Who got the evil, horrible, nasty 3H enema?

How was it given? How big was it? How many separate enemas? Termperature? How big was each? How old were you? How often did you get them?

I like this question something new I will give some thought before responding

The 3H enema was standard protocol in hospitals in the 50's when I was growing up and having to be in the hospital. Here is an earlier contribution of mine descrbing this on another post on this site.

My hospital enema true story: I had been given enemas from mom many times prior to my stay in the hospital. I was admitted to have my tonsils out. After visiting hours had ended the evening of having been admitted, the two teams of nurses (3 nurses to a team) were busy preparing the enemas and as they did, the rest of us young patients in the room (8 total occupied beds in the ward room) could see everything and hear everything.

Chatter began between patients- “oh, I've had this before”….. “here come our enemas”…. “why do we have to have enemas?” So, a number of patients knew what was coming- including me. About half of the patients did not. Those patients were the most upset and inconsolable. There was loud crying from those patients, about 3 of them and they did not do well during their enemas.

The young girl patient next to me- a car accident patient with apparently no broken bones but severe scrapes and lacerations all over her body had a serous accident during her enema that required extensive clean up. The young boy patient across from me cried and kicked the entire time so nurses were actively engaged in holding down his kicking legs and firmly holding in the enema nozzle deep into his white, smooth, pale bare bottom while he lay on his tummy getting his enema. A general shroud of high anxiety, emotions, nervousness and fear permeated the brightly lit children's ward room- approx. 65 years ago.

The 3 nurses to each team split their duties, one nurse managed the hose, clamp and nozzle, one nurse managed the enema stand and a third nurse held-down our legs firmly by the ankles to the mattress as we lay on our tummies being given our enemas. The first nurse would prepare the enema next to the bed by adding a green liquid soap solution from a squeeze bottle directly into the enema which made it extremely soapy sudsy.

After the enemas, the mood in the room was sombre and you could only hear sniffling and some continued crying. There was no discussion among the traumatized patients. After surgery I hemoraged. It required that I be kept hospitalized to control the bleeding which extended for a two-week period in the hospital. The hospital policy continued for me, along with the others who would come and go- which was two enemas daily. I was released from the hospital on the day that happened to be my birthday, I turned 6. This experience I have carried with me for my lifetime. I have been determined ever since to be a good little bare smooth pale white enema boy. https://en.zity.biz/gallery/image/16548 …..michael https://en.zity.biz/gallery/image/16551

My mom believed in the dreaded 3H enema. She gave them in the bathroom with the recipient in the knee-chest position. She used an enema bag filled with very warm, very soapy water. The volume varied according to the recipient's age. After about age 10, she administered the full 2 quarts and expected it to be held for 10 to 15 minutes. If the enema was expelled before that or she deemed the results inadequate, she repeated the enema.

@CP_and_Enemas just what is a “3H enema?”

High, Hot, and Helluva Lot! 4th H, Hold it!!

I see it mentioned here, as well in other threads, of getting an enema before having tonsils removed. For some reason, while I remember going to the hospital to have my tonsils and adenoids removed, I have no recollection of getting an enema. Considering this happened in the later 1940's, seems like I should have been given and enema. This is especially so considering how fearful my parents were of my becoming constipated.

My siblings and I got 3H enemas from our RN grandmother. They started the summer I turned nine. Her definition of a 3H enema was High, Hot, and Helluva lot. Consisting of one soapy enema and one rinse enema. We three liked enemas, but her 3H enemas were no fun at all. The first one I got was two full quarts when my normal was only one quart. She used a long colon tube, and it was completely inside me.

@Rick6981, l don't understand 3H enemas.

@Mikael22 said,

i don't understand 3H enemas.

My grandmother was a retired RN from the nineteen twenties through the nineteen thirties. I suggest you do your own research on 3H enemas. I’ve explained basically what they are.

@Mikael22 3H Enema - sort of a punishment enema for unlikeable patients.

High - hang they bag high for fast flow and/or make it go high up into the colon

Hot - uncomfortably warm

Hell of a Lot - maybe like 4 qts? Enough to be very uncomfortable.

Thank you for your explanations.

@Rigel said,

3H Enema - sort of a punishment enema for unlikeable patients.

