't be doing my tummy any good

[ems]

awww I'm sure you'll be fine.. it is a bit weird, can understand that.

Hope you feel better soon... with your cold ...

[LeahC]

Just checking you're wetting the catheter first for 30secs before you insert it hehe xx Most of the time I get a rush come out after a minute maybe, then I massage my lower stomach and Ems was right, you can feel the water sloshing so now I know when it's all out I get, on average, 3 lots come out over a 20-30 minute period x

[voodoo]

yeah wetting the catheter first, never had a good time this morning, put the cath in and inflated the balloon, started to pump the water in and the balloon burst and the water came scooshing out, was using the caths that come with the kit and that was my last one, waiting on my chemist getting the 15 packs in, so no caths and no routie done this morning so had to try a supp.

Do the balloons burst alot on the caths?

[chair]

do you find you have to keep to any particular diet eg - high-fibre in order to get best results from 'peristeen irrigatioon' or doesn't it really matter? Is it important to keep the stool soft, by taking a softener etc or is 1L of water quit adequate in order to expell everything without softeners, laxatives, etc?

[Lol Hare]

i take a little Senna and some Lactulose about 10 ml of each the night before (that bisacodol is harsh!) then 2 glyscerine supposotories in the morning and every 2/3 days i use the Peristeen,i think its a great method,i think the laxitive i take eases the transition of food through the intestines so i'm not constipated further up
Great invention,personally i'd reccomend it to antone,ps dont be shy either,i lost that part of my dignity when i got injured

[ems]

To be honest, I've only ever had one balloon fail on me, and never had another one pop... and I re-use mine up to 3-4 times.

[Davey]

HI...CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF THE PERISTEEN SYSTEM IS SIUTABLE FOR A HIGH LEVEL QUAD WHO NORMALLY LAYS ON HIS SIDE TO DO HIS BOWELS, OR IS IT JUST PEOPLE WHO CAN TRANSFER TO THE TOILET.

[Izziwhizzi]

Davey, on Feb 24 2009, 11:38 AM, said:

HI...CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF THE PERISTEEN SYSTEM IS SIUTABLE FOR A HIGH LEVEL QUAD WHO NORMALLY LAYS ON HIS SIDE TO DO HIS BOWELS, OR IS IT JUST PEOPLE WHO CAN TRANSFER TO THE TOILET.

I can't transfer onto a toilet and have been a bed girl - you don't mention what level or ability you have. But I use my shower chair, like another higher level tetra I know, to use the peristeen system. Like any other tetra who needs help to toilet on a shower chair you need a 'flexible' carer.

I

[ems]

Davey,
I would say personally its really to be used over toilet or over a commode due to the amount of water used, it is pretty messy.

Davey, on Feb 24 2009, 11:38 AM, said:

HI...CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF THE PERISTEEN SYSTEM IS SIUTABLE FOR A HIGH LEVEL QUAD WHO NORMALLY LAYS ON HIS SIDE TO DO HIS BOWELS, OR IS IT JUST PEOPLE WHO CAN TRANSFER TO THE TOILET.

[voodoo]

ems, on Feb 24 2009, 09:16 AM, said:

To be honest, I've only ever had one balloon fail on me, and never had another one pop... and I re-use mine up to 3-4 times.

I must be doing something wrong then lol, I had another one go pop this morning, gave it 4 pumps and was just about to start putting the water in when pop

[ems]

Maybe just do a couple of pumps .. make sure you do them slowly too.. and then start pumping the water through, once you've pumped a few pumps of water do another pump etc if you need to, not really sure if 4 pumps are needed before you add the water.. another thing.. maybe next time feel to make sure that the balloon is inflating well inside your rectum, Give a a couple of pumps of air, adn then make sure that when you pull gently it stays put and that its inside you, rather than half and half. It sounds like there's pressure against it to me. The balloon that popped with me, I just hadn't actually put it in enough. Like if you tryed to hold the baloon in your hand and blow it up, it would pop.

[Zammo]

Yeah I do 2 slow gentle pumps and then try some water. And then try a third pump if necessary. Have you pumped air into the cath when its out? I'd say 4 pumps would have it up like a birthday balloon!

