Butt plug???

[newbee]

So I read in a previous thread that someone was having frequent bowel accidents. My husband is having the same issue and it is going to kill him.
Is there really such thing as a butt plug, how and do they work????

[SCI-Nurse]

What is his current bowel program?

Diet? Fluids?
Medications (all)
Timing of bowel care, and frequency?
Techniques used?
Equipment used?

Has he downloaded and read this entire booklet?

http://www.pva.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8095

Has he discussed his bowel program problems with his physiatrist? With an advanced practice rehabilitation nurse?

There are plugs available, but they are primarily used by people with peripheral nerve damage who have a flaccid anal sphincter. At T4, I would expect that this is not the case for him. They can also cause serious skin and mucosal breakdown if used in insensate areas, and with long sitting, and can cause pretty significant autonomic dysreflexia (AD). It would be better to try to get onto a better bowel program, or if all else has failed, consider an elective colostomy.

(KLD)

[thehipcrip]

Info about Anal Plugs for Incontinence

Coloplast Anal Plugs

Abstract: Anal plug for faecal incontinence

[NorthQuad]

I don't think you'll find many if any of us using this. It would probably lead to more pie filled pants. And a torn butthole. I'm fairly certain that with a proper bowel routine he can get the accidents under control.

[newbee]

Help!

He does his bowel program every morning. When he gets up he eats high fiber cereal or high fiber oatmeal and drinks a cup of hot tea. Then he gets on the comode and uses a mini ememies. If nothing happens he does dig stim every 15 to 20 min till he is confident there is nothing there (30 min to 1 -2 hrs.
He eats almost the same thing every day. For lunch he eats a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese or ham, an apple, snacks on almonds and crasins, drinks a muscle milk (protien drink) and a gatoraid 20 oz throughout the day. He drinks around 40 oz of water a day.
For dinner it is lite. Maybe some chicken and rice, burrito, lean cusine etc.
Over the last month he hasnt been eating much because he figures if its not going in then it wont come out (also not working).
His medications are Lyrica, celebrex, vit c, probiotic VSL packet, synthroid, detrol multi vit, baclofen, tramadol, simvastatin, fish oil, fiber con, metamusil.
We have been over this with his doctor often. He went to a gastroenterologist and we have discussed the problem with anyone who will listen in hope of help!
Everything we read says if you do the program is will work. In a year and a half it hasnt worked and he has tried everything. He is very compliant and diligent with his program.
I am very worried about him! He does NOT want a colostomy.
Please help!

[newbee]

Also he will go and have results for 4 to 5 days and then nothing or a huge bowel accident for no reason.

[mr_coffee]

I was attracted to the title of this thread.
I agree with North Quad, Anal plugs just sounds bad, just saying the word makes me chringe

newbee,

The thing is, he is using mini ememies. This is the cause of it I believe. If you use those, and they dont' work, thats trouble and there is a good chance you will shit yourself if they are unsucessful because that liquid, well its up there and its going to come down somtime or another and when it does, there isn't anything stopping it but your pants.

When I first was hurt, the doctors told me to use these and they were horrid. I would have huge issues. As soon as I got off all my pills and stopped using those enemas (they had me on like 5 different kinds of shitting pills) and it made things worse. I got off all of them, and just did it the old fashion way and I'm fine now except for when I was getting use to 4-AP (thats another story all together).

Everyone is different though but now I just eat yogurt (activia) and It keeps me regular and I drink a ton of water, coffee, tea. I also don't recommend stopping everyhting cold turkey that would be bad but see if he can ween off some of his pills or keep his pills and get rid of the liquid he injects up there.

It sounds like he is over medicated, the metamusil will make him shit, fish oil will, not sure what the other pills are exactly.

[jody]

I have heard others say just about what Mr coffee says. the activia works ok.

[NorthQuad]

Here's a post I made a while ago about how I make poopoo.

Seriously though, we all make brown. It's cool.

How I make Brown

[newbee]

Dave your very funny and poetic. You make reading about this crap easier.

[Ben Rolfe]

He needs to double, if not triple, his water intake. At least 100 oz./day. You can't poop without water.

[thehipcrip]

Mr. Coffee is on to something, newbee. Those mini-enemas are just too powerful for some folks' GI tracts (she said, speaking from some bad personal experience). A mini-enema combined with a high fiber diet, fiber con AND Metamucil is a pretty potent mix.

First thing I'd try is substituting a suppository like the Magic Bullet for the mini-enema. If he still has problems with accidents, go to 1/2 a MB. If there's still an issue, try adding a stool softener but going with dig stim only, no suppository. The thing is to not change more than one factor at a time so you know what is responsible for any changes that occur.

And I agree that he needs to take in more water, at least 2-3 litres per day. It may not do anything for his bowel problems, but it will benefit his urinary tract and skin.

[Van Quad]

Daily routine shouldn't need a mini enema. Especially with that much fibre! I go daily and never have a problem.

So save the butt plug for the Sexuality and Relationships forum. It could use the excitement. So could North Quad!

[newbee]

I know he would be worried about increasing his water intake. He has bladder accidents too. He does intermittent cathing through out the day, every 4 to 6 hours ish and only getting out 50 to 100cc. Then at night he has to have an indwelling cath because he dumps around 1500 to 2000. He avoids caffine and alcoholic beverages. Everything is a friggin mess!

[brucec]

I know he would be worried about increasing his water intake. He has bladder accidents too. He does intermittent cathing through out the day, every 4 to 6 hours ish and only getting out 50 to 100cc. Then at night he has to have an indwelling cath because he dumps around 1500 to 2000. He avoids caffine and alcoholic beverages. Everything is a friggin mess!

Sounds like me, i barely piss during the day and flood the place during the night when I'm laying down, but i'm the opposite, i drink nothing but pepsi's all day