# Enema advice



## IBSCinGeorgia (Oct 6, 2007)

I just had to buy a new enema bag to use for my constipation. The new bag is a combination enema/douche/water bottle system with a stopper thingy that my old fountain syringe style bag did not have. The question is will the new combination system I bought have any effect on the rate at which the enema solution flows into me and the amount of time I will need to retain the enema in me to get relief ? I'm constipated now and plan to use the bag shortly.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

sounds like the big red enema bag i have--the box said the same thing: enema/douche/hot water bottle--bought it at cvs drugstore. and yes it came with the stopper thingie which is loose in the box--it's not connected to the tubing--you have to put it on the tubing yourself if you want to use it. i don't even use the stopper thingie--i just regulate the flow with my fingers on the tubing--fast, slow or stop it completely. it's the only style of enema bag i've ever used but it works just fine for me.good luck!


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## IBSCinGeorgia (Oct 6, 2007)

annie7 said:


> sounds like the big red enema bag i have--the box said the same thing: enema/douche/hot water bottle--bought it at cvs drugstore. and yes it came with the stopper thingie which is loose in the box--it's not connected to the tubing--you have to put it on the tubing yourself if you want to use it. i don't even use the stopper thingie--i just regulate the flow with my fingers on the tubing--fast, slow or stop it completely. it's the only style of enema bag i've ever used but it works just fine for me.good luck!


It actually worked better for me than my old fountain style bag. It cleaned me out rather well....I'm not sure if it was the flow of the water into me that was different or the fact that the water bottle bags actually hang upside down or what, but it cleaned me out well....I think it might have gotten further up into me than my fountain bag because I was pooping for a good twenty minutes every time I'd get up, here would come more .


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

great! it's such a relief, isn't it.


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## Lady Samantha (Aug 14, 2010)

Have you tried the suppositories or other supplements before the enema? Just curious. I have a problem with suppositories and enemas *embarrassed to admit why though on here*


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## IBSCinGeorgia (Oct 6, 2007)

Lady Samantha said:


> Have you tried the suppositories or other supplements before the enema? Just curious. I have a problem with suppositories and enemas *embarrassed to admit why though on here*


I have tried fiber--constipated me worse...oral laxatives take too long to work for the most part..although I do use correctol sometimes.....If you'd like you can PM me and tell me why you have a problem with suppositories and enemas....


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## tigremycat (Aug 17, 2010)

How often do you guys do your enemas? DO you find success everytime? I had success once with an enema (but it was the kind you buy at the drug store in a box -- not very big) and then the other two times, I had no success whatsoever. It was horrible, I just sat at the toilet and the same fluid that went in, was the same that came out and nothing else. My friend is a nurse and I was telling her about it and she laughed and said that's no enema you need a BIG bag like the ones we use in the hospital. I have yet to try. Let me know. Thanks!


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

i do enemas as needed--when everything else fails and i just can't stand it anymore--so that's every couple months or so-- or if i'm really in a bad streak maybe once or twice a month. i have the big red enema bag that holds about a quart--got it at the drug store. not sure how big the hospital size one is?? those little fleets ones in the box are too small to get at the stuff higher up in the colon.enemas have always worked for me. it takes two or three visits to the toilet--sometimes over a period as long as an hour, somtimes much quicker than that-- before all the water and stuff comes out..but they work. it's a big relief.


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## tigremycat (Aug 17, 2010)

I am totally going to go get myself a bag.... I should read the link IBSCinGeorgia posted on another thread but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I am sure it has all the other information necessary to fill, and administer etc.I think it makes perfect sense for IBS sufferers to have an enema bag at home and know how to administer safely for emergencies. And of course, only a IBS sufferer knows that kind of pain and awfulness. It's an emergency to us!


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh yes--that's a good link--has all the info you need in it. and really it's not hard to do an enema. i think it can seem more complicated than it actually is. when doing it, just relax, listen to your body and you get a feeling for exactly what you need, how much water etc. you can start by taking it slowly--you don't have to do the whole quart at once of course...in another link somewhere (don't have it bookmarked) i read: "love your enema." it brings relief.and oh yes you are right--all the pain and discomfort of c certainly is an emergency to us.good luck!


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## IBSCinGeorgia (Oct 6, 2007)

annie7 said:


> oh yes--that's a good link--has all the info you need in it. and really it's not hard to do an enema. i think it can seem more complicated than it actually is. when doing it, just relax, listen to your body and you get a feeling for exactly what you need, how much water etc. you can start by taking it slowly--you don't have to do the whole quart at once of course...in another link somewhere (don't have it bookmarked) i read: "love your enema." it brings relief.and oh yes you are right--all the pain and discomfort of c certainly is an emergency to us.good luck!


You make a very good point, Annie. you don't have to take all of the water at once when you do an enema. you can feel when you are getting full of water--regardless if you have taken the entire bag, on quart, 1 and a half quarts etc. When you start feeling full, Stop the flow temporarily...even expel a little bit if you have to before refilling. Overfilling can get you what I call "waterpated" which means the water gets stuck and you not only have water stuck up your gut but days worth of stuck stool...that can be very painful!


