I'm a C5 quad, been using enemeez for seven or eight years. Cut my bowel program down to about 45 minutes, but it is still excruciatingly painful.
I'd like to give the peristeen system a try, but have a few concerns. Obvious is the cost/insurance coverage. Also, wonder how hard it will be for somebody else to safely insert the catheter while I'm sitting on a bedside commode/shower chair. I think I read somewhere that a short training session would be needed to be carried out by somebody who had experience with the device. I live in a small town, because it is new on the market, I doubt that there is anybody in my area with the necessary experience. Would greatly appreciate if anybody knows of a C5 quad or higher that has experience with the device and can tell me how hard it is for somebody else to insert the catheter. On Mon, Jul 28, 2014 at 9:42 AM, Bob Vogel <rhvsh...@mac.com> wrote: > Hi Meredith and everybody, > > To answer your question "Will Peresteen work laying on my side?" Great > question! The ansere > is, Yes! Peristeen will work if you do your bowel program (BP) laying on > your side! > > In a perfect world it is better to do a bowel program works better when > you are upright for two reasons. > 1, When you are in an upright position, gravity helps in emptying. > 2 It is easier when the contents of the BP fall directly into the toilet. > > However I understand that in the real world doing a BP in an upright > position isn't possible for a variety of > reasons. I had my BP done on my side (by a nurse or aid) for the first 1 > 1/2 months when I > was first injured. And for for several periods of time, years after my SCI > I had other injuries or surgeries > and had to do my BP on my side because I couldn't sit upright. > > The challenge in doing a BP with the Peristeen system laying on your side > is you will need to collect have > enough pads, chucks, or other collection system to collect an extra 500cc > to 700cc of liquid (500cc equals > two measuring cups, 700cc equals 2.8) along with the regular amount of > stool that comes out. > > In my "survey of one", if I had another injury or medical situation that > prevented me from sitting upright and I > had to do my BP laying on my side (fingers crossed and *knocking wood* > this doesn't happen) I would still use > Peristeen laying on my side. > > Hope this answers your question. > > All the best! > Bob V > > On Jul 28, 2014, at 8:03 AM, jume9...@comcast.net wrote: > > Thank you so much for completely answering my questions. I guess it won't > work lying on your side as most quads do. Oh well, glad that you are > feeling as good as one can paralyzed. Thanks again. > > Meredith > > ------------------------------ > *From: *cviewe...@aol.com > *To: *rhvsh...@mac.com, jume9...@comcast.net > *Cc: *"quad-list" <quad-list@eskimo.com> > *Sent: *Monday, July 28, 2014 7:34:17 AM > *Subject: *Re: [QUAD-L] Peristeen > > Bob, How often do you use Peristeen? > > In a message dated 7/27/2014 10:04:11 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > rhvsh...@mac.com writes: > > Hi Meredith, > > Here is an article I wrote for New Mobility magazine about the Peristeen > system. > http://www.newmobility.com/2014/04/peristeen-for-bowel-management/ > > As a "survey of one", I've been using Peristeen since November 2013. As > far as the A.D. issue, I'm a T10 para > so I'm just below the cutoff for A.D., but it is a very good question and > one I would discuss with your doctor. > > The way you go about getting it is to either ask your doctor and/or nurse > practicioner about it or write an email > to the folks at Peristeen, made by Coloplast: us-perist...