Ongoing bowel management
Early bowel management
A regular bowel routine can help reduce neurogenic related pain. A healthy bowel routine can prevent damage to the colorectal structures including haemorrhoids, anal fissure, rectal prolapse and/or the development of megacolon.
To help understand where to start when trying to make improvements to a bowel routine, bowel management has been broken in to 5 categories that need to be working well together to put the person back on the “Right” path.
Neurogenic Bowel Intervention Progression
Diet, fluids, positioning
Additional oral supplements to help form and stimulate the progression of stool along the bowel
Manual (digital) or chemical (enema, suppository)
Balloon or cone, low or high delivery systems
E.g. Antegrade colonic irrigation
Ongoing use of ostomy bag
Good bowel routines
A good bowel routine combines both predictable emptying and effective emptying. A routine should factor in the following 5 considerations.
The 5 rights of bowel management
Work through the 5 rights to help establish a good bowel routine.