Gas after enema

Does anyone else get super gassy after a good clean out? My wife and I both had the pleasure of a good cleaning, although each did our own instead helping each other, and about 6 hours after the end through like 24 hours later are both ripping farts like they are being judged for a million dollar fart contest.

Frequently, though for me it is more like 12-15 hours after. Gas bleeds off and things are back to normal. My guess is it is colonic bacterial residents getting back to equilibrium.

Sometimes it happens to me, but not very often. I am usually careful what I eat before large enemas. It may be a result of something you ate that had a lot of excess baking powder which is alkaline. Some foods like cucumbers are slightly acidic however when it mixes with stomach acid it becomes very alkaline. Cucumbers can cause excessive farts for me and if I take a enema after eating a lot of them it can cause delayed after enema farts. If you used a slightly acidic solution enema solution like lemon juice, coffee etc. Some of the solution could still retained in the colon even after expelling and as the normal bowl movements began after the enema was over the the alkaline baking soda and the acid would come in contact with each other during normal digestion activity in your intestines and it would create carbon dioxide and cause you to fart like a trail horse that has been fed to many oats for a while. It’s harmless and entertaining.

@Serif said,

Does anyone else get super gassy after a good clean out?

My siblings and I never had that issue growing up, best I recall. As teenagers, we gave each other enemas a couple of times a week, and don’t remember having any gas issues afterwards. Once I was married, my wife and I gave each other enemas on a regular basis, and we never had that issue either.

I do as well and 6 hours sounds about right. I’ve always attributed it to the microbes in my colon replenishing themselves which generates gas as a metabolic by-product.

Oh, yes, this has happened to me, usually in the middle of the night. I use baking soda in my solution and suspect it’s a pH neutralization like @Silver_Bullet describes. (BTW, “cause you to fart like a trail horse” is some fun writing!)

One of my least favorite aspects of IBS is how gas can get stuck, and how the nerves in my GI tract will then perceive this totally normal phenomenon as painful. It can be enough to wake me up at night at a 4-5 on the pain scale, at which time I’m unable to fart like a trail horse or even a house mouse and just have to endure. Also, one of my known IBS triggers is interrupted sleep, so this can be a vicious cycle. Eventually things shift and I’m fine, but this can take an hour or more. I’ll try the tip of watching the acidity of what I eat beforehand; thanks for that!

@Sweetest_Relief said,

I use baking soda in my solution and suspect it’s a pH neutralization…

Interesting, my siblings and I were given soapy followed by salt and baking soda rinse enemas as kids. Then, once we were teenagers, we primarily used salt and baking soda rinse enemas and never had issues with gas. Nor did my wife and I, years later. Leading me to suspect, that it’s simply the way our colon handles things differently between individuals. Everyone being unique in their own individual way.

Never trust a fart after an enema!

@Rock49 said,

Never trust a fart after an enema!

That’s excellent advice… That statement reminded me. We did pass gas occasionally after an enema. However, we never had issues like “a trail horse that’s been eating to many oats” with gas. Having learned early on, that one doesn’t pass gas after an enema without sitting on the toilet first.

The three things to remember as we age, "Never pass a restroom, never waste a hardon, and never trust a fart". Jack Nicholson I still chuckle when I think of that line from The Bucket List!

You could be getting some gas if you are not purging the air from the hose and nozzle.

I often have gas after a series so I don't take a chance with a nasty accident, I always wear a diaper in case a fart is really a shart! Better safe than sorry.

In addition to being sure all the air is out of the tube, there is also a problem with air dissolved in the water. This is particularly noticeable with hot water, which will have a lot of air dissolved in it. If you hang the bag and go away for a few minutes, when you come back much of the air will have bubbled out. You can easily see this effect with a clear enema bag. Slapping the bag a few times will loosen the little bubbles that have collected on the inside walls of the bag. ~Diane

"Tiny Bubbles" !