Enemas for Colonoscopy Prep

Since I love taking/getting large warm enemas, I wonder if a person could prep for a colonoscopy using only enemas and a clear liquid diet. Has anyone done this? If so, what procedure have you used - volume, number of enemas, timing etc.

Given the awfulness of the usual prep it would be nice to enjoy the sexual gratification of enemas while doing a medically necessary theing.

As you can guess, I am scheduled for a colonoscopy in a couple of weekws.

Even if you find out from someone on the internet that it is possible, I would discuss it with your Doctor before trying to do it. You don't want to wind up with the scope snaked up your ass and they find out you are not clean enough. It would be a terrible waste of time and money.

I asked my gastroenterologist about that and he told me that enemas just don't get up there far enough. I suspect he was talking about the fleet or the little drugstore bags. But I'd sooner have some nice enemas than sit on the toilet all day after drinking that "Go Lytely."

Actually, I have talked to my doc about it. He was of the opinion that enemas wouldn't get far enough to clean out the entire bowel. But doctors in Europe have been experimenting with MRI colonoscopies. To do this they give the patient a 2.5-3 liter enema so that the entire bowel is filled and expanded. So it would seem that after a few cleansing enema of about 2 liters, a 2-3 liter enema would certainly reach the end of the bowel. But still I'd like to hear from someone who has actually tried it before I become the guinea pig.

Spoke with my doc before my last colonscopy and all he did was to extend the prep so that i started on clear liquids earlier (In this case two days) and had an enema on the first evening and following morning. Then the go-lytly during the day with an enema that evening and the next morning before the procedure (Which as at 11Am). other than getting up earlier on the last day to be sure that everything had drained out, there was no problem and, aside from the taste, no cramps from the go-lytly. The doctor remarked afterwards that i had the cleanest bowel he had seen in quite a while--and I felt better.

My last colonoscopy was in november, i hate that stuff they give you to drink so i fasted 2 days and took an enema in the morning and one in the evening and the morning of ( and no i didnt ask my gi doc, she probably would have laughed) but i asked her after if i was clean enough and she replied yes........so from now on, that is my prep.

An enema or two (or more) would be ever so preferable to that awful stuff you take orally Seems to be the long way about getting to your bottom.

klyster3

The go-lytely was way to "light" for my system and really did a bad (I was going to say crappy!) job of cleaning things out. The fellow who performed the colonoscopy was less than happy and let me know about it after I woke up. Seems like there has to be a better method for cleaning out than trying to drink that stuff - it's awful, flavored or not.

Thanks everyone. It does sound like enemas would work as long as you fast. I suspect that the key to success is to have a large volume enema as close to the procedure as possible. That might be an argument for scheduling it later in the day.

I wasn't about to drink that nasty stuff for my last colonoscopy. I scheduled two colonics prior to my last one. I started the clear liquids a day early and used enemas at home. The day before, I had a colonic in the late afternoon and then another in the morning a few hours before. I did the colonoscopy without sedation and carried on a good conversation throughout the procedure as I watched on the screen. All worked out very well.

I don't think that enemas alone will give a complete cleanout. A laxative of some sort will be needed.

Janet S

Anything would be better than drinking thst foul mixture. Last one i had i ended up 'praying to the porcelian God' all night. Never again!!!!!!!!!!

For some reason the last several colonoscopies I hae had didn't use the enemas. As previously stated you had to drink this terrible tasting gallon of liquid and eventually as you were drinking it you were going from the other end. What a process. I don't know who developed this but I bet they never used it. Seems like things are always easy for the person that doesn't have to do it. Maybe I should change Doctors!

Since having colon cancer 12 yrs. ago, I get scoped every 3 yrs. and they always find polyps that they remove. I've tried every prep. I could find and the ONLY one that got me ready for scoping was the PEG solutions; not fun ' cause I always endup dribbling in bed during sleep-I hate that! I've tried adult Depends but the liquid seeps out around the edges. You HAVE to get the small bowel clean too, or it will drip down into the large bowel by the time scoping begins and the gastro. will have to "ride" the suction button on the scope, or reschedule you.

The PEG solutions were invented because insurance cos. would not pay for the old 2 day prep. in hospitals, when oral citrate of mag. and enemas 'til clear were done by nursing. In the AM before your appt. you got another enema to take care of anything that came down at night. Insurances insisted that patients prep. at home , not at $1000./night in a hospital. The gastros. tried to get patients dto do the enemas 'til clear at home and it never happened. The would take maybe 2-3 enemas and stop. The drug companies saw a need and a profit factor, so they came up with propyletheline glycol liquid, after they tried liquid manitol (artificial sweetener), which did a fairlly good job and is still used in Europe via NG tube in a hospital. PEG solutions work because they can't be absorbed by the stomach or small bowel and they run straight through.