@coloplast.com > Or call Rita Ward at Coloplast at: > (612) 337-7856 > > The entire system is small and fits into a bag the size of shaving kit > and/or small woman's purse. I travel with my > Peristeen system, it fits easily into my suitcase and/or carry on bag on a > plane. > > It is designed to be used while sitting upright--on the toilet. I use the > system while sitting on a standard commode. > I have full use of my hands and arms--I find it very easy to use. Setting > up the system from the box takes about a > minute. It takes about another minute and a half to fill up the water bag > with tap water, attach the rectal catheter. > The next step is inserting the catheter, filling up the catheter balloon > and adding water to the colon via squeezing > a a rubber hand pump. On average the entire process--filling the water > bag with water through pumping water into > the colon (bowel)--takes me about 4-5 minutes. Once water is in the > colon, the catheter is removed and it is a matter of > sitting and waiting--I find it a good time to catch up on reading or > listening to my favorite podcasts. Time to empty > the colon (bowel) varies from about 20 minutes to 40 minutes. For me it > takes 30 minutes, like clockwork. Everybody > is different, for some reason I find I empty in three "waves" about > 10-minutes apart. It still amazes me how much > comes out--at least 3-4 times more than I've ever managed to empty with > "digital stim", suppositories, or using > standard enemas. > > Again in my "survey of one" I give the system a 10. Since starting using > Peristeen in November I have had zero > accidents and (despite risking Murphy's law) for the first time since I > was injured 29 1/2 years ago, I don't think or > worry about bowel accidents. I also feel much better. As I wrote earlier > today, I recently had my yearly KUB > (kidney, ureter, bowel) X-ray to check for kidney stones. Over the past > decade or so these X-rays always included > a statement by the radiologist that said something like "difficult to see > because of stool", meaning I was full of > s#%t. My urology nurse practicioner showed me my current X-ray and > compared it to a previous X-ray and said > "you can see that you have much less stool in this X-ray". In my old > X-rays it was easy to see that my entire colon > (bowel) was full, even though I had done a bowel program the morning of > the X-ray. In the current X-ray it is easy to > see that the 2nd half of my bowel (1/2 of my transverse colon and my > entire descending colon=2 1/2 feet of colon) is > empty. > > Probably way more than you wanted to know but really important to me. > > Bob V > > On Jul 27, 2014, at 12:02 PM, jume9...@comcast.net wrote: > > How do you go about getting the Peristeen? Do you have to sit on a toilet > to use it? How difficult is it? I had another evacuation machine (P.I.E.) a > while back that was just huge and difficult. It also caused me to have A.D. > I have seen the video but I would love some personal reviews. > > Meredith > > > > ------------------------------ > *From: *"Bob Vogel" <rhvsh...@mac.com> > *To: *"Bill Lang" <blan...@verizon.net> > *Cc: *"quad-list" <quad-list@eskimo.com> > *Sent: *Saturday, July 26, 2014 12:43:54 PM > *Subject: *Re: [QUAD-L] Peristeen > > Hi Bill, > > Thanks for the kudos. I've been using the Peristeen system since November > 2013. It has changed > my life! No more accidents, plus I feel much better. I had an KUB > (checking for stones in kidney, > ureters, & bladder) X-ray and my Dr. compared it to my previous ones--in > every previous X-ray there > was a notation "much of area is occluded by stool". In this X-ray the > entire 2nd half of my large investing > (bowel) was empty. Before Peristeen I was literally "full of s#%t". > > Bob V > > On Jul 26, 2014, at 12:10 PM, Bill Lang wrote: > > > Thank you Bob. > > Great article. > > > > I am waiting on CPC codes for Medicare. Should be coming soon. I am > expecting to do training within 3 weeks. > > > > Sent from my iPad > > > >> On Jul 25, 2014, at 13:32, Bob Vogel <rhvsh...@mac.com> wrote: > >> > >> Hi Billy, > >> > >> Here is an column I wrote about it in New Mobility in April. > >> > >> http://www.newmobility.com/2014/04/peristeen-for-bowel-management/ > >> > >> Bob V > >> > >>> On Jul 25, 2014, at 9:19 AM, Bill Lang wrote: > >>> > >>> Guys, > >>> > >>> Has anyone used this Bowel Irrigation system? > >>> I am awaiting trial kickoff to begin and could use input. > >>> > >>> > http://www.coloplast.co.uk/Peristeen-Anal-Irrigation-System-en-gb.aspx#section=videos-and-animations_100 > >>> > >>> Billy Lang > >>> > >>> Sent from my iPad > >> > > > > = > > > >
