Enema Question for Quincy (or anyone else)!!!

i'm no quincy, but i've tried all the enemas there are so i have some experience. the only problem i can think of if he's used to only retaining half the bottle is that it will be hard to hold a full one. do you know how long he holds 1/2 the bottle for? not sure if you guys talk about that or not. i always had trouble doing any enemas/suppositories in the morning because i'd be walking around, so before bed was easiest for me. i always did a full bottle.

i'd try what the doctor recommends and see how long he can hold the medicine in at night. obviously, if he has to have a bm soon after the whole bottle, it seems 1/2 the bottle, twice a day is best for him.

Just curious...is it the Rowasa? I say if it is working, and your son doesn't mind , I would leave it alone. However if it is annoying to him and he wants to try, that is a different story.
B

He is 9 years old and that is why the first doctor said only do 1/2 the bottle. He has always tolerated these enemas extremely well. He is homeschooled so after getting the morning enema I have him lay on his bed and do some reading. It isn't a problem for him to stay laying down since he is in the middle of reading the Harry Potter series!!! Right now he is in remission and only has two formed BM's per day. Ususally earliest one is around 11:00 a.m.

The Mesalamine enema is the generic name for Rowasa. The benefit of going to one per day is that maybe if he gets more in one shot, it will go a little higher up into the colon???

I think I am just concerned about switching to one per day and then find out that he starts going into a flare that can't be turned around. I am coming up on the one year mark of when he became sick. It was last year, December 22nd when he had to go into the hospital and we were there for 10 days. I just want to have a decent Christmas this year for his sake and for my two older boys who are ages 10 and 12.

Thanks for all of your responses. They gave me something to think about!

Yes, a full enema will reach further in the colon.

Is he on any oral meds as well?

FWIW, I only use two enemas a week and have maintained remission for 3.5 years by doing so (well, in addition to taking Apriso daily).

fruitgirl said...
Yes, a full enema will reach further in the colon.

It never goes beyond sigmoid, unless you turn to full left side tilt (like sleeping on left arm) after 10-15 minutes.
This is my trick, apologies if it sounds too graphic. I never warm the bottle so when I administer, the cold feeling tells me the location of fluid and then I change the position accordingly. Usually the feeling changes within a minute but if you are rather sensitive, you can get a feel.
I do not 'feel' it every time but the 'long practice' gives me a clue nowadays.

@ quincy,
I wonder, how suppositories will work for inflammation in colon. They are pretty much restricted in rectum (and do not act as 'local' for colonic inflammation.)

The left side is definitely the way to go. I was administering them on my daughter's left & the rule was 15 minutes you must stay on the left minimum. Finally got off the enemas for her after 3 months. We started off full bottles - 1 in morning, 1 in evening while in hospital. Mornings were just a waste in my opinion. It was impossible to keep in for long as her worst times were always in the morning. At least being home schooled you can alter his schedule accordingly! Good luck!

@ Susan,

Don't you have a flyer in the box? It tells you how you should be for best benefit. If you don't have one, this is the way to go. Tell your son to lie on his tummy with both legs stretched, Keeping left leg stretched, he should bend his right leg as if he is making triangle with the knee of the left leg. Thats it, this is the position where it is easiest to administer and retain. Stay like that for 15-20 minutes and then both legs straight lying on your left arm. Let me know if you want the picture and I can scan one of the leaflets.