So it's like a "top-down enema" that gets everything. I worked for a company that came up with a 4 tablet replacement for PEG solutions and it worked well and patients liked it, until they saw the price, $40.00/ tab.! That ended that! The "dummies" in our pricing dept. really screwed that up! Gastro's wouldn't go near the drug after that and we withdrew it from the market, instead of cutting the price. We in sales were really pissed, because we worked our butts off convincing the gastro's to use the tabs. We had a "winner", but price killed it.

Since surgery and radiation, I have a constricture in the mid transverse, which stopps the PEG solution from exiting. My right side gets painfully full and won't release. I take one tap water enema of about one quart and that will expand the stricture and release about a gallon of solution all at once. You can't imagine the relief. But then the gastro. complains I have a":wet bowel" and he has to suction alot. But at least I'm clean.

Drug companies are constantly trying to improve the taste of the PEG solution and it is getting better; the old GO-LYTELY, was really bad and if patients drank it too fast, they would fill their stomachs before the liquid passed though and vomit. So, pay attention to the instructions on the solutions and drink it at the prescribed rate to avoid nausea & vomiting.

I am 59 and have had two colonoscopies, both with the same gastro doctor. The first time, they gave me a choice of go lightly or pills and preferred go lightly, and told me to take an enema in the morning before the test. The second time, I was given half lightly, and no enema was prescribed. My advice, no matter what method you use, is to go on liquids, like clear chicken broth two days before the test, so there is less to get rid of. I only wish they would prescribe enemas till clear at home, and then I could get a lady friend to help me with it, telling her the doctor ordered it.

I have had 2 colonoscopies and I did the terrible same prep both times. For the first one I took an enema after I finished all the prep and the doctor commented I was really cleaned out. However, for the second one the doctor told my wife I was not very well cleaned out. I did not take an enema for this one. I asked before the second one if I could take enemas instead of the prep and was told all that would do is clean out the lower colon. With several large volume enemas I believe I would get the necessary result. And the good thing about doing only enemas and not the prep, I would enjoy the enemas as compared to the terrible very salty tasting prep. If the prep consisted of only the 4 laxitative pills and then enemas, I believe the result would be a cleaned out colon.

Bill

I have Crohn's disease & have had a yearly colonoscopy since the first one in 1979. Here's what works best for me (YMMV):

Clear liquids starting 36 hours prior to the day of the procedure. Eight hours later, ONE dose of the awful liquid prep to clear the small intestine. Then, I start with enemas. We use a Sherema 4 Qt bag and start out with a series of 3 enemas, 2 mild soapy 2 Qt enemas, followed by a larger saline rinse. We usually do 3 series of three enemas the day before the procedure.

We increase the volume of each series of enemas, usually getting up to 3 or 3.5 Qts. Only 3 or 4 times have I managed to empty the entire 4 Qts from the big red bag. On the day of the procedure, We will do another series of three large volume enemas to get everything squeaky clean.

The nozzles used are a Wally Woodcutter douche nozzle and a 30" silicone colon tube. Bless her heart, my wife administers and provides "entertainment" to help me take the enemas, especially the larger ones. Nothing like a nice, slow BJ while the douche nozzle slides in....and out........

My GI doc once commented on how well the prep worked. When we were alone, I told him about my prep. He didn't have a problem with it. I told him about my use of enemas when I first started seeing him in 1979. His response was that if they were helping with symptoms or just making me feel better, have at it. Just not more than 2 series of 3 enemas per week & always use 1 tsp of salt per Qt to prevent electrolyte imbalance.

Vapor

There have been a couple of studies done on colonic hydrotherapy for colonoscopy prep. Turns out a colonic works BETTER than the laxative prep!

I have also read about the study, so I did a colonic the day before my last one, and only did Mag Citrate with 3 enemas in the morning, went fine. Also, I am a diabetic so I have to be careful of calorie intake.

Having colonics sounds like a good idea, but they cost a lot and insurance doesn't pay for them. Since the last time I was scoped I heard the Gastro. say I wasn't very clean, even though I followed his instructions to a "T". My next scoping will be in about 9 months (every 3 yrs.). I am going to follow instructions exactly, then in the A.M., do a 2.5 liter saline enema, after all the P.E.G. solution has exited. I won't tell the gastro. what I did and I'll ask him if I was clean. If he says yes, I'll tell him my additional prep. and remind him that the last scoping yielded a not so clean bowel, in spite of following instructions perfectly. I'll see what he has to say about a final enema before being scoped.

My gastro. is unusual in that he was diagnosed with colon cancer when he was about 43 yrs. old. He had a resection and has been cancer free for over 5 yrs. He has to be scoped every 3 yrs. like me. I'm sure he has one of his partners do it

(there are 16 gastros. in the practice). I think he has an appreciation for his patients that other gastros. don't have.

When my Dad had his colonoscopy a few weeks ago, I had to drive him to his appointment and back. He told me at that time that he had done an Epsom Salt and Soapsuds enema about 3 hours before starting on the prep the doctors gave him.