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## pukka (Nov 28, 2004)

I am now thinking about doing daily tap water enemas for my IBS - C. Anyone have any suggestions of which type of enema bag to buy? Is it save to do tap water enemas daily?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

well, like i said earlier--i have the big red enema bag that i got at cvs drug store. the box says "enema/douche/hot water bottle"--it's multipurpose--lol. at least that's what it said back then when i bought it--about three or four years ago.

i can no longer do enemas though--at least not the big ones. i have slow transit constipation which has become progressively worse and big enemas no longer work for me--i retain way too much water with them--very unpleasant and painful.

i really don't know if it's safe to do them every day although i have read accounts from people who do use them (the big ones) daily and say that they are fine with it. but personally --i don't know if it's really safe...

there is an enema system called peristeen which is available in the uk and maybe other countries which is supposed to be very effective and safe. not available in the usa yet but i hear maybe next year???


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## pukka (Nov 28, 2004)

How are you managing the slow transit constipation now? The worst thing about IBS is that nothing works forever with this disease. I was ok for two years with just taking probiotic yogurt/benefiber/prune and no medication. Now, I am having the same problem as you and thinking about doing the daily enemas.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

because absolutely nothing else works for me, my gastro has me on daily laxatives, both a stimulant (dulcolax) and an osmotic (milk of mag). since i also have a rectocele and a vaginal prolapse, i develop impactions easily and he does not want me getting backed up because then i start to retain urine. he--and my previous gastro--have both told me to "take what i need to go."

but i am an extreme case here, having struggled with chronic c for fifty years. so my treatment reflects this. when i took the sitz marker i had absolutely no bm's at all and passed no markers. i started retaining urine and ended up in the ER , where they pumped out over a liter and a half of urine. not fun. ER doc told me to abort the test (i was almost to day 5 anyway) and go home and immediately do a clean out.

i also have mitochondrial disease which is a contributing cause to my slow transit.

hopefully you have a compentent, knowledgeable and caring gastro who can help you with all of this and also give you any tests you may need...wishing you all the best,


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## pukka (Nov 28, 2004)

Mitrochondrial disease? As in mitrochrondrial dna? I can't belive you have been dealing with this for 50 years. I was hopeful that after I go through menopause that the IBS - C would get better.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

yes--mito is primarily a genetic disease. several years ago i took part in a research study on gastro problems and mito. i had a dna test which showed i have a genetic variant that affects the GI tract--causing pain, slow motility etc.i also have a number of other chronic health conditions/diseases believed to be caused--.at least in part-- by mito. well, like they say--all this makes you stronger, teaches one to cope, stay positive, etc...

you mentioned in another thread possibly going to a motility clinic at mayo. sounds like a great idea! hopefully someone who's been there can give you some helpful feedback on it.


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## lnsguy54 (Nov 24, 2016)

I have IBS with constipation and My sister-in-law, who is a nurse, administers several large enemas to me once a week using a 15 inch FR28 colon tube. She uses a large 4 quart open top enema bag and fills it with warm water. She has me assume the knee-chest position and after lubricating the first 4-5 inches of the colon tube and after clearing the tube of air she will spread my buttocks and slowly insert the colon tube in 4-5 inches. She will then open the hose to allow the enema to begin then she would slowly insert the 15 inches of the colon tube into me until fully inserted. She would give the enema slowly, but make me take the entire bag. Once the bag is empty she would clamp the hose and have me hold it 5 minutes. After that she would slowly withdraw the colon tube and allow me to sit on the toilet and expel the enema. My bowels usually move from this enema. She refills the enema bag and repeats this 3 more times. Afterwards I feel great. She gives this enema series to me once a week. In the between time I take Zelnorm and try to follow a high fiber diet, but the enemas definitely help immensely. If interested I can send you links to where she bought the large enema bag and colon tube. I have been doing this for 4 months and about to stop taking my medication due to the fact that the enemas are so effective with the colon tube. Don't listen to the nonsense about how enemas make you dependent in order to move your bowels. It's simply not the case. Write me at [email protected] If you need more info on how to order the enema bag and colon tube.

Terry


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## lnsguy54 (Nov 24, 2016)

I am wondering how that I can upload a picture of the enema bag set up that my sister in law uses on me to treat my IBS-C, but I don't see any option. If anyone would like some pictures of the enema bag that she uses just send me a request at [email protected] and I will be more than happy to send them to you. I am posting this in between enemas. She came over early this morning because she is going out of town for the weekend and wanted to clean me out before she goes. I am so glad because I was feeling so miserable. Thanks to these weekly enema series life is almost normal.


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## Patrick ibs c (Mar 5, 2016)

no thanks


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

lnsguy54 said:


> I am wondering how that I can upload a picture of the enema bag set up that my sister in law uses on me to treat my IBS-C, but I don't see any option. If anyone would like some pictures of the enema bag that she uses just send me a request at [email protected] and I will be more than happy to send them to you. I am posting this in between enemas. She came over early this morning because she is going out of town for the weekend and wanted to clean me out before she goes. I am so glad because I was feeling so miserable. Thanks to these weekly enema series life is almost normal.


Go to Google, click on "Images," type in 'enema bag,' click search and you'll have your picture, or close to it.

I used to have an enema bag but threw it away. I'd much rather use an enema syringe, they are way easier to use/less cumbersome.... I used to give myself an enema every day, but not in over a year, since I started taking Intestinal Formula.. and got a hemorrhoidectomy.


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