My RN grandmother's definition of a 3H enema was:

High - Going high up in the colon using a colon tube.

Hot - Warmer than a person is normally accustomed too.

Helluva lot - More volume than a person is normally accustomed too.

They weren’t used as punishment. They were used to clean out your colon from cecum to rectum. During one of my grandmas 3H enemas the first one was a soapy enema using a colon tube. The second one was a rinse enema with salt and baking soda using a douche nozzle. The third, if needed, was a repeat of the second enema. Hold time for each was five minutes.

@wkobit

#3

The described process of such enemas would nowadays be considered child abuse...

But nevertheless I would be in the first row today to endure such a procedure...🤗😎

My mom gave me some punishment enemas, which she felt were necessary to put me back on track when I went wrong.

The "normal" enemas were administered with the well-known rubber bulbs, while these punishment enemas were administered either from a rubber bag or an enamel irrigator, where a longer rubber colon tube was located at the end of the tube. She had pushed this deep into my colon and transported a massive amount of warm soapy water into my interior. I had to hold it for at least 10 minutes. If I couldn't do that, the same procedure followed again.

The subsequent rinses of the same size with warm water for the purpose of rinsing out the soap were more like a "walk". Anyway, I suffered like a dog during these "treatments"...

Today I love it when my red lady gives me such enemas; only with the difference that we no longer use soap, but a tea mixture...

Still hoping to have the experience!

@wkobit

#3

The described process of such enemas would nowadays be considered child abuse...

But nevertheless I would be in the first row today to endure such a procedure...🤗😎

My mom gave me some punishment enemas, which she felt were necessary to put me back on track when I went wrong.

The "normal" enemas were administered with the well-known rubber bulbs, while these punishment enemas were administered either from a rubber bag or an enamel irrigator, where a longer rubber colon tube was located at the end of the tube. She had pushed this deep into my colon and transported a massive amount of warm soapy water into my interior. I had to hold it for at least 10 minutes. If I couldn't do that, the same procedure followed again.

The subsequent rinses of the same size with warm water for the purpose of rinsing out the soap were more like a "walk". Anyway, I suffered like a dog during these "treatments"...

Today I love it when my red lady gives me such enemas; only with the difference that we no longer use soap, but a tea mixture...

@Aquarius Child abuse- no doubt perhaps using today's standards. Back in the day however, enemas were considered necessary institutional procedures to be routinely ordered without reservation. Universal institutional compliance was the minimum expectation with no regard to other consequences. It all is obviously one of the many reasons I and many others are here on this site. https://en.zity.biz/gallery/image/16551

I remember well getting these. I was in the hospital a lot when I was little. I remember the other kids in the room. There were no screens. I remember looking around at the others, it would always start with rectal temps. You had to roll over on your belly and the nurse would come in and take the thermometer out of the holder beside the bed and put one in each of the up-turned butts.

She would return to the 1st kid and do vitals and ask questions, including “did you have a bm today”. If you answered no, an enema was in your future.

Some kids got the bottle. I don't think it was a fleets as the bottle was rectangular. A tube protruded from the cap. I think the nurse mixed them up. After the thermometers were removed the enemas started. Sometimes you got the bottle, sometimes you got the bag.

The bathroom was a community bathroom. The doors weren't very tall, I guessed so a nurse could look in. After the enemas everybody would run down the hall to expel.

If you got the big enema the nurse would take you down to the restroom carrying the dreaded bag. There was a big stall at one end. This was where they gave the big enemas. It had a low padded table & a toilet. You had to take your PJ bottoms off, get up on the table and bend over til your head touched the table. The enema was very big and hot.

I remember the smell of the soap and could feel the water going around inside me, I had to take the whole thing. The soap stung inside me while it went around inside, It was very crampy and the nurse (often a nun) would have to stop it for awhile. You had to take the whole thing or you would get another one. When it was over you had to hold it for a time. I remember shaking while holding. The nurse would squeeze my cheeks together. After holding what seemed like forever the cramps would go away for awhile then you could go sit on the toilet. When the flood was over you could go back to your room, but I remember having to run back to the bathroom several times afterwards. I don't remember how many of these I got but was definitely more than one. It was a dreadful feeling when the nurse showed up at you get it with that bag.