[voodoo]

yeah your probs right, still finding my feet with the system, done a wee experament and tryed a cath on its own (not during a routine), gave it 4 to five pumps and the balloon was pretty big and hard, I left it for a while to make sure the system wasnt leaking air, OMG about 5 minutes later it burst, I just about sh*t myself, they go with some bang, i thought the tv had blown up till i relised it was the cath.

Once you see that you think twice about over inflating it lol

[shaggy79]

voodoo, on Feb 26 2009, 06:25 PM, said:

yeah your probs right, still finding my feet with the system, done a wee experament and tryed a cath on its own (not during a routine), gave it 4 to five pumps and the balloon was pretty big and hard, I left it for a while to make sure the system wasnt leaking air, OMG about 5 minutes later it burst, I just about sh*t myself, they go with some bang, i thought the tv had blown up till i relised it was the cath.

Once you see that you think twice about over inflating it lol

Hi all i'm so glad i found all you 'peristeeners'. Kinda bungled my way through my 1st time this morning an it did not go well! the 1st cath slipped out! admittedly i only pumped the balloon twice, the second cath all was kinda ok until i cramped, balloon burst and all the water squirted out! pretty much all at once ! I been uncomfy up my arse all dam day an my gut still feels cramped, when it happened i really thought i'd damaged myself and was expecting blood + AD and a whole nightmare, anyway i'm fine and will press on with it in a days time i just hope i never have another explosion up my arse well at least without sh**ing myself haha

[edlee]

I was lucky enough to have a friend send me a setup, from the UK, where they are available.

Have used it several times,,, having the same kind of results as everyone else,,, except the bursting part,,, haven't had that happen,,, yet.

My discoveries,,,so far are: slipping/falling out,,,, an extra pump or two,,,,, cramping,,,, less water,, I started out trying to get the whole bag in there,,, not a good idea....Messy,,, well,,, I haven't found an answer for that one .

I have found that using the system every fourth day,, and just checking with a gloved ,,,, well, you know how to check,, is working for me.
ed

[ems]

excelent edlee!! I do think it takes a bit of time to get used to it, and it works differently for everyone, but I've not met anyone yet that has wanted to go back to their old routine! LOL .. and every 4th day .. brilL!!!!

[edlee]

Thanks Em,,, I think it quite brill, too.
ed

[LeahC]

I had a balloon pop in me for the first time earlier lol scared the crap out of me excuse the pun lol! How can something so small make such a big noise??

[voodoo]

you certainly get a fright when it goes bang, I've not had anymore bursting since my first couple so was either a dodge batch or I was just being a bit to enthusiastic with the pump

Been using the system for just over a month now and so far it is working really well for me (touch wood), I do it every second day, i'm going to try it every third but dont want to upset the routine lol, the only major diffrence for me compared to most of you is I do it twice, when I first started using the system I had a couple of accidents after I had done a routine, so i fill the bag up twice and do one after the other, pump 1l of water in, wait for it to do i's stuff, then pump another 1l in for it to do it's stuff, the second time around I still get alot of stool so i must need it, everyones diffrent and it seems to be working for me.

overall I'm very happy I changed to peristeen, I spend less time doing a routine, I don't have to be so strickt with times or eating, I always get a good result and after changing to 2 wash outs at a time no accidents and generally feeling better after a routine.

For the guys that do a routine every 3 days, do you manually check yourself inbetween routines? I manualy check myself before i do a routine to make sure there is nothing to get in the way of the catheter/baloon and quiet often find some stool is this the norm? don't know if it would be a good idea to try a 3 day routine if the stool is in the lower bowel on a 2 day routine?

[LeahC]

If you're still getting a result on the 2nd time I wouldn't recommend switching to every 3rd day. Maybe do it every day for a week then back to every 2 (just once) and see how it goes? xx I don't check, but I often have a bit right near the end as it comes out when I inflate the balloon xx

[edlee]

I check every day, and have no trouble going every fourth day,, but I think I might try the double washout myself.
ed

[LeeinNCUSA]

Can anyone give any DEFINITIVE info on how to acquire a Peristeen system in the messed up USA?

