# Updates from the Last Hospital Vist



## Pinskers (May 16, 2013)

Hi all,

I just wanted to give you a brief update from my last issues of posting here.

For those of you just tuning in, I'm Pinskers, and I post here and there about the usual "is this normal?" IBS-C worries.

In the beginning of April, I began to have pain around the area of my appendix, complete with a very visible and very tender "lump" somewhere in the vicinity of the bottom of my right colon. Woken up from the pain, I made the trip to the ER, where a CT scan showed a normal colon and appendix, and was then given Cipro for a supposed kidney infection.

Things went downhill from there.

Three days later, I was extremely bloated and in a lot of pain-constant nausea. My parents brought me back home and my GP gave me Levsin and switched me to Keflex. But the pain didn't go away, even with probiotics.

I stopped eating or drinking, and wound up in the ER for dehydration. Three bolus bags, a GI cocktail, and 32 oz. of contrast later, the ER doctor informed me that if I had a kidney infection, it was gone, and I no longer had to take the antibiotics. However, my entire colon was inflamed from what he suspected would be, in the correct clinical setting, ulcerative colitis or Crohn's Disease. I was then given hydrocodine, zofran, and a medrol pack, and was told to follow up with the GI.

Halfway through the medrol pack, I dehydrated again. I was in desperate need of an ER again, but my parents refused to take me until I saw the GI. At this point, I had no saliva or tears, and passed out in the waiting room of the GI office.

I was admitted.

I was given an endoscopy and sigmoidoscopy, both of which saw no inflammation (they took biopsies and ran blood tests, but no one told me the results), and was left on a morphine drip for three more days. My blood sugar dropped to 42 and was then given a dextrose/saline solution for the remainder of my stay. I was told, "I would eat when I was hungry" and that "because I could swallow my spit, I was fine." After my parents read my doctor the riot act, they ran a gastric emptying scan.

I was told I had gastroparesis.

I went into the hospital 118 pounds, and left 107.

I was left in a depression for weeks and put on Reglan, which gave me temporary tardive dyskinesia, and gave me terror attacks where I thought I was going to die or hurt myself. I was passed off to a new GI, who ran another emptying scan, which came back just shy of normal.

I was told I no longer had gastroparesis and that I just had a severe IBS attack.

Since then, I can eat and drink, but the pain is back in the right side of my colon, right underneath my sternum, and around my belly button. I cannot go without laxatives anymore, and when I use them, I am usually in pain and never feel empty (and Dulcolax normally lets me feel empty). Levsin only works occasionally, and when I do pass a movement, it is usually explosive gas and very thin stool. I have very dark stool and I just got over a two month bout of mouth ulcers. My GI doc is currently turning me over to the specialist at the local teaching hospital (Medical College of Virginia).

I'm doing low FODMAP right now, taking in as much fluids as I can, and I see the specialist Tuesday (my parents arrange the appointment while I was lying in bed in the hospital in April). He's an IBD specialist, but I hope he can help me. I'm on Phenergan, Levsin, Xanax, Zoloft, and Dulcolax when I need it (which is about every three days now).

To any of you who have had appointments at teaching hospitals, did they run any differently than your normal GI appointment?

I'll be sure to report back when it's finished!


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## Nuffa (Sep 12, 2014)

glad u gave us an update. thanks


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

so sorry for all your problems, Pinksters!

that's good you are seeing a specialist. you will be in good hands.

not sure exactly what you mean by your question, but i've had appointments with a university hospital gastroenterologist. the appointement ran no differently from my regular gastro doc's appointment. it was just at the hospital (parking was a real drag lol) not the gastro clinic.

keeping you in my prayers. please keep us updated when you can. thanks.


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## Pinskers (May 16, 2013)

So I saw the specialist today. CT scans didn't arrive to the office in time, and so he's working with an incomplete puzzle. Doctor suspects IBS + something else, but he's not sure what. He's looking for structural abnormalities in particular (stricture, small twist, etc.). He doesn't put much stock in the gastric emptying studies I've had done.

I got blood tests done for micronutrients, minerals, Vitamin D, B12, inflammatory markers, and celiac's disease. He palpated my abdomen and found the hot spot real fast. Apparently I made enough of a face because he told me I looked like I was about to backhand him when he poked at it.









I have a follow up in two months, but I felt so bad-one girl in the waiting room was running to the bathroom to vomit. She looked so ill. 

