Joel’s family have been on a journey as they learned how to support Joel with his bowel issues. Diagnosed with Hirschsprung’s disease and introduced to transanal irrigation at an early age, Joel’s parents had to quickly learn how to perform irrigations and keep Joel compliant with his treatment.
Distractions helped with Joel
When starting out with TAI, Tom and Theresa had a nurse who was there to support them. The nurse used a hand puppet to distract Joel a little bit and he was quite taken with that. As they got more comfortable with the treatment, Theresa found she was able distract Joel with a variety of different things.
Whilst irrigating Joel, Theresa and Tom often found that giving him a mobile phone was enough to entertain him whilst he waited on the toilet. They found that if Joel could somehow be distracted and focused on other things, that always helped him enormously and made the irrigation smoother.
At the moment, Joel still needs help with his irrigations. Having a phone where he can watch his films or play a game makes it a lot easier for Theresa or Tom complete each TAI session. With him distracted, Joel can simply lie there, and his parents can get on with the treatment without concern.
A relaxing environment is an easier environment
Joel’s parents really found it was important that there was some peace and quiet when performing an irrigation. They found TAI to be much easier at home when they knew where everything was and had everything to hand before starting.
Tom adds as a tip for parents who are new to TAI, it’s really important to frame the process in a calm and relaxed way when helping your child.
“You should maybe approach the irrigation in a very relaxed way” – Tom, Joel’s Dad
Rewards and treats made TAI more tolerable for Joel
Motivating Joel was vital for Tom and Theresa. His parents have always tried to encourage him with little rewards. Sometimes, when Joel is feeling a little lazy or adamant he doesn’t want to irrigate, a reward can be the motivation he needs!
They are always clear about their expectations with Joel when it comes to TAI and will tell him that if he cooperates well and they don’t have to force him, a little something will soon come his way. Coloplast’s motivational posters and tracking his process with sticker charts helped to add this external motivation that has kept Joel compliant with his treatment.
What does the future hold for Joel?
Joel is now reaching the age where he wants a little more privacy around his bowel issues and treatment. He is slowly becoming more independent, and Theresa and Tom are maintaining the relaxed approach that has got them to this point already. They can see a future where Joel will one day say he is ready to irrigate independently.
“We’re letting him take his time to start performing TAI himself and I think that when he grows up, at some point he’ll start thinking ‘Mummy’s going to do it again. No, not this time’.” – Tom, Joel’s Dad.
Joel is starting to take an active interest in his treatment which is a great sign, but for now, Theresa and Tom are happy to support him.
They expect that when Joel is a little older, they will reach out to Coloplast Care for support on improving his independence and further training him to become a TAI master in his own right.
“It’s really good to know that all you have to do is call Coloplast and they’ll be there for you straight away.” – Tom, Joel’s Dad
