Flushing

I instill 30cc's but do not draw back on the syringe. It usually comes back out, sometimes I have to move the cath in and out. If it does not come out I figure it will the next time. Sometimes the catheter will plug up with mucous and if I pull it out enough to drain what is in the catheter and put it back in it flushes out the mucous plug.

Ohhh....

Then disregard what I said. Pat's advice is the one to follow.
Hope all is working well now!

Mike

All my drains are out and I'm self-cathing.

Mike,

It may be my fault Linda wasn't more specific with her question; she and I talked on the phone yesterday and earlier today and I shared what input I could. I suggested she also put her concern out here on the forum to see if anyone else had any ideas I might not have mentioned; I failed to tell her to be specific in regard to her particular situation for her particular diversion. When we are new at this business and things aren't working out right, most of us tend to go into a mild panic and looking so anxiously for a solution, we aren't always thinking clearly enough to provide all the details.

Hopefully, dear Linda, you are feeling more at ease by the time you read this note and feel OK about going on your vacation. I so want you to have some R&R at the ocean before beginning your chemo. Please don't hesitate to contact me again via phone or email if you feel the need; otherwise, relax and trust you are making great strides in your recovery.
Hugs,

Linda,

I saw Pat's post about you having an Indiana. Then I went back to look at your posts to remind myself where you were in your recovery.

Pat's question is an important one. When you ask questions, it helps us to help get the right answer if you give us all of the relevant info.

As Pat says, if you are talking about flushing your Indiana Pouch with a catheter, that is WAY different than flushing a Foley catheter or suprapubic tube or a toilet.

It can kind of be like asking "How do I get off this ledge?". If we don't know the ledge is one foot up around the base of your house, we might give different advice than if the ledge was 4000 feet up the side of a cliff and you have nobody to belay you.

If we said "Take a step back" that would be the right answer for the one foot ledge but fatal for the other.

I mean this in the nicest way.
We don't want to have you trying to use a syringe to suck your stoma inside out or something.


Mike

PS: It's also why I put my assumption in my first response.

Just for all you guys...Pittprof has an Indiana.
Question...you are self cathing right now? No big drains still in......just want to clarify what you're trying to get the mucus out of. If you're self cathing do NOT try to use the syringe to suck the mucus out...only to put the saline in. The mucus will come out on its own when its ready. If nothing comes back out thats ok. If you're talking about the drain leading out of your abdomen and your stoma isn't healed yet and you're not self-cathing thats another ballgame...so clarify if you would. Thanks...Pat