Were you aware of your parents taking enemas?

My mother was very above board about her enema use, which she did initially as part of an unsuccessful alternative therapy for cancer but also remarked upon how much they helped her “spastic colon,” the old-school term for what’s now called IBS. Above board could also be a pun: for a while the guest bath had her Colema board in it, an incredibly unsubtle device that even now seems like a terrible contraption to (otherwise enema loving) me.

I was aware my father had discovered enemas through her, had a bag as did I, and possibly disappeared to take one or two while I still lived at home, but he really didn’t speak of it. After my mom died and I left for grad school, there were signs like his moving the water distiller from the kitchen into the bathroom that made me strongly suspect it was a family pastime, and from a few conversations when I was firmly an adult I had the impression he struggled periodically but mightily with colonic motility.

From cleaning out the familial home, it seemed my dad did pitch his equipment before he died so must at least have wanted to keep it private or perhaps felt some shame.

Having inherited my parents’ functional colonic issues, I’m certainly glad my mother introduced me to the procedure and was matter-of-fact enough about it that I could be, too.

Colema board @Sweetest_Relief! That's a new one on me. I had to look it up. Even though I have enjoyed enemas off and on since I was a child, I am such an enema virgin.

I know that my mother took enemas (but I’m unsure of how frequently) because I walked into our only bathroom once when she was sitting on the toilet taking one. I was about 8 years old at the time. Another time (unsure how old I was) I needed to pee but the bathroom door was locked. My mother told me I’d have to wait awhile longer to use the bathroom because my father was taking an enema.

Years later when I visited my parents, my father told me about the horrors of having recently taken three very large enemas in preparation for a sigmoidoscopy. He showed me the clear enema bag he was required to use. This disposable enema bag looked like it held at least 3 liters. He told me how difficult it was to take the entire bag, not once, but three times. I suspect my father had previously never taken an enema larger than 2 quarts.

Even though my parents used enemas, they never gave me one. My mother was a huge fan of giving me frequent glycerin suppositories, however, which I hated with a passion because she forced me to retain them for 45 minutes to an hour while I begged to use the toilet.

Back in those days, enemas were an often prescribed treatment by doctors, and also by their nurses who were front line care givers. In our family, housecalls were common due to mom and grandma not driving. Over time, an enema was as common as aspirin and cough syrup and we kids knew that a phone call to the doctor was a sure sign that an enema was imminent.

It wasn't until we kids were a bit older that mom and grandma explained the use of enemas in treating different maladies. Our dad and grandpa also talked of some of their own experiences. In one discussion, they were talking about erections and how a nurse would flip the penis to make it retract. It was apparent that an enema triggered those involuntary reactions.

It was very apparent that an enema was very common, and confirmed by the wet enema bag as it dripped dry from it's usual perch. The real mystery was when it had disappeared for a day or two. Obviously, mom had lent it out.

BTW, those Colema Boards were developed and heavily marketed by a fairly close neighbor in my neck of the desert. I almost bought one but decided that it would be awkward in limited bathroom space.

It was far more simple to rig an "enema chair" that served as a comfortable way to take enemas in the shower as desired.

@sse4fun not to derail the thread, but either one of those kits is a commitment to letting anyone who sees your bathroom know you take enemas. I can’t imagine what fantastical rig it would take, and what features it’d need to have, before I’d feel it was a good trade to sacrifice that much privacy.

I do have pictures in my photo album of my enema chair. It is very simple and uses household items. The upside is that it can be disassembled in moments inasmuch as a typical pvc patio chair is the base. Nobody is the wiser.

Those sit on enema bags were fun, but began leaking pretty soon. This chair was thought out in one of those enema moments that some of us experience in times of horny boredom.

I would hope that you can enjoy some enemas for those particular times, aside from the more practical needs. Enemassage cums to mind!

Not to be argumentative @sse4fun , but enema chairs to me seem awkward from the standpoint of taking enemas against gravity, sort of similar to standing up. I guess with enough water pressure it works. They do make it easier to expel, not having to sprint to the bathroom or out of the tub without tripping on the bath carpet.

@sse4fun I accomplished something similar but different by building a shower bench and room to lie on the shower floor into the one and only bathroom I designed, then using a can and a Higginson. One can take an enema in several positions; everything embarrassing can stow temporarily away in 3 minutes.

Anything more and a Keystone Cops sequence would be in store for me if someone said company was in the driveway. I bungle basically everything when in a hurry, and I’m sure a nozzle would incriminatingly roll from somewhere at the worst moment.

Having done that, I still far prefer recumbent in the bed.

But I do salute your general ingenuity, sir. 😊

By no means, is the enema chair, my enema shower stool, or other contraption, my favorite way to get an enema. I mentioned boredom as an impetus for my inventions that were merely simple ways to allow the administration of a couple of quarts of solution.

Enemassage is by far my favorite way to indulge in this rather unique pleasure. The downside is that it necessitates an adept enema giver who can also rub away the soreness in the various muscle groups etc.

Solo enemas are quite effective, but I've never figured out to massage the larger muscle groups. Those simultaneous modalities are truly the most therapeutic!

Yes, Mom regularly took enemas and douched. She usually waited till it was our bedtime. I knew when she was getting ready, or if she already did the night before. I had no clue what the red bag, or bulb was for, but finally took a peak past the door that wasn't completely closed and sometimes saw her douching over the toilet, or bent over taking an enema. Once we were in bed she figured we were asleep. I kept hearing flushing and eventually the shower or bathtub. The bag wet and hanging out to dry and mom emerging wearing a bathrobe.