Either way, he definitely thinks there's something underlying going on, but he's not sure what at the moment. He needs more puzzle pieces, and wants to see all the scans before putting me under more tests that require radioactivity.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thanks for the update. so sorry the CT scans didn't make it over in time --how frustrating. sounds like your doctor is being very thorough--that's good. and sounds like he's determined to get this figured out, so that's good, too. just hope all the puzzle pieces show up for him soon....

take care...keeping you in my prayers


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## Pinskers (May 16, 2013)

So all the blood work came back normal. I'm still not convinced I don't have some autoimmune condition going on as I still get mouth ulcers before getting thrown into pain and a flare. I'm not sure what my next steps are until I get back. No new notes on what they've seen in the CT scans.

I've had a couple of good days with complete bowel movements, but I have to be really on point with my diet. No gluten, milk (except hard cheese), or chocolate.

Most of you know I swear by Dulcolax, and I usually take 10mg. However, since getting out of the hospital, it causes some weird irritation of my vagus nerve to the point where I feel nauseated. Do any of you have any success with just 5mg (1 pill)?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

i never had any luck with just 5 mg dulcolax but that's me. we're all so different in how we react to meds. the only way to find out is to give it a try. 5 mg might very well work for you.

sometimes, taking an osmotic laxative like miralax--even just a half dose--along with a stimulant laxative will help the stimulant work better. or maybe even a stool softener like colace will help. that way you have something to soften stools and something to push them out. one thing to remember though--if you take milk of magnesia and dulcolax, be sure and take them an hour apart. otherwise this particular combo can cause cramping.

good luck with everything.


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## Pinskers (May 16, 2013)

As it was, I'm doing a bit better. Still have to drink lots of water to keep everything soft. I think my intestines are super absorbent, haha.

That being said, I got my bloodwork back-really low ImmunoA, Quant (not sure what that is, exactly, Google's not helping), high folate and B12 (multivitamin usage), and positive for one of the two markers of Celiac's, but the attending who did my bloodwork says everything looks normal, and he doesn't suspect Celiac's. My final consultation report is pending of the 28th. This is my first time really sticking to FODMAP and abiding by it, and I will say no milk (other than hard cheeses), chocolate, tomatoes, and gluten really has taken the pain down. I'm eating less vegetables and rooty starches in general (sadness), and that seems to help some with the bloating. The jury's still out for debate on the constipation. I still get some reflux when I lie down for the night.

So probably low on the update front outside of the next couple milestones (full final write up, and Sep. followup visit-I have an MRI of my brain next week to check for a couple things that may be causing my migraines), but I'm studying for my CAPM exam, and hoping I can keep my stress low and stay healthy!


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thanks for the update. that's good your doctor is being really thorough with all the testing. and it's good that you're getting some relief from your new diet.

about reflux at night when lying down...maybe you've already tried this but sleeping with your head elevated on pillows or a special wedge or rising up the front of the bed (putting the front bed frame legs on something like a board --a short 2 x 4 or a brick) can help with that. also not eating within an hour or so of lying down.... i have reflux....

good luck with your upcoming MRI and also with your exam! take care...


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## Pinskers (May 16, 2013)

August 1, 2015: Final report came back for the consultation; was just an overview of my biopsy slides from my sigmoidoscopy and 2nd endoscopy-all normal. Pathology for the second CAT scan should be ready by August 6, and they're still waiting for the one I had in the ER at INOVA Fairfax. Still having that sharp pain in my LRQT, particularly on days where I need to defecate. I'll know I'll have some kind of BM that day when I'm feeling the pain, haha.

Currently rocking 25mg of Phenergan, 0.125mg of Hyoscyamine (when the spasms get bad), and 0.25mg of Xanax (2-3 per week, I'm trying to taper, but it's tough going). I'm trying to start back on my 75mg of Zoloft, but I'm horribly forgetful with it, and my uni GI and genral neuro would like to see me off SSRIs and onto a different antidepressant that could help my migraines and GI issues. I started taking Align again, and that definitely helps with the BMs some, but then the LRQT pain ramps up again, and I'm not sure why.

Gained a couple pounds too, sitting nicely at 115-116, and hoping to get back into the gym soon since my weight is back in the normal range. I've added gluten back in minimal amounts (one serving per day) and seem to be doing okay with it.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thanks for the update. that's good your biopsy slides were all normal. good luck on the CAT scans results.

sorry about the LRQT pain. does an antispasmodic help at all? or maybe it isn't spasms... hope you can get some relief from that. what do your docs say about it.

and that's great you gained some weight--good for you-- and can get back to the gym now.


