
• Bowel obstruction
• Double Barrel Jejunostomy
• Life long user of The Insides System
At the end of November 2019, I was operated on for a bowel obstruction at the hospital in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland by Dr. A. Paroz, a specialist in abdominal surgery. During this operation, the surgeon removed 50 cm of intestine and installed a two-port ileostomy. I went home after 6 weeks in hospital.
For the first two months after my return, I received 1,000 ml of NaCl/24 hours to compensate for the fluid loss through the pouch. Then, as I had lost 12kg and was unable to regain weight, I was prescribed 1,000ml of parenteral nutrition per 24 hours. This meant that I was tied to my food bag from 6pm until 8am the next morning, which deprived me of any social activity. In addition, I had very little appetite and no energy.
I was hospitalised again at the beginning of July 2020 because of dehydration due to the very high flow rate of the bag (3 litres and more / 24 hours). It was at this point that Aude-Aline Gallandat, a stomatologist nurse who had been following me since my operation, suggested the chyme re-instillation system in which she was interested. Doctor Paroz, also interested in the improvements that this new system promised, having given his agreement, I immediately accepted. I was aware that, if everything worked as described, my quality of life would be greatly improved.
The system was set up in mid-August. It took a few days for everything to work properly as no one knew about the new system. I had to learn how to reinstill correctly myself, which was completely new to me. I was able to go home after 7 weeks in hospital, 12 days after the system was put in place.
The return home went well. Aude-Aline Gallandat trained about ten nurses in ostomy care and the reinstillation system. Since then, I have received basic stoma care every morning. The catheter is changed once a month by the stoma therapist.
Personally, it took me about two weeks to gain confidence and become fully familiar with the new system, but I managed to do it and I take care of everything myself during the day and night, apart from a few rare accidents. This requires availability, attention and a certain dexterity. I now know how to monitor the quality of the chyme:it is important to liquefy a thick chyme a little so that it passes easily through the pump. And if the chyme contains lumps, I evacuate them so that they don’t block the pump. I reinstill 6 to 8 times during the day and 3 to 4 times during the night for a total reinstilled of about 2 1/2 litres per 24 hours.
My quality of life since I started using the chyme reinstillation system has improved significantly. I am no longer at risk of dehydration, my blood values, checked twice a month, are good, I have regained 7 of the 12 kilos I had lost. No liver or kidney complications have arisen. As I don’t smoke, no problem on that side either! I have regained my energy and my appetite. I am enjoying my daily walks again, which help to keep me fit. I have been vaccinated and I am enjoying having my children and grandchildren at home again - in small groups - and cooking a good meal for them.
I am extremely grateful to have been put on this system which has enabled me to return to a life close to normal. A warm THANK YOU and congratulations to the brilliant inventors.
My name is Denise Piguet, I was born on August 28, 1933 and I live in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland. After an intestinal operation in 2019 I had a double-barrel ileostomy created. Madame Aude-Aline Galandat, a stoma care nurse at the Hospitals of Nord-Vaudois, installed, in August 2020, the chyme reinfusion system for my intestines. I already testified in March 2021 about the first months of this experience; I use that term deliberately because in 2020 nobody — neither the surgeon nor the stoma care nurse, and certainly not me — knew about this system!
I was asked to testify again about my condition and my assessment of the system after five and a half years of use.
This system is now part of my life and I have adapted to it perfectly. I have learned to perform most of the necessary manipulations myself, even though I appreciate the daily visit of a professional to provide the care I need. Six mornings a week I receive appropriate care and help with my shower, and that gives me security.
The schedule of these cares is now well established: on Mondays and Fridays the whole system is changed — the ring, the base, the pump and the bag — and the stoma and skin are thoroughly cleaned, while any skin redness is soothed with the appropriate medications. I cannot do this myself under any circumstances. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays a simple bag change and a pump cleaning suffice. On Sundays I take care of the stoma myself.
Occasionally one or another part of the equipment is defective, and intervention is then required to avoid very unpleasant leakage! In general, I take the necessary steps myself while waiting for the next visit of a professional. Every four weeks, Madame Galandat comes to change the tube and check that everything is going well.
I can only repeat what I said a few years ago: I am very grateful to have benefited from this system, I have adapted to it perfectly, and I appreciate it greatly because it allows me to lead an active and pleasant life.
Yverdon-les-Bains, March 22, 2026.