It seems PERFECT for me, also keep in mind I am not above doing something 'illegal' to get one:) Does anyone wanna be my mule?

I am of course serious, has anyone in the US been able to get one in-hand?

Have written Coloplast 3 times, all I get is:

"Dear Lee,

Thank you very much for your interest in Peristeen Anal Irrigation. Unfortunately it is only availbale in a
limited number of countries at the moment, however we are aware that there is a strong demand for system and we
hope that our product will be available in the US in the future.


With kind regards,

Coloplast A/s"

Thanks everybody

Lee

[Anderzip]

We here in Oz are not so lucky as you guys it seems. We have to pay for the whole shebang. AUD20 for a catheter! Single use. They have to be kidding.

Whatever. I've been using it since about Nov. and works great. Except ... the bags pop, the catheters pop and cost way too much, the fittings damage easily...

Obviously I'm not a gret fan of the version ex factory so I made my own using a juice bottle and a copule of tubes and spiggots. The only original bits are the pump/controller and the catheters which I can get about 3-4 weeks use out of simply by washing them down with soapy water and stirong them in glycerin, which I also use as the lube.

No more popped bags and it works every time! I'm a 2nd or 3rd daily person, depending on diet, use a small amount of salt in the water (about a teaspoon per ltr) to keep the pH right and it takes about 15-20 mins holding and then 10-20 mins to empty, with a little massaging rt to left to help it on its way. Amount of water depends on how full I feel. Oh and I'm T5 so get AD. But this helps as I get warnings about what's happening!

Beats 2 hrs using enemas. Just wish it didn't cost us so much. Practice makes perfect. Good luck.

[shaggy79]

Hi people well i really dont know whats goin wrong but its not working!!!!!!!! ARRRRGH the 1st problem is the balloon almost always slips out! an that causes blood! grrr i'm so frustrated with my bowels at the mo, i thought it was all goin really well a week ago the cath stayed in i pumped the whole bag of water in, and had the biggest 'clear out' ever! it was great, but since then i havnt gone the cath wont stay up there and suppositories arent doing anything and its now 5 days with out any kind of bowel movement... i'm starting to worry.
Help please anyone got any ideas before i turn to senacot???????

[edlee]

Five days is not a big deal,,, as I've gone six with no accidents and a good dump at the end. As for the caths slipping out,, another half pump, if you haven't already gone to four, might be enough.

You can also hold it in with a gloved hand,,, I've done a couple times when the balloon burst and I didn't feel like putting on another cath. I'm a T10 with no trouble reaching.

The biggest problem with waiting that long is it takes a little longer to be sure you are done clearing,,,, and the volume is,,,,,legendary and messy.
ed

[ems]

Just thinking, if it slips out, there shouldn't be any bloody, theres nothing rough on the catheter and of course if its just *slipping out* it sounds like there enough room for it to do so. If the balloon pops first I can see it happening, but I've personally never experienced blood with it. The blood comes from trauma, it shouldnt be there. do you make sure that when the balloon fills up with air, that it is definalty inside the rectum? Or do you think maybe it could be the pressure inside the rectum as the water level increases inside that maybe forcing the cathter out. Must be reason, has anyone else found this happening?

Edited by ems, 08 May 2009 - 03:35 PM.

[fastwheels]

i had the ACE Procedure operation done last year all i do is put the Enema in to my small opening off the bowel with 500mls of salt water & its cleans the whole bowel out it taken some time to get it right but it works great now

the Peristeen cleans only the lower bowel what ive had done cleans the whole bowel out

ACE Procedure (Antegrade Continence Enema)

http://www.ich.ucl.a...e_families.html

http://spinabifida-i...o/bowelsurg.htm

from fastwheels

[ems]

Fastwheels, the peristeen can clean out the upper parts of the bowels, it just depends how much water you use. You can feel the water ( when your squash your tummy), go up and over the other side of the bowel, and the more water you use the further it goes. I was about to have the ACE operation in 2007, thankfully the peristeen unit came out just in time. I'd much rather use the peristeen than have even the smallest of stomas.

[ems]

The peristeen system is now the alternative to the ACE procedure and the colostomy.

Edited by ems, 09 May 2009 - 02:28 PM.