I CANT DO THIS!! enemas

Are you refusing enemas because of the "yuck" factor or because you are afraid to administer it?

Your dr prescribed them to you for a reason- rectal meds can often stop a flare in its tracks without having to take a dangerous drug like Prednisone. Sometimes oral meds are not enough. If you are too afraid to administer, ask for suppositories- Canasa worked better for me than Rowasa did and they are much easier to use.

If you just think enemas are too gross, answer me this- is it worse to squirt medication into your bum or to have blood, mucus, and diarrhea squirting out?

Either way, grow some ovs and TRY it. It could end up being your miracle drug.

I don't think it's a huge deal. I don't like it, it's a pain, but it's better than the alternative. I actually don't use enemas regularly, I use suppositories often and they aren't fun but I don't let it rule my life. I laughed at some of these responses, very funny how much people hate these things.

Which gender you are doesn't really matter!!!!! The retention enemas are a nuisance, but, as Sherbear and Tournevice pointed out, mastering them and using the new skill you learn in doing so will likely keep you from pooping your pants at a very inappropriate time & place. If at 1st you can't retain it lying on your left side (very common problem), roll over onto your back & sing "100 bottles of beer" to yourself in between deep breaths 'til the cramping subsides. Using retention enemas against UC has nothing whatsoever to do with being kinky!!!!! How you could equate this with a d-i-l-d-o is just plain silly. Time to grow up-- my take on it. / Old Hat (31 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)

minor flare...meaning it's limited to the rectum, right?

Ask the doctor for prednisone.

q

Cake I understand you are reluctant to put something there but you are affected by a condition that works around your backdoor. If not from mucus, blood, accident and dont forget the hemmies!

In most of our education we dont obssess over our anus. Its usually something that serves for one purpose and you forget about it right? Well with colitis it serves to many purposes many times a day and it sucks.

I dont recall having any memories of any bowel movements before UC but I can tell you I remember many bms since I have uc. This medication is worth trying as it might make your bum reliable. By reliable I mean you know you go in the morning once r twice then go on with your day with minimal symptoms.

My take on it is when a doctor gives youa medication dont overthink about it and try it. You can judge once you try it.

At the end of the day you will need to be friend with your bum cause you are going to need scopes and colonoscopies.

Like quincy said you might try prednisone. Some poeple did well on it some poeple had lots of side effects.
Or how about suppositories instead? I find them less invasive than the enemas but the dosage is less and you might have to do twice daily. But they are dryer for sure.

You might find some of the comments sound rude a bit but they arent. You have to overcome this fear of sticking something into your bum cause you arent out of doing so with this condition!

tournevice - thanks for your advice. my dr has always been great with me, and i always do what he says, but i dont think he was too happy with me when i said i didnt want to try it! maybe ill try suppositories instead- it sounds less messy.
how can there be only two options to control a flare? :(

tournevice - no and no to your last questions. the last time i was in a flare he prescribed me prednisone for a month. my case is mild, so i figured there should be something else i could try before enemas, i guess not.

CAKES&ALE said...
I was hoping anyone had any other suggestions of what i might be able to try to get out of this minor flare.
kloe0038- both, its gross and scary and i mentally cannot bring myself to do it. thinking about enemas is bringing on a whole new level of depression in me

Prednisone would probably work but it is a drug with a lot of long-term side effects. Some people swear by a strict diet and supplement regimen- search for "SCD" or "paleo" for more details on diet. If you go through the posts on this forum there are loads of herbal/alternative remedies that people have tried like slippery elm, L-threonine, clay, etc. Supplements are effective for some but some find that they make them feel worse.

You have a serious, chronic disease. We all hate it and you are allowed to be sad but you need to be more mature about this. It will be better for you in the long run if you suck it up and follow your dr's instructions. The easiest and safest way to end a minor flare is with rectal meds. Period. If you screw around and let it get worse, you are putting yourself at serious risk of needing Prednisone/hospitalization- perhaps surgery (temporary/permanent poop bag hanging off of your stomach) if they can't control it. Think about what you are doing- you are refusing a safe and efficacious treatment because it is "scary and yucky." That sounds like something a 5 year-old would say. Be an adult and take care of yourself.

     If your UC is primarily in the rectum (UP) like which I suffered, you can ask your doctor to switch you from Asacol to Colazal.  I took the generic (Balsalmazide..spelling?) for ten years.  While it did not cure my UP, it did keep the ulcerations from traveling further into my colon.  I was on prednisone far too many times and at the time of surgery I had become prednisone dependent.  You certainly do NOT want that to happen.  My GI doctor said the proctitis is the most stubborn to treat and I can attest to that.

     Yes, we all seem obsessed with our dupas (POlish word), but someone with any diseased body part is obsessed with that particular body part.  It's only human.

     Somedude...sure, I will insert the enema....just don't send out any firecrackers !!

yes, the liquid suspension that the medication is in is not absorbed as in doesn't disappear into the rectum/sigmoid....if that's what you mean by digested?
So, it eventually comes out with a bm or itself if there's no stool in the sigmoid. The medication should have time to do its thing while sitting in there.

Same with a suppository, different suspension to make it solid at room temp and melts with body heat. The medication is topical, but isn't thick like the enemas.

Foams, however, I think work differently depending on what the suspension is.  There's more air in a foam, so I don't think it takes up as much space once it disperses...I'm assuming one wouldn't see as much exiting...

The enema nozzles (don't get why they're not rounded, sheesh   ) could make cuts of one shoves it in there carelessly or if the sphincter is clenched tight...relaxation and lubrication helps.

q

standing up? with one leg up?
I guess whatever works... At least you're still on them.

q

I've always done them standing up.  The arthritis makes getting on the floor (and up again) a pain, and I never wanted to do them in bed.  A foot on the tub rim helps, or I just bend at the hip.  I've never had a problem with that method.