Mega colon

Hi, ive been taking maybe weekly enemas for years, im 57 now, started when i was late teens, i recently had a barium enema in the hospital, they were a bit suprised as they had to use a second bag of the mixture, rhe results came back with no problems found, apart from having a large colon.

One of the problems i do get is the poop building up inside me , forming a lump thats bigger than my bum hole, causing issues, mainly because i get no feelings a lot of the time , that i need to go.

Have recently had a gall bladder removal op and just been diagnosed with parkinsons, both of which it seems can upset bowel function, so now i swing from serious constipation or the trots.

Anyone any thoughts on this, ive heard of megga colon, is this whats happening to me ? does it mean a big colon ?

Mega colon can be INDUCED by repeated large enemas, or it can occur genetically. Either way, once you have it, you absorb water faster into your bloodstream. You have to be careful not to overload your system, can cause a lot of problems.

I have mega colon. I seem to recall that it can either be congenital or acquired. Mine was diagnosed by a barium enema when I was 15. I doubt that enemas caused mine since I had only had maybe a few dozen at that point in my life. I had a lot of constipation as a kid, which was made worse by my withholding. So it is hard to say whether the constipation caused the megacolon or congenital mega colon was why I was always constipated. My colon is also about a foot longer than normal and has an extra loop. This was discovered during a colonoscopy.

Like you, I had a barium enema where the technicians ran out of barium in the bag before they could completely fill my colon. They had to mix more solution to add to the bag while I had to just lay there on the table for an extra ten minutes that seemed like an hour. My stomach was cramping and they kept telling me to relax. At least the inflated balloon tip kept me from evacuating all over the table.

From what I was able to find reading about megacolon (or megalocolon as it's also called) is that it is mostly an inherited condition (you simply have a major-league colon) or that it is caused by prolonged constipation over many years. It affects mostly the sigmoid colon and usually leads to more constipation, as the stretched sigmoid doesn't have effective muscle tone with powerful enough peristalsis to move the crap out.

Logic tells me that repeated large-volume enemas over prolonged periods probably also have the potential to stretch and enlarge the colon. But people like Kellogg who used these reported strengthening and toning of the gut muscles, quite the opposite of the colon becoming flabby and non-responsive.

So, what are we to believe? Fuck knows - there are as many opinions as there are people, I suppose. :-\\

Don't know about having a meg-colon, but wonder if my beer-belly is the result of lifelong enemas. Been taking full-bag Ivory soap enemas since a teen; now 70. I love seeing my belly full distended - in my 50's I seemed to develop a beer belly, but funny thing, I'm not fat otherwise, and am very active.

My other thought is that was when I began taking Lipitor, and wonder if that played a part...

With all the soapy enemas, little things like a Fleet have no effect.... ha!

I hate to have to say it, but the food you consume is the cause of your belly--not enemas.

It is common for men to have a "beer belly" and not look fat elsewhere on their body.

Men tend to store fat on the inside of the abdomen - around the kidneys and other organs and the omentum. Men are "fat on the inside" - women are "fat on the outside." You can't "diagnose" megacolon in anybody purely from their having a beer belly.

Reports state that Elvis Presley had a mega colon and years of constipation. The stool mass was hard to evacuate. He used laxatives and resorted to frequent enemas. He apparently died of heart failure straining on the toilet. There was one report that an enema bag was in the bathroom too. Quite honestly, your best reference in your case is a competent gastroenterologist. You might also consider your diet and consult a dietician. Do not ignore the signs and symptoms. Enjoy a long, happy life.

As reported before, I also have a "megacolon". It was discovered while in the service; On a flight to Japan and back to MCAS El Toro I went without bowel movements for the 18 day trip. I was taken over to Sick Bay and had the stuff DUG outto me. When finally cleared the Flight Surgeon said that he wanted to see what he was dealing with and ordered a Barium Enema. (1956) He then came into my room with a bunch of films remarking, "I've always heard that you Marines have a lot of guts...this is the first time that I've seen physical evidence!"

Hwe went on to say that he believed it was a birth defect...but it certainly explained how come my childhood consisted of constipation and seeking cures. Oh well, WTFO!

the boxcar

My father had parkinsons i learned a lot and can help you there and enemas at the late stages keep him going and no on the mega colon i,m 50s and have done enemas every day since teens too and my colon is very strong and small in size it holds around 2qts

Tummypro--

I was diagnosed with Parkinson's about two years ago and take metamusil to counteract the effects of the medications I take, so I have no constipation problems at this time.

Please tell me how your father's case affected bowel related matters and how enemas fitted into things. You may reply either here in the forum or by sending me a personal message.

hankb

There comes a point where all those repeated distentions of the colon will result in the colon failing to properly retract back to it's original size and shape.