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## Pinskers (May 16, 2013)

So the CT scan from the INOVA hospital came through, still waiting on the one from Chippenham with the inflammation that was seen in the ER. In the INOVA scan, it showed:


tiny ovarian cysts
benign cysts in the kidney
a tiny fat-containing umbilical hernia

Should I be concerned about this hernia, even though it is small and fat containing? I'll keep you updated when the Chippenham CT comes in because that's the one I really need.

Definitely more vigilant on my Zoloft. I don't know about anyone else, but anxiety and panic attacks make me horribly nauseous, so I'm trying to prevent them if at all possible. Still no exercise on my end. I visited my parents yesterday, did a weigh-in, and turns out I lost 2-3 pounds. I'm 115 now with clothes mid-day. :/ Food is difficult.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

hi pinskers

thanks for the update. hope the cysts aren't giving you any pain or problems--or the hernia, either. i have ovarian cysts...

i don't know that much about the different types of hernias but at least yours is small and fat-containing as opposed to ones involving the intestine. what does your doctor say about the hernia. hopefully it's not causing you any pain.

and so sorry about the weight loss...hope you can gain it back..


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## Pinskers (May 16, 2013)

Saw the GI nurse Monday.

Couple things of note:


She said not to worry about the tiny fat-containing hernia; so long as I don't strain, it shouldn't get worse.
They never did receive the ER CT scans for Bon Secours where they saw the inflammation-I was very sad these didn't get looked at.

She believes the issue is definitely constipation (no kidding!), and recommended that I get off the Dulcolax and switch to Senna because it is more natural and didn't seem horribly concerned that Senna could stain your intestines. I'm not so eager to make the switch because I remember Smooth Move and ExLax lost their effectiveness sometime shortly after mid-senior year of college. I have had to switch from the Woman's Dulcolax (the pink ones) back to the orange ones to get things going (not sure if there's an actual difference other than the color, however). I am now 112 lbs.

She recommended this:


*Large volume soap and water enema once every three days. * I'll be honest, the Fleet enemas don't do anything for me other than make me curse because I don't like them, and I'm not sure how the large volume enemas work. I was given a kit, but haven't used it yet.
*Colace or Miralax*-I've mentioned my issues with not being able to expel the Miralax to her, but they were kinda brushed off; and Colace does nothing.








*Water*-I'll be honest, I DO need more of this, but it's a bit difficult.
*Fiber supplements*-like Citrucel or the fiber gummies; the latter used to work for me, but they stopped working about a month in.

So I'm kind of lost on what to do now. I did ask about PFD, and she mentioned that they do have a physical therapist there to help retrain the muscles since they have gotten so used to straining; but hasn't pursed that as an option yet. It seems she wants to "clear" me first before adding more oral medications, but not sure how effective this will be.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thanks for the update.

your doc is right about the colon staining (melanosis) being not a big deal. it used to be thought that it was but now they are saying it isn't. that's what i've read--studies etc-- and what my gastros told me. although one of my gastros told me just the opposite of yours--he preferred I take dulcolax over senna. he thought dulcolax was gentler-which was ok by me since senna never worked as well for me as dulcolax did.

for me, milk of magnesia always worked better than miralax--it packed more of a punch.

hope your doc pursues the PT and biofeedback program. it can be very helpful in teaching you to identify and relax and coordinate those pelvic floor muscles.

I've heard there are some good U-Tube enema videos..... the large volume enemas are a lot more effective than the little fleets. just make sure to hang the bottle up high enough. I used to hang mine with a cord wrapped around the shower head in the bathtub. i think there is a recommended height but i can't remember just what it is. instructions come with the enema kit. you can regulate the water flow with the little clamp thingie they give you with it.

doing a cleanout of some sort can be a good idea before starting in with the oral meds, laxatives, whatever.

good luck with everything..


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## Pinskers (May 16, 2013)

Hi Annie!

I wanted to ask you a quick question regarding the large volume enema (I'm trying it Saturday at my parents' [both doctors] because I'm scared to try it the first time by myself). Do you recommend I do a laxative clean out first to relieve some of the pressure (and sometimes nausea) first and then continue with the enema or just go for it? I know it is recommended to do it on an empty stomach. How long does it take to work, usually, and how long should I hold it in?