The purpose of the drink is threefold: it increases the peristaltic activity of the intestine, it flushes (of course) and it increases ions in the intestine so osmosis will tend to make water migrate from the body into the intestine faster than it migrates out. (At least i think i have this right)

So, we don't want to try to replace the drink with enemas because that won't do anything above where the enema solution reaches with the result that material higher up will keep traveling into the lower intestine.

But, I have found that an enema at the end of the standard electrolyte prep does a good job of removing residual matter AND it reduces the ionic content of the colon. When the ionic content drops, the osmatic diffusion into the colon slows markedly or stops with result that those last annoying trips to the potty end. Thus you can set off for the hospital w/o stopping at every filling station on the way.

I have only done this once (in my last colonoscopy) and after that one the report noted an especially clean field.

So the answer is both, but liquids first.

BTW. On my second colonoscopy a biopsy of removed polyps found cancerous cells within a millimeter of the intestinal wall. So they took out a couple hundred feet of colon. That was 7 years ago and polyps have not returned in remaining yardage. Doc tells me that by now had they not replumbed me, I would sure have been dead. As far as function, things are pretty much the same; made practically no difference.

Get your appointment now. You've put it off long enough.

I take enemas alog with the drinking the prep. I have had three.

From Medscape Daily News: FDA Approves Low-Volume Bowel Preparation. The site is http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/767655?sssdmh=dm1.803855&src=nldne. You may have to join Medscape but it's free. You can also subscribe to various topics, like if your have chronic kidney failure, you can subscribe to kidney news.

I just had a colonoscopy last week and would like to add to the discussion here. The prep I was assigned was the day before to start with 2 Dulcolax pills at 4pm. Then drink 10 oz of Mag Citrate at 5pm, then at 6pm starting 8 oz glasses of Miralax dissolved in Gatorade, for a total of 32 oz. I was able to go and was not too bad to drink. I used a straw to minimize the taste. I was able to purge out quite a bit, and started about 6:25pm.

The next morning I had to get up early, 6 hours before the procedure, and start drinking the remainder every 15 minutes until gone. The runs started within 10 minutes of drinking the first glass. The runs continued for about 1 1/2 hours and then stopped. My last output was not clear. I called the doctors office to talk to the advice nurse, per the instruction sheet I was given. I told her what was going on and said that we may need to reschedule the procedure! I said that I REALLY do not want to do that.

She asked if I had any Miralax or Mag Citrate in the house, and said no. And the instructions said no liquid for 4 hours prior to the exam, which is where we were on the clock. My wife who is ANTI-enema, wants nothing to do with them, suggested while I was on the phone with the nurse about taking an enema. I was floored! The nurse asked if I had a Fleet's enema at home and told her that I did not, but do have a kit for a tap water enema.

She called me back and after asking the doctor and he told me to do the tap water enema. My wife was excited for me! She knows how much I like enemas.

I am so glad I did, as I got out a nice plug of you know what, and was totally clear for my procedure.

The next time, I will be incorporating an enema into the prep. Hey, this was doctor approved.

This was my second colonoscopy and I struggled with the first prep 10 years ago. I need to go back in 5 years, and will be using an enema at the beginning of the prep and the last thing of the prep.

Hope this helps you.

I had my last colonoscopy last year and it was not my first. One thing I learned was to take a couple of strong enemas before starting all the chemicals. If the enemas are done well, you will be running clear with about half of the chemicals. I have always been plenty clear for the colonoscopy and I would rather use enemas over the harsh chemicals.

Colon Hydrotherapy is the way to go. It completely cleans the entire colon. There's no way I would ever drink the crap they want you to drink, and go through that ridiculous prep.

I am not big on the chemical aspect either so couple of plain water enemas do the trick for me to start. Then you can usually get by with half of the junk they want you to drink. Never had a problem with this approach.

I read one way to do prep was to take a small bottle of Mira-lax or Clear-lax and mix the whole bottle in 64 oz. of Gatoraid. It should be clear or blue Gatoraid. You mix that up, put it in the fridg to chill. then you take 3 to 6 Ducolax tablets. All this is on an empty stomach. If you took 2 Ducolax tables to help you go, then you double your normal dosage. As you start to feel the Ducolax tables work, you start drinking the Gatoraid mix till gone. I have done this a couple of times, it is very efficient. Then a nice high enema of as much as you can hold, remember, no pain, Take a couple of high enemas, I would do 4 or more, just cause I like enemas. That way you will be really clean through and through.

Of course fasting or a liquid diet before hand, helps a lot. I enjoyed my prep a lot. Most people don't, but when finished I feel so clean inside and out.

Drinking that stuff is just the worst thing; I was thinking that fasting of course and a light liquid diet for 3 days and a colonic each day would be enough to please the MD. I expect the CHs in the group to cheer this and the MDs to pan it. I'd be please to hear, in addition to the above, from those who have tried CH only as a prep for a colonoscopy. I rather that than the chemicals or the drugs.