Enema Rooms

I've seen the mention of being taken to the "enema room" in some hospital settings, however when I went in for my Tonsillectomy in 1953 when I was 5 years old, after mom left for the evening, the nurse pushed a cart into the room with a white can, red hose, small black pipe on it. I wasn't taken to any special room, I and my room mate were given an enema right on our beds and placed on a very cold bedpan. I watched the nurse assemble the contraption at the sink, she carried it to my bed, hung the can on a pole attached to my bed and unceremoniously gave my first remembered enema. About a half hour After I was done and cleaned up, my roommate got the same treatment. No special room, no helpers, just a very serious nurse. Has anyone experienced the "enema room"? I also read about young "Candy Strippers" administrating enemas or helping with the administrations, I find that hard to believe. Any truth to that?

LostInThe50s

In Austria in the 1980s, hospitals didn't have designated "enema rooms"—they did have "treatment rooms," however. These contained an examination table and cabinets along the wall, which also held enema containers, tubing, and rectal tubes. When my wife gave birth to our first son in 1980, I witnessed her receiving a two-liter enema from a nurse in such a room before the birth. She was asked to go into the room but told the nurse she didn't want to go in without me. So we were invited in as well. My wife was asked to undress from the waist down and lie on the table in knee-chest position, while I sat next to her on a chair. The nurse then took a large glass irrigator, a red rubber tube, and a long rectal tube from one of the cabinets, assembled the parts, and prepared the enema.

@LostInThe50s I have the same memory of childhood hospital experiences. I recounted the experience in the semi-autobiographical story "Hospital Awakening" https://en.zity.biz/index.php?mx=docs;ox=showpart;idp=21869

I've seen the mention of being taken to the "enema room" in some hospital settings, however when I went in for my Tonsillectomy in 1953 when I was 5 years old, after mom left for the evening, the nurse pushed a cart into the room with a white can, red hose, small black pipe on it. I wasn't taken to any special room, I and my room mate were given an enema right on our beds and placed on a very cold bedpan. I watched the nurse assemble the contraption at the sink, she carried it to my bed, hung the can on a pole attached to my bed and unceremoniously gave my first remembered enema.

LostInThe50s

I don't think the room thing is reality based. A relative was hospitalized because they were diagnosed as "impacted" Exactly what or where this impaction was never made clear to me. Admittedly conveying that knowledge to me was not required, but what I do know... after giving some laxative pills that failed to produce any results. the treatment consisted of a few soapy enemas. Two were delivered to the room in disposable containers and were left hanging on an IV pole till an employee arrived to administer. They were administered simply by drawing the curtain between beds and asking the visitors to wait outside the room. Since my relative did not hear well and was admitted without hearing aids I assume that the patient in the other bed was easily able to listen in to the explanation/instructions as the enema was delivered. A bed pan was used to capture the results which were OK. The remaining prepared enema was left hanging on the IV pole in full view of everyone who entered the room to visit either one of the patients till the next shift when it also was delivered with the same lack of ceremony. By this time the relative was able to get up and visit the bathroom, and was pronounced well enough for discharge. I'm not sure that I would have been comfortable with the minimal privacy provided. Its hard to imagine what someone else might be feeling. What I am sure of is that I could have provided that same treatment, (without the non-effective laxative pills,) for considerably less than the $1500 charged.

My experience with hospital enemas was they were given in bed. When my wife was in labor she got her enemas in bed too.

A few years ago I was visiting a friend in the psychiatric unit of our small city hospital. While I was there one of the female nurses asked one of the lady patients to follow her to the treatment room whereupon my friend informed me that the residents called it the enema room because that's where they were given. With 2 to a room, ,new privacy rules required such treatments to be done in the treatment room. I'm sure many older folks wish there had been such privacy concerns during their various hospital visits. I do. Some embarrassing enema moments.

The endoscopy unit of our local hospital has an enema room with couch, toilet and bidet. I was prepared for flexible sigmoscopy in it.

It seems that hospitals in Eastern Europe and Russia in particular, have "enema rooms" or treatment rooms where inter alia enemas are given, judging from reading up on this subject on my part over the years. The only hospital enema I received was back in the 80's when I went in for a hemorrhoidectomy, and the nurse asked if she must give it to me, or whether I can do it myself. Stupid that I was then, I elected to do it myself, in the bathroom adjacent to the ward I was in. No enema room. (I still curse myself to this day for missing an opportunity which could have been a lot more exciting than it was. The young nurse was quite a good looker too.)

I recently came across a wellness center on the Internet in my neck of the woods, and its photo gallery included - wait for it - an enema room, no less. So, it would seem that they do exist after all. I would presume them to be more prevalent in alternative health and wellness facilities and spas, not so much in hospitals.

I never experienced an enema room in hospital was just give one in the bed in my room. That be said I like the idea of having a dedicated enema wet room. My dream enema room would be all tile with drains . It would have an exam table gyno chair sink toilet and bidet. Also include multiple shower heads and hose for easy clean up. What fun room of this type could be.

Further to my previous post (#8 ), I googled "enema room" (with the search term enclosed in quotes) to see what showed up. My, my - I was not disappointed. Quite a few references, which you can look up via the links below.

In Russia, an advertised tender for repairs to bathrooms and enema room, see the link https://www.tendersontime.com/tenders-details/current-repairs-bathrooms-and-enema-room-building-address-perm-st-geroev-khasan-24-57d89c4/ ;

In the UK, an advertised tender in 2019 for an Enema Room at Victoria Hospital Wimborne, see the link https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/83cb5e2b-a1f7-43be-ba8b-d6c27f5171ca ;

Another UK reference to an enema room at the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals, on p.2 of the PDF document, link https://www.worcsacute.nhs.uk/~documents/documents/patient-information-leaflets-a-z/endorectal-ultrasound/?layout=file ; The text excerpt states "On the day of the scan, you will need to have an enema (liquid passed into your back passage) this is to ensure that your bowels are emptied. This will be done after your arrival in the unit. You will be taken to an enema room and the enema will be administered by a nurse; you will remain in this room to ensure you have easy access to a toilet until you have opened your bowels."

And a few more. So, my assertion of enema rooms not so prevalent at hospitals seems to have been wrong. How glad am I about that.........

Has anyone visited any enema rooms in Eastern Europe or perhaps Germany?

A few years back, I built a dungeon in what was originally an underground garage. We copied, as much as possible, the lab set from Young Frankenstein (also the set from the original Frankenstein), with a rack, St. Andrew's cross and an embalming table for enemas. The whole room was tiled from floor to ceiling. All of the equipment was in its own 4" depression in the floor, with a floor drain for each one. The embalming table had a trough around the perimeter, connected to a drainpipe that led to the floor drain. Any enema leakage was easy to clean up, as after each session, a steam hose was used on all of the equipment, so anything unpleasant went into the sewer.

Having taken (and given) may enemas, using the table, rack and cross. I can testify how great it was to have a dedicated "enema room".

These rooms were commonplace in UK delivery suites at a time when routine enemas were given to all expectant mothers on admission. Most likely phased out now that the practice has largely been discontinued.

In Austrian hospitals during the 1970s and 80s, they were usually located right next to the delivery suites, because it was common practice to give expectant mothers an enema before giving birth. They weren't explicitly labeled as "enema rooms," but once you were inside, you knew what they were for.