It is NOT at the same level as megacolon, but it IS permanent..

I took my first 4-qt enema, and it was painful. From then on it has always taken a 3-qt enema to produce the same sensation, and the same effect as a 2-qt enema always produced before that. Even though I'd had a couple of years of 3-qt enemas by that time.

After a multi-enema session I always put on one of th girdles I wear to work for the rest of the day just to kinda push it all back together.

There are many causes of megacolon including Hirschsprung's disease (congenital) various infectious processes and so on. Enemas do not cause megacolon. Check it out.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megacolon

Thank you liquidsky. We finally get some info from a medical expert. I didn't think enemas caused acquired megacolon, but wasn't sure, until now.

I don't know whether or not I have megacolon, but my standard volume is 4 quarts and I've taken (or have been given) 5 quarts a few dozen times. Just what volume defines "megacolon?"

Megacolon is a medical condition, and is NOT caused by enemas. The average human colon can hold about 6 qts without rupturing. With repeated enemas, slowly inccreasing the volume, some can take 8 qts, 2 gallons. These very large volumes are risky, as a weakness in your colon wall might rupture, leading to peritonitis. That requires at best a hospital stay and at worst, a funeral. Megacolon is a condition which is genetic, and sufferers have digeative problems, chronic constipation and yes, the abilyty to take larger enemas.

Megacolon is a medical condition, and is NOT caused by enemas. The average human colon can hold about 6 qts without rupturing. With repeated enemas, slowly inccreasing the volume, some can take 8 qts, 2 gallons. These very large volumes are risky, as a weakness in your colon wall might rupture, leading to peritonitis. That requires at best a hospital stay and at worst, a funeral. Megacolon is a condition which is genetic, and sufferers have digeative problems, chronic constipation and yes, the abilyty to take larger enemas.

I guess you never heard of acquired megacolon.

Significant and repeated stretching of the colon by increasingly large enemas can definitely cause acquired megacolon just like chronic constipation.

I'm not getting into how much the colon can hold because a lot of those statements are based in fantasy.

Rupture your colon, and your hospital stay will include a laparoscopy of your entire abdomen to make sure it is clean of fecal debris and your being discharged with a colostomy or ileostomy bag depending on where you perforate.

I would be VERY LEERY of what lay know-it-alls say on this topic.

The life you save will be your own.

This is an interesting topic: Genetic vs. acquired megacolon. Maybe some of our physician members could comment on this?

There is no such thing as genetic megacolon as such. Hirschsprung's disease is a dilated non peristalsing colon from congenital absence of myenteric plexus cells in the colon. Other causes are toxic megacolon from complications of ulcerative colitis. Idiopathic megacolon for which no cause is known. Megacolon as the result of Chagas' disease where loss of the myenteric plexus resembles Hirschsprung's. There are also drugs which cause megacolon. Enemas simply don't cause megacolon. Period.

I used to always enema laying down. Like a jerk reflex, almost. Then in my 60's I played with enemas while showering. This upright weight on my colon seems to have adjusted something. My lower pocket definitely has a larger capacity now.

Listen to switchable, she is very knowledgable.

I've never heard of acquired megacolon but I believe high volume enemas can cause an increase in capacity. I have a friend who, some years ago, was told he had a very high capacity colon following a barium enema, but I don't know if there was history to show enlargement over time.

For me it has always been quality, not quantity.

One of my favorite toys as been the Italian made Enteroplast, a very high quality 2500cc plastic container. I love to watch the level, part of what turns me on, and 2500cc is just fine. On the other side of the coin I had a female playmate that liked quantity, and at an Efest in Las Vegas in 2000 or 2001, managed to take over 5000cc, 2 plus Enteroplasts. There were witnesses, so this is not a fantasy. She came in second, the guy that won outweighed her by a factor of at least 3, maybe 4,

So she might very well empty a barium enema, but since they are a rarity these days we may never know.

My highest volume was just short of two 2 quart bags given to me by Mildred Burgess in her colonic clinic in Boston, I was in my 20s at the time, and while there was nothing overtly sexual it was clear Mildred loved giving enemas to me.

One of my favourite conventional bags, a Seiberling 3 quart that I have emptied a few times.

The gentleman in this article would have done well to be a member of this site. The lateral abdominal film is horrifying, along with the peritonitis that followed.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/08/explosive-case-of-poop-packed-megacolon-prompts-warning-from-doctors/

Health to all,

Vito

Repeated user of large enemas CAN cause the colon to lose some elasticity

There may even be some degree of permanent distention.

Not the same thing as megacolon, but can slow the whole process down, especially as you age.