I do think my issue is PFD since when using the laxatives, I can definitely see what I had the day before (though I will admit, 10mg of dulcolax seems to not do anything anymore, and I'm scared to try 15mg since I remember it being a bit painful); and I think the nurse wants me doing regular laxatives to "retrain" me how to go before putting me through physical therapy. What is the normal success rate for bowel retraining? Why do they decide to just stop working in the first place?

I'm picking up Smooth Move tonight to try and supplement with some softeners (I think if I combine it with the Miralax, I may have more luck), and pray for the best until Saturday.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

gee i don't really what to recommended about taking a laxative first before the enema. you could if you wanted to. can't hurt--especially if you are really backed up.

i imagine how long the enema takes to work would vary with each person. and it would depend on just how backed up you are and how hard the stool is that is inside you. if there's a lot of hard stool in there, it could take a little while for the enema to soften it up and move it out, i would think.

in my experience, the big enema would work pretty much right away but not all the water etc would come out at first. then, about 30-45 minutes later, more would come out. they worked well for me for quite a while but then it got so i just could not get all of the water out...but that's me.

i can't remember exactly what the success rate is for biofeedback for pfd--if that's the kind of bowel retraining you're referring to. i think i remember reading some studies that said 75% success rate.

there can be a number of reasons why our bowels stop working. depends on the problem--if they're not working due to slow transit or colonic inertia or not working due to pelvic floor problems. often pfd sort of gradually sets in after one deals with chronic constipation for a while and you just start straining to go instead of doing it naturally and you sort of forget how to use your pelvic floor muscles properly (if that makes sense)

here are some pretty good links about pfd etc if you haven't already seen them:

https://www.fascrs.org/patients/disease-condition/pelvic-floor-dysfunction-expanded-version

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases_conditions/hic_pelvic_floor_dysfunction

yes, adding miralax to the smooth move should help. for me, combining an osmotic laxative with a stimulant worked much better than either two alone.

good luck with everything and hope saturday goes well.


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## Sean (Feb 8, 1999)

Pinskers,

I have had to do a few of the large volume enemas over the years. It is nothing to be afraid of. You can easily do it by yourself. I have never tried to take a laxative beforehand to partially clear myself out. I have just gone for the enema. If you do it properly, it will clean you out better than a laxative anyway, especially if you add the contents of the soap package to the water. The key to success is volume. The more you can take, the deeper into the colon that it will go. If you can, take the whole bag, which I seem to recall was about 1.5 liters. At a minimum, try to get a liter of fluid in.

The instructions tell you to lay on your side like for a Fleet. I think you can also lay on your back. I would just do whatever your doctor told you about positioning. The bag should be hung about 2-3 feet above you as you are laying down. If it is hung too low, the water won't go into your colon. If it is too high, the pressure and flow rate of the water will be too high and will give you bad cramps.

The large volume enemas work almost immediately. Try to hold it in for 5 to 10 minutes if you can before evacuating. That may be difficult because the soap acts as an irritant to the lining of the colon. You may not be able to keep the water in for more than a couple of minutes. That is OK. When it wants to come out, it is going to come out. It usually takes me 25 to 30 minutes to get rid of everything on the toilet. It tends to come back out in waves. You can get up between waves, but stay very close to the toilet. I usually take something to read and just stay seated until I am sure that everything has come back out.

I hope this helps.


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## Pinskers (May 16, 2013)

Hi all,

So I tried the enema this morning and it definitely wasn't something to be scared of. I got a liter of fluid in (and hopefully out), but...I'm not sure the results were worth shouting about. I DID use a laxative the morning before and got a lot of thinner, snake-like stool with ragged edges (probably from lots of bowel spasm) and then did the enema this morning.

No cramping at all, but I don't think I waited the full five minutes to get it in. What came out was first clear water, than lighter brown, than a very bright brown-almost orange-with a couple solid pieces, but nothing really what I was hoping for. Are the large volume enemas more like mag citrate where everything is just liquified as it is washed out? It took maybe 10-15 minutes for me to empty the liter so I'm unsure if I did it right. The tube had no issues going in though, so I know my rectum was clear.

Would I do it again? I'm not sure. I'd have to see how I feel over the next couple of days and check in with the nurse because I'm fairly underwhelmed with the results.

I will to say the urge to go lessened the more I took in, which is a little bit frightening-it's almost as if those nerves don't work quite right...


