Simple medical question about enemas

Been wondering about this for a while: My doctor prescribes medications for me that absolutely do their job but constipate me terribly. I mean giving birth to baseballs. Her solution is to prescribe stool softeners or laxatives which either don’t work at all or strike at the worst possible moments. I don’t want to load my shorts during a conversation so I walk like a penguin to the nearest rest room….if there actually is one. Can anyone relate? Yet doctors are not in favor of enemas.Why? I’ve been taking enemas for years and I’m not going to lie..YES, they‘re still a turn on for me but they also let ME decide when I poop. I don’t have to wait around until a laxative decides to kick in. I take an enema and go on about my day.,

That's no question, that's a fact :-)

I agree, either the laxative isnt strong enough, or it will work, but you might have to wait 3 or 4 hours till it works with a vengeance, enemas on the other hand are cheap for home use, and tend to be over and one in minutes, then on with your day, i think the drs are in league with the drug companies.

It sounds like you have kind of answered your own question.

Enemas seem to be the best option for you and your constipation vs. laxatives.

I would stick with the enemas and forego the laxatives. It's your body and you know how laxatives make you feel and how enemas work to relieve your constipation and it sounds like you have a track record with enemas.

As far as what doctors say, they are just repeating the same narrative they heard over and over again in med school. I would be willing to speculate very few have any clinical experience with patients using enemas as an option to laxatives so they keep repeating the “enemas can be harmful” message.

I say just use the enemas for your constipation.

Fortunately I've never had a problem with constipation. I know some are more prone to getting constipated due to drugs, diet, and just the way their body works. For me, a healthy diet seems to keep things moving naturally and keeps me from getting backed up. Enemas are fun, but if I were constipated, I would first try to correct the cause, not just the symptom. Diet and exercise first (fiber, prunes, more water, etc.) An enema would be next, but I would not want to make a habit of depending on them (for anything other than fun) vs maintaining regular BMs through diet.

Growing up I don't ever recall my mom having laxatives in the house. There were a couple of occasions when she began to think that preparing and giving an enema was too much work so we were given a suppository instead. The problem was that they didn't give the results that mom would have liked so even after a suppository she would get out the enema bag.

Laxatives seem to be a major chemical attack on your body, while a warm tap water enema seems to me a much safer approach to elimination. Especially, since water is a natural part of our bodies. I would use the smallest volume water enema to get things moving, even if on a daily basis. Maybe a probiotic implant solution, to support your colon flora.

Depends on the doctor I guess. When I first developed chronic constipation I consulted a GI physician. He put me on various IBS drugs and PEG. The results were as you described, messy, unreliable and off-putting. I gradually replaced the drugs with regular enemas, which resulted in thorough emptying and a satisfying feeling. His PA had one suggestion that I stop using a baking soda solution and switch to using soap in my enemas. There was also a concern that I was using Fleets, but I explained it was a water enema. Subsequently my PCP (old and new) are fine with my enema use, as I explained it was a quality of life issue. My original PCP was an old school DO and familiar with enemas, my brand new doctor is recently out of medical school and she too is okay with enemas.

This isn’t even a question, enemas work way better then a laxative that can strike at any time, way better IMHO to have an enema routine where you can control the timing and such to avoid a blow out and know exactly when to expect results… this whole mentality in our medical field that there’s a pill for that instead of looking towards more gentle ways to solve issues that get the same results without the side effects is a real issue in current times.

Enemas do carry a significant risk of complications despite their seemingly benign appearance to users. When inserting the enema tube, perforation and anal tissue trauma are possible, a risk that increases with age.

It is unusual that stool softeners do not moderate the hard stools. That they are not working suggests you may have other gi tract issues in play that have yet to be identified. It all may be due to simple age related changes in the colon or more serious issues.

You may also want to see a colorectal surgeon or specialist. They are often in a better position to critically evaluate difficulties with oral stool softeners and laxatives creating drug induced incontinence issues and they are more familiar with using lower lavage for bowel management to mitigate inconvenient timing.

I’ve been through two back surgeries. I was given hydrocodone and oxycodone for pain while waiting weeks for surgery. I was told buy laxities, stool softener etc. I felt fortunate that I had a “thing” for enemas. They worked immediately, compared to pills. So every few days I used an enema. Problem solved.

