Saline enema and blood pressure

Given that I have been doing daily enemas for about 45 years, I have been in pain therapy for two years and because of the painkillers the enema (at least a couple every morning or about fifteen minutes on my continuous enema device), enemas have become an obligation. Let's get to the question: three days ago I had a peak in blood pressure with a minimum of 110mmHg and a maximum of over 210mmHg; now I wonder if my saline enemas can raise my blood pressure which, however, is still a little high (82/165 mmHg). Does anyone know anything about it?

I'm am not a Doctor....but from research on the subject, I find that Saline [Sodium Chloride [Salt]] will elevate you blood pressure...If you already have High BP...you should refrain from using Saline as much as possible. Also If you have any Cardiac problems, or arterial blockage [Atrial Fibrillation, Angina, etc] you should refrain from too much Sodium enema and even in your diet. Best to stick with warm plain water enemas if you need. or mild soap, like castille soap.

Given the serious problem that has arisen and the possible serious consequences, I am taking hot water enemas only, but it is very difficult and tiring for me to hold even a single minute and often I am not able to take both the usual liters. Can anyone recommend something other than salt or baking soda to add to the water to make it easier to retain?

I take blood pressure meds myself so I know your problem. Of any solution that was easy to hold that I've taken in the past was coffee. I held one for 15 minutes without any issue.....

The main reason for adding salt to the enema solution is to make an isotonic mix, to avoid excessive water absorption. With a .9% salt content, the enema will duplicate the salinity of the blood, with little or no water transfer, avoiding hyponatremia (water dilution of the bloodstream), and the excess water has a much larger effect on blood pressure than the salt in the enema. Excessive salt in the enema will actually cause dehydration, due to water transfer FROM the blood to the lower intestine. This is how most packaged enema products (think Fleet) cause a bowel movement.

A hint: for an easy to retain coffee enema, ading abit of baking soda to the coffee will raise the enema pH a bit to duplicate the pH of the colon, thus reducing irritation if the intestinal mucosa, and help reduce the urge to evacuate.

In medical school in the late 1980’s I was taught and became aware of different varieties of high blood pressure, Hypertension, including a distinct entity designated as Salt-sensitive Hypertension. The implication of that was that there were also many patients whose blood pressure was affected very little or not at all by salt (NaCl) intake by any route. A brief look at some Internet references to medical literature today indicates that SSH is still considered a valid subtype of Essential Hypertension and that reduction of salt intake may be wise in those patients. If you hadn’t discussed it with your physician earlier, You might ask them if your high blood pressure is known to be salt-sensitive or not.

My understanding has always been similar to earlier comments in this thread below, that plain water or weak salt solution enemas can result in hyponatremia from excess absorption of water into the bloodstream from the enema fluid in the colon, and I recall seeing such reports in medical journals. Similarly, higher salt content enema fluid, especially above 0.9% apparently will draw water in the other direction from blood to colonic enema fluid. I have no direct knowledge of or seen any data showing that any NaCl enema fluid at 0.9% or higher causes salt transfer into the blood causing hypernatremia and risk of higher BP. Explain and see what your doc managing your hypertension has to say.

Eric