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

Hi--i was thinking of you and wondering how it was going..

i'm not much of an enema expert so hopefully Sean will weigh in here--he knows a lot more about it than i do.

but anyway...maybe the reason why not as much came out as expected with the enema was because of the laxative you took earlier and that got a lot of it out first?? i would imagine the amount and how liquidy it is depends on how much was in there to begin with and how hard it was.

when i used enemas, it was as a back up when my laxative hadn't worked so well and i still felt really backed up. and then my experience was similar to yours--clear water came out first, followed by liquidy stuff that progressively got lighter and lighter in color.

when i developed that obstruction due to my sitz marker test, i used an enema to clean out and then my results were quite different than usual because i was hugely backed up with five days worth of poop in me (ugh). i had lots of stool come out right away--plus more and then more about 45 minutes later.

and yes, it always took me about 10 minutes to empty the enema bag...maybe less...

i'm glad it wasn't painful for you or anything like that but sorry to hear it was so underwhelming. would have been nice to have found a magic bullet.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

just had a thought--did you do the soap suds enema or just a plain water one? if just plain water, maybe soap suds would be better--i've read they are supposed to be more effective.

some people i know say the milk and molasses enema works best for them. and then there are the people who like the coffee enemas but i'm not sure how safe those are, especially long term??

the only large volume enemas i ever tried were the plain water ones.


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## Pinskers (May 16, 2013)

I used the soap suds, for sure, but I put the soap in after the water. The directions weren't very clear...


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## Sean (Feb 8, 1999)

Pinskers,

Sorry the results of the enema were underwhelming. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of experimentation to find what works well. One remedy may produce a complete cleanout for one person, while another person may get no results at all. Many people swear by mag citrate, but it does nothing for me but fill my gut with water. It rarely even produces a bowel movement.

I am thinking that the reason not much came out with the enema is because there was not a lot in your colon. You mentioned that you got a lot of thinner, snake-like stool out of you with the laxative the day before. It sounds like the lax did a pretty good job of cleaning you out, and that there was not a huge amount of stool in you when you had the enema. It is also possible that you did not take enough water. A liter should have done something, but a whole bag (1-1/2 liters or so?) would have likely gotten deeper into the colon. If you are concerned that you may still be backed up, you can always repeat the enema today. I think the directions on the box say that you can have one per day.

Hang in there. You will find a lot of support on this board. I am having a bad day myself. I have been backed up for five days. I fiber-loaded all week to no avail. Yesterday morning, I took 3 maximum strength exlax (75 mg of sennosides), but I have not gotten a result. I guess I will have to try something else in my bag of tricks later today. :-(


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh so sorry to hear that, Sean--that's miserable. fiber does nothing but back me up all the more. i do hope there is something in your bag of tricks that helps you.

maybe you've already tried these, but in the past, i had fairly good luck with two or three 425 mg capsules of cascara sagrada. or 5 dulcolax pills. or 2 dulcolax suppositories, inserted at the same time. ( all of these meds used separately, by themselves of course--not taken all together lol) these were part of my bag of tricks and approved by my gastro docs and c/r surgeons.

fingers crossed you can get things moving soon!


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## Sean (Feb 8, 1999)

Thanks for your concern, Annie. I am much better tonight. A Dulcolax suppository finally got things started and the Exlax cleared me out over the course of the day.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh good! thanks for the update. glad you finally got unplugged. hope it stays that way. take care.


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## Stevect06 (Jun 20, 2014)

I wonder where large volume enemas can be purchased? All I've seen at CVS are what I believe are fleet enemas. When I can't go, it seems things stop moving way up high, in the transverse or maybe even ascending colon. That's what x-rays should last time in the hospital. That makes the fleet enemas ineffective. In fact, last time in the E.R. it was my suggestion to do a procedure I had during the previous visit - don't know the name but it involves a contrast being forced up, instead or drinking it. That contrast happened to loosed the impaction. The last time no once was available for the procedure, so they did a standard gravity fed enema, hanging on a pole that worked.

Is that what is referred to as a 'high volume' enema?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

Steve--yes, you can get these big red enema bags (the large volume enema) at drugstores--i bought both of mine at cvs. they do have them--not just the fleets. they might be in a different section, though--can't remember.

you can also order them on amazon.. i hear amazon also has metal bucket-type large volume enemas--a sort of a contraption-thing involving a bucket and a pole that you use, more like what they often use in a hospital.

and yes that's what we've been referring to--the big red bag enema that you hang up, like sean mentioned. i used to hang mine from the shower head--put it on a short piece of cord to get the distance right.


