Keeping a bowel diary
Morning or afternoon? How much water is optimal? Making gradual adjustments – and making a note of them in this diary – is the key to success.
Keeping a bowel diary can be a great way to record your bowel movements and build a personalized routine. Only make one change at a time and watch for changes in your irrigations. Track your progress over the next few months, and you will start seeing a pattern of what works best for you and what doesn’t. Show your diary to your healthcare provider to discuss your progress.
Track your variables over the next few months
Make an entry in the diary each time you empty your bowels. Noting your observations, such as stool consistency and amount, when you irrigate and how much water you use, as well as any medications you have taken, is key to success. Recording different variables of your routine will help you see a pattern of what works for you and what doesn’t. This way you can track your progress with Peristeen® Plus and make gradual adjustments to your routine if necessary.
You can also use your diary for a better discussion with your healthcare professional. Remember to never make any changes to your routine without consulting with your doctor first.
Understanding your stool type
What should my stool look like? It's helpful to make note of the shape and consistency of your stool. This is important to see how things are improving. Find the number that resembles your bowel movements in the Bristol Scale most closely and make a note of it in your diary each time you have a bowel movement. It will be a good for your doctor's appointment.
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.
