ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO IRRIGATE
via Big Sky Informer, Great Falls, Montana
- It’s not unusual to return a much smaller amount of stool occasionally.
- At times all the water does not come back. Just drink a lot more water than you have been.
- Those long white strands you may pass are not worms. They are mucous strands and simply means a portion of your bowel was empty before you irrigated.
- Don’t let the water temperature get too warm. Very warm water will take forever to return and will not clean you out. Use cool water with the chill taken out of it — room temperature in most homes.
- Don’t use a petroleum base lubricant, use a water-soluble lubricant — i.e.: K-V jelly, available from any drug store.
- Never irrigate with a tube or catheter. It can cause bowel perforations easily. Use a cone or cone-like tip.
- Don’t irrigate when you are emotionally upset, such as right after winning the Lottery or hearing about a death. Good and bad news upsets your bowel too.
- Don’t irrigate with water you wouldn’t drink.
- Relax as much as possible while irrigating. Get comfortable and read a book, newspaper, etc. Meditate, write a letter, watch TV, talk to friends on the phone (if you have a phone in your bathroom) or whatever gets your mind off irrigation. This will make the returns come much faster.
- Irrigate at the same time of the day — not by the clock but by your activity. This can be rescheduled on occasions with good results but try to keep a pattern.