I had my reconnection surgery about nine months ago, and I feel a million times better than before the first surgery, and much better than I felt while I had the ostomy. My only issue is cleaning up following a bowel movement. I use baby wipes that were recommended by other members of the group, but there seem to be small amounts of fecal matter that remain. I end up using wet Q-tips, a lot of them, to clean the areas I cannot get to with the baby wipes since they are so far in. Even this does not really remove everything very well, and what remains is very irritating to the skin. A bidet is not an option for me (and a person would not have access to one in a public restroom anyway). Any thoughts?
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Hello, MCH.
Maybe paper towels, the really soft, good quality ones, so that you can wet them with hot water in order to clean more thoroughly. Don't flush these because they could clog your plumbing if you send enough down the toilet; they don't break up the way thin toilet paper does. If a bidet is not an option for you, what about using a plastic, portable squirt bottle? They are called travel bidets, and approximately $15 U.S. on Amazon.com. You can put them in your bag and go anywhere. You can carry a small bottle of water and transfer the water into the bidet when you need to (the travel bidet has an air lock button that can leak a bit of water if you fill it and leave it in your bag, hence the suggestion of carrying a small, separate bottle to transfer when in a public cubicle.)
I have a bidet at home but looking into a travel one especially when away on vacation. Had severe butt burn when I went away for a few days the beginning of November. I couldn't wait to get home, used the bidet followed by sitzbath. No problems since! Also, I always apply Calmoseptine after each BM.