No two people are the same and it’s important to bear this in mind on your journey with Peristeen Plus. Like learning anything new, establishing a routine for your Peristeen Plus procedure can take a while to master fully. However, finding a personal routine, which fits into your daily life, is an important part of regaining control of your bowel.
Just keep going until you find what works for you – although the tubes, bags and pumps can seem a little strange to begin with, you will learn to perfect your own Peristeen Plus technique with a bit of practice. The three P’s of Peristeen Plus will help you get there:
Prepare
When you prepare your procedure, remember to always use lukewarm water. Attach your tubes so they join to the water bag, remembering to turn clockwise, ‘turquoise to turquoise’, and ‘grey to grey’. Then simply pump to prime a new catheter each time, ensuring the catheter stays in the packet until it’s fully immersed in water. Now place the water bag on the floor, make yourself comfortable and that’s Peristeen Plus prepared.
Pump
Once you’ve gently inserted the catheter and are comfortable, simply turn the knob on the control unit to the white balloon symbol and pump to inflate as recommended by your healthcare provider (children maximum 2 pumps and adults maximum 4 pumps). If you’re struggling with finding the right number of pumps, please contact your healthcare provider for advice.
When you’ve inflated the balloon, turn the knob to the turquoise water symbol and gradually pump the amount of water you have been recommended by your healthcare provider for an effective irrigation.
Poo
Once you’ve finished pumping, adjust the knob again to point towards the grey deflate symbol, which will deflate the balloon. Now remove the catheter. Water will begin to irrigate your bowel and stimulate the natural process that helps you empty your bowels. Some water might come out right away – some people wait up to half an hour to ensure all the water has passed out. If nothing happens, try to press, cough, do abdominal massage or move the upper part of your body to activate the emptying process. There will be some trial and error, but many find what works for them quite quickly.