While i was taught enema appreciation as from an infant. I quit that when i was 18 and on my own, even a hobo for the first 6 months. So military draft was an adventure to me, a challenge, and a test of endurance as well. I picked up my enema appreciation again at 55, following a severe accident that put me in a hospital for a month and out of work for another 3 months. They are good for me, though my smart doctor thinks i am odd. I like him a lot, he is great. But i have to be me and i need enemas. Like many have already said, it is convenient, accurate, and i believe wholesome as well. I have never had a general appreciation for conventional social entertainment, though i am well entertained and like people a lot. Maybe enema base ball, but not Base Ball at all! Go figure? You can't. Keep it simple, but not too simple. I was disappointed to learn that mom had turned to Milk of Magnesia and occasionally embarrassed herself. Mom never asked me to give her an enema after leaving home. Not that i wanted to, but i think that would have been better than MoM, maybe. Neither of us ever brought it up, but looking back, i am a little ashamed of myself for not being a little more compassionate, all things considered.

Can anyone relate? Yet doctors are not in favor of enemas.Why? I’ve been taking enemas for years and I’m not going to lie..YES, they‘re still a turn on for me but they also let ME decide when I poop. I don’t have to wait around until a laxative decides to kick in. I take an enema and go on about my day.,

YES I totally relate. I'm in my seventies and my bowels can't move on their own without help. I am addicted to enemas because I HATE LAXATIVES! I take 2 to 3 bags of hot (extremely warm) Ivory soap solution every 3 to 4 days for a good cleanout of my bowels. It gets the job done and my stomach feels so much better. I am one of the enema ladies who keeps my.enema bag very close at hand.

I think and have read this, too, that the reason today's doctors don't prescribe enemas is because they are not taught in medical school about the benefits of them. Big Pharma came up with all the laxatives and stool softeners and Fleet Enemas years ago and have pushed doctors to recommend and prescribe them instead of an enema. The first time I ever saw a Fleet Enema, was when the nurse came in my room in the mid 1970s and gave me a Fleet Enema to prep ne for minor surgery the next morning. The in the late 1990s, I had a kidney removed, major surgery, and was not given any enemas before or after my surgery. I was constipated before I went in and after four days was even more so. They just kept me in there until I had a BM and then let me go home. The same thing with my daughter and her brain surgery in the early 2000s. No concern about her bowels at all and no enemas, laxatives or anything else.

Also, consider the time it takes for a nurse to prepare and give you an tap water enema or a soapsuds enema in the hospital. It takes much longer give a large volume water enema than to hand you a Fleet Enema and you give it to yourself or hand you a paper cup with some stool softener or a laxative. Enemas fell out of favor in hospitals because of the cost involved and they were being pushed by insurance companies to cut costs. Younger doctors just never got in the habit of recommending a “good enema' to patients since they, too, are pushed to ”sell" drugs from Big Pharma.

So Darth and Moms Egirl, keep taking your enemas and enjoy them and know that there are a lot of us out here that either use enemas for health and/or pleasure or like me, wish they had a spouse that liked them, too, or at least didn't mind if I took enemas. Unfortunately she does mind and thinks they are perverted and dangerous (that old perforated rectum or colon you read about in the newspaper when enemas come up), hence my user name, "highndry". Personally I think we would all be healthier if we used enemas like our Moms and Grandmothers did in the 1960s and before. And we would have a lot more fun with enemas, too!!!

In addition to several thoughtful and accurate responses, consider the “yucky barrier” — an aversion that many people have about the "dreaded enema."

My naturopathic doctor, who is a godsend in treating my GI issues, does on occasion prescribe enemas in her practice, but getting her patients to do them is, well…challenging, she says.

Especially sensitive are younger women who come to her with digestive problems. Stress-related bowel issues are particularly common these days. The thought of taking enemas and putting a tube with medication or healing solutions up their behind is not a subject they feel comfortable talking about. Some women are Dr. T says it takes a while to get over the yucky barrier, but once they do and the protocol is working, most grow to tolerate or like, some even enjoy the enemas.

Hmm, I wonder why?

In defense of the clinical systems:

On a large scale, enemas should be a home or family remedy in general. When you consider necessary clinical risk management, they already have eliminated much of their general urinary catheter procedures they used to do only 20 years ago, if that long. Proper enema works are admittedly labor intensive. There are also, so many variables they can not predict or be responsible with. Like my pet peeve: "Made in China enema kits". What could possibly be wrong with that? Right ??? Sniff inside and smack yer-self up side of your noggin!