12-year old Quint was born with spina bifida. During his early development, his parents realized that not only was Quint’s ability to walk and run going to be affected – he would also have trouble with his bowel management, as the feeling of ‘needing to go’ was gone.
Meeting Peristeen for the first time
For the first few years of Quint’s life, he was wearing a diaper and bowel management was not an issue. But as Quint grew older, he needed a long-term solution and was thus introduced to Peristeen. Although Quint has been using Peristeen for 8 years now, the day of his first treatment will forever stand out in his parents' minds. “The doctors told us about the bowel problems, so we had to start a bowel management routine. For us as parents that was very intriguing. We had so many questions: "How are we going to plan and arrange? How will we do it in practice? And when? It took a lot of energy".
Despite his parent’s skepticism, Quint never really objected to Peristeen. The device worked for him, so there was no need to try anything else: “We focused on the positive aspects of the treatment. Quint was very comfortable with it, because he understood that with Peristeen, he would have more control and be clean for 24 hours. He understood that he would be able to go to school and do things without having to worry about accidents."
This has enabled Quint to live a normal life, where he can do what other kids do: “Quint loves football. He cannot play it himself, as he cannot run like other children. But he likes to watch it. He also likes to travel and explore new things. We love to go out and make some day trips like going to the zoo, or Disney World.”*
Managing a routine with a toddler
We all know that it can be difficult to make an energetic toddler sit still – even for just a few minutes. So how do you get your toddler to turn off their turbo jets during their entire Peristeen Plus treatment? Quint’s parents found different kinds of entertainment to keep Quint busy. “Quint sits still when watching television or movies. That puts him at ease. As he grew older, his interest in gaming started, so we bought him a handheld video game and later, he got his own tablet. Sometimes he also does his homework.”
Quint’s parents also gradually involved him in the process and gave him small tasks to help getting the Peristeen procedure going. “As he grew older, we tried to make Peristeen something fun that we do together. We involved him with small steps such as filling the water, putting the catheter on the device and so on. But every year is new for us. Soon he will reach puberty and be completely independent.”
Best advice for parents
It can be difficult to grasp how you should go about your child’s Peristeen Plus treatment – and there is no wrong or right. All children are different and finding a routine that works for you can often be done through trial and error. However, Quint’s parents explain what worked in their situation and offer their best advice for parents in a similar situation:
1. Tell your child what is going to happen and that it’s not going to hurt:
We always told Quint “Okay, now we're doing that and then we're doing that”, so he knew what to expect.
2. Ask questions, so you ensure a good, gentle routine:
"What do you feel? Does it hurt? Does anything feel inconvenient?"
3. Focus on the positive outcomes of the procedure:
It’s going to relieve accidents and help your child stay clean for a certain period of time.
4. Make your child feel at ease while performing their procedure.
Distract your child with a movie, homework, games or try to read a book.
5. Praise and encourage your child when the procedure is finished:
We often tell Quint “We're proud of you, and you did it!"
6. Use treats or rewards:
Give a reward, or make it a game - not too seriously, but something nice and fun. For example, make a list of things that make your child earn points that converts into a small gift.
Information from Coloplast® Care is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice and should not be interpreted to contain treatment recommendations. You should rely on the healthcare professional who knows your individual history for personal medical advice and diagnosis. Prior to use refer to product labeling for complete product instructions for use, contraindications, warnings and precautions.
Indication: The Peristeen® Plus Transanal Irrigation System is intended to instill water into the colon through a rectal catheter, which incorporates an inflatable balloon, inserted into the rectum to promote evacuation of the contents of the lower colon. The Peristeen Plus Transanal Irrigation System is indicated for use by children (2 years - <12 years old), adolescent (12 years - < 18 years old), transitional adolescent (18 - <21 years old) and adult patients with neurogenic bowel dysfunction who suffer from fecal incontinence, chronic constipation, and/or time-consuming bowel management procedures.
Contraindications: Peristeen Plus Transanal Irrigation must not be used in the following situations: known anal or colorectal stenosis, colorectal cancer (active/recurrent), radiotherapy to the pelvis, and recent abdomino-perineal surgery, active inflammatory bowel disease, acute diverticulitis, severe diverticulitis, previous diverticulitis and diverticular abscess, chronic symptomatic diverticular disease, within 3 months of abdominal, anal or colorectal surgery, within 4 weeks of endoscopic polypectomy, recent colonic biopsy, recent endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and recent endoscopic sub-mucosal dissection (ESD), severe autonomic dysreflexia, ischemic colitis, during Spinal Cord Shock Phase, complex diverticular disease, in patients who are pregnant and have not used the system before*. Since the list is not exhaustive, the healthcare professional should always consider individual patient factors as well. *If the patient is pregnant and has never used transanal irrigation before, they should not start the irrigation procedure during pregnancy.
Warnings: Peristeen Plus Transanal irrigation procedure should always be carried out with caution. Bowel perforation is an extremely rare, but serious and potentially lethal, complication to transanal irrigation and will require immediate admission to a hospital, often requiring surgery. See the device manual for complete user instructions, contraindications, warnings, precautions, and potential complications/adverse events. For further information, call Coloplast Corp at 1-855-605-7594 or consult the company website at www.coloplast.us. Caution: Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician.
*Coloplast has compensated these caregivers to share their product experience. Each person's situation is unique so your experience may not be the same. Talk to your healthcare provider about whether this product is right for you.
