Sounds like many of us have this problem.
If a ROCA system, I've just discovered that you press down one of the plungers to allow access to pull the other out.
You can then pull out the first plunger, allowing access to the retaining screw.
Yet to try this but this is on advice from many on http://www.doityourself.com/scat/articles
They also advise different washers for different water feeds - black if fed from a tank, red if fed from the mains.
Fellow sufferer
October 2008