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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/21/2011 7:50 PM (GMT 0)
I am dealing with a difficult flare up right now and having a tough time holding in the enemas...it seems as if the sense of urgency is so great I immediately give up...is there a trick to this? Does it help to do a water enema immediately preceeding the medicine to make sure I'm cleared out prior to insertion? I am doing this in the evening before bed
Posted 12/21/2011 8:02 PM (GMT 0)
optimist12,

If you are flaring and the inflammation is at the end it can be difficult holding it in.  You might want to ask for a script for Cortifoam.  Its like a mouse and it disolves in the colon, very easy to retain during the day and evening.

As for the enema make sure its warm not cold, run under water if too cold.

 

Squeeze the air at the top out.

Insert and squeeze some medicine in, maybe for the first few days only insert half the bottle in the evening.

Stay still for a few minutes until the urge goes and then move to your bed and lay on your left side for the night.

I have had to take an antispasmatic to calm the colon down during certain flares in order to help retain the enema better. 

Posted 12/21/2011 8:18 PM (GMT 0)
puffed rice gave good advice (I think she/he means Cortifoam is like a mousse not mouse however lol)

I use mesalamine enemas and take them before bed, getting them up to body temp by putting them under my arm while reading. My colon dislikes cold enemas.

Also if you find that your colon responds with an immediate BM you could just put a small amount in to get the BM out of the way (or a warm water enema as you suggested) and then continue afterward with more Rx enema, maybe only half a bottle to start. As your lower area slowly gets healed you will be able to retain longer and more of the enema. Then you will know things are getting better. Real Catch-22 isn't it, you need the enema to heal but your body rejects it because it's wounded.

Good luck. Not easy to begin with but it gets easier with time.
Posted 12/22/2011 1:05 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks....when do you know a flare is starting to heal? Are there certain signs that give you hope that remission is near?
Posted 12/22/2011 1:07 AM (GMT 0)
try focusing on improvement and what your symptoms are like as you heal.  

DO NOT do a water enema first...not what you want to work on. 

Squeezing butt cheeks and toughing it out by panting, deep slow breathing, biting the sheets or squealing..lol..will help.  after about a minute or two it will ease..but that can feel like an hour.

your urgency will slowly ease. What other symptoms are you having at this time?

q

Posted 12/22/2011 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
I agree with all that puffed rice said.

lol imagardener, I didn't understand the mouse part but now I get it, mousse.

You can also try suppositories. Canasa have helped me a lot along the way. There is no way I could retain a Rowasa if I were flared up.
Posted 12/22/2011 3:29 AM (GMT 0)
i've never noticed that enemas or suppositories helped my symptoms. i'd always have to go to the bathroom, too, anyways.
Posted 12/22/2011 12:44 PM (GMT 0)
Over the past 2 weeks I had been taking ascol but then noticed the rx had been issued over 2 years ago. Wednesday I had a fresh rx refilled and as of yesterday(Thursday) I noticed a few changes throughout the day. While my early morning BM's were more liquid, blood and mucous than stool, Throughout the day the blood became more diminished. Urgency was great at least a dozen times but each trip to the bathroom was met with more brownish mucous than red. Eventually by night time i had only minor evidence of having any coloration to my passings. I was able to hold in a hydo enema easily at bedtime. Slept through the night with NO urgency for the first time in a week...this AM I did have some red mucous but mixed in with small formed stools (snakelike but this is the first formation ive seen in a week of any kind)....with each passing i did have a wave of discomfort not unlike the feeling of diaharreah but was encouraged that i am seeing some changes that HOPEFULLY show signs of remission pending! Are these optimistic signs?

Post Edited (optimist12) : 12/22/2011 6:12:11 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/22/2011 1:16 PM (GMT 0)
Any sign of improvement is a good sign. It can be slow going though so patience is key...hard when your running to the bathroom constantly. Hope you continue to see improvement and quickly. :)
Posted 12/22/2011 1:27 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the encouragement. Fortunately when I moved my office last year (I am a small business owner) I had a private bathroom built into my executive suite! My staff knows about my "issue" but are also thankful they don't have to share it with me :)
Posted 12/22/2011 7:20 PM (GMT 0)
Optimist, do we use lab mice or the wild variety?

Q, sounds a bit noisy what you go through with enemas :-)

Posted 12/22/2011 9:09 PM (GMT 0)
I am a big believer of Bentyl. I make a trip to the oval office, then take a Bentyl and introduce enema after 30 mins, works pretty well. If you lie on left side, you can easily pass any gases too without losing any enema.
Posted 12/23/2011 8:38 AM (GMT 0)
Yes the Bentyl (Bentylol) can help with the spasming.

Mackster..lol...when I first started using the enemas and flaring as bad as I was..it was quite a fiasco, especially the extreme nausea. I forgot to add the groaning part and the grimacing.
Sometimes, about an hour later, the nausea would return and the same need to expel..but alas...it too passed.
I only had to expel three in total over the 23 years.

I don't get those feelings anymore except for some nausea on occasion when flaring.

Oh, and I never bite the sheets..the thought of putting cloth in my mouth gives me the willies...it was just an expression of whatever works..lol.

q
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