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## Pinskers (May 16, 2013)

I'd recommend the bucket and the pole one, to be honest-I think it's medical grade stainless steel. I found the bag I was given hard to wash, and it's very humid where I live, and I like to sanitize anything that's going into my colon, haha.


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## Stevect06 (Jun 20, 2014)

Annie - a sitz marker test you had caused an obstruction? That sounds terrible, glad you were able to (and surprised you could) remedy that on your own. I wonder if that obstruction was found (or assumed to be) relatively high, maybe in the transcending or even ascending colon - so a lot of liquid was necessary to reach it.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh yes--they say the bucket is much easier to clean and more sanitary.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

Steve--yes, during my first sitz marker test, on day four, i developed an obstruction. went to the ER when i could no longer urinate. they pumped a liter and a half of urine out of me and the ER doc told me to go home, clean out and abort the test.

her advice was to do a large volume (big bag) enema because, she said, my x rays showed my rectum and sigmiod colon were the fullest--packed with stool-- and so she thought an enema would be more effective for a clean out than drinking magnesium citrate etc. fix it from the bottom up, not from the top, down so to speak.

i first did a fleets mineral oil enema--the larger size--to soften things up--and followed it with the big red bag enema


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## Stevect06 (Jun 20, 2014)

Annie - I just saw your reply re: the enema bag, thanks for the information. I'll have to look further at CVS. I wish stores wouldn't put similar items in different areas! Happens often though.

I'll check out the bucket and pole option as well. Seems to make more sense going from the 'bottom up' - especially when things are stopped where a fleet enema (found and used those without results) can't reach.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

you know, i'm thinking i saw the bag enemas in the womens' section where the douches were--the enemas were on the bottom shelf. my enema kit also had a shorter attachment so it could be used for douching...or something...and it also had a plug so it could be used as a hot water bottle. sort of multi-purpose. this was several years ago..maybe cvs has changed where they put things since then. my cvs is always moving stuff around.


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## Stevect06 (Jun 20, 2014)

I would not have thought of checking in the women's section, thanks for the tip. I don't know why stores, especially grocery stores change things around! Not good customer service. Same with a pharmacy, an enema system is something I'd rather find myself, rather than ask.

What a terrible situation that must have been after the sitz marker test, not being able to pass anything!

Sounds like my recent experience was like Sean's but in my case if it's like the others I've had a suppository would not work, I suspect the impaction, or source of very slow progress was much higher than the sigmoid colon.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

right--that obstruction durng the sitz marker test was sure no fun.

and, yes, if you're impacted higher up, a regular glycerin suppository would not work. one--or even better two-- dulcolax suppositories might because they contain 10 mg bisacodyl apiece. i've read that 2 dulcolax supps are supposed to have an "enema-like" effect. and they often did on me. but the large volume enema would be the surest thing.

oh yes ...hate it when these stores change everything around and i can't find anything. and yes, agreed, the last thing i'd want to ask that cute guy stocking the shelves is where the big enemas are lol...


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## Sean (Feb 8, 1999)

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-combination-douche-enema-and-water-bottle-system/ID=prod17207-product

Steve, this is what you are looking for. I don't think CVS has these kits in the stores, but some of the larger Walgreens do. They are in the feminine hygiene section. You can also order online from either CVS or Walgreens. Good luck if you decide to do it. The key is to take enough liquid to get as far up into the colon as possible. If you do this right and it works for you, this process will remove blockages that a Fleet enema could not reach.


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## Pinskers (May 16, 2013)

Saw the nurse last week. Waited a total of 70 (!!!) minutes only to be told to try probiotics, drink more, and keep with fiber, even though I'm still constipated and queasy. She seemed shocked when I told her Senna does nothing for me. Ducolax is a toss up, so I may try that stuff Flossy and the rest have the gang have been raving out. I did a does of two capfuls of Miralax and two tablets of Colace and had an incomplete bowel movement. The nurse tried putting me on antibiotics for SIBO, but I refused, because she hasn't even tested me for it yet, and not to mention my bad experiences with antibiotics.

I've also developed this weird tic of sucking my upper abdominal muscles involuntarily. I'm not sure if it is a nervous habit or whether something is going on in that area I should be concerned about. I kind of wish they'd just take my colon already; it's fairly clear it doesn't work from the ascending and mid-colon forward.









Has anyone tried VSL? Did it work for anyone? Align stopped working for me post-hospital and Culturelle does nothing. If I do clear liquids to rest my colon, how long should I try it for?

The good news is at least I know my stomach still works!


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