For several weeks in my 20s, I had a home health RN care for me when recovering from an accident. She was only 23, I was 22, and I learned a lot from her.
She said to use a water-based lube like KY, but Vaseline is OK, just put a dab on the tip, not the whole suppository. True, it might melt a little slower if it’s covered with Vaseline, but it will still work.
She gave me Phenergan rectally for nausea and upset stomach. I was anxious and clenched up. She held the tip of the suppository against my anus for a couple of seconds to relax the opening, then quickly pushed the supp inside and against the side of my rectum for a few seconds so it would melt faster. She wore a surgical glove, and I felt the entire length of her first finger inside me. That’s the way it’s done, she joked.
I remembered that lesson with my family on occasion through the years. A finger cot works, and I was always careful to trim that particular fingernail, whether self administering a suppository, one of the girls, or a reluctant husband.