My husband David had never had an enema before he married me. I think it was a year and a half into our marriage, he started having trouble with a more severe than usual bout of constipation. He'd been having issues as long as I've known him, but this time I realized he needed some help getting things going. I was three months pregnant with our son. I went to the store with my mom and sister, but before I left David asked me to pick up some Dulcolax. I knew he'd already been taking them for two days because of the wrappers he left on the bathroom counter.
I knew right then he was having trouble that needed something more effective and faster than laxatives. I didn't say a word to him, but as soon as I got back home I was planning on using the hot water bottle on him like I have to with so many of my hospital patients. When I got home, he asked me if I got the laxatives and I told him "I think you need something considerably faster than laxatives, don't you think?" To make a long story short, I had to take considerable time to convince him that putting 2qts of 105F saline where the sun don't shine would make him feel 100% better. He kept telling me "Nikki I've never had an enema, you know I can't handle something like that!" My comeback was "most of my patients have the same excuse honey, but they end up taking it just fine." He looked like a little schoolboy waiting to get his butt paddled by the principal he was dreading it so much."
I brought the bag to the bedside and put a Chux under him. I attached and lubricated the douche nozzle because those are more comfortable. But I guess the size of it scared him. He kept telling me "baby don't hurt me! Go easy!" I told him "Sweetheart this isn't my first rodeo. I've given more enemas than I care to count." He shook like a leaf until I slid it right into him. It was smooth and effortless. He barely flinched as it went in, I think more from fear and being touched in the rectum than any physical discomfort. He calmed down once the nozzle was in. The water was warm enough he stayed calm as I slowly filled him. He had a little trouble towards the end, cramping, and it agitated him. I calmly told him it's normal. He held all but a cup and I followed him to the toilet so I could take the nozzle out. He exploded what looked like 4 days of heavy eating into our brand new Kohler commode. He needed this enema really bad.
Now that his enema "virginity" was taken, and he saw that getting an enema made him feel better, he became more accepting of me giving them to him. Now he's totally comfortable with it.