I don't take that many 4-qt enemas. It's been a couple of years.
Let's face reality: A 4-qt enema WILL cause nausea and there WILL be at least a little pain.
When I do a 4-qt enema it's ALWAYS cleaned out!
12 hour fast. 6 hours of no caffeine, High dose of bisacodyl 2 hours before the start of the enema.
3-qt Epsom salt and soap suds to start then soapsuds only to clear. ALWAYS in knee-chest Position
Once a clear return is achieved, I ALWAYS wait at least an hour. The more rounds it took to get clear the longer I wait.
Last time it took me 5 rounds to get to the clear return and I waited a little over 2 hours. Easy on the physical activity. ABSOLUTELY NO solid food. Easy on the caffeine. Under NO circumstances should you wear any sort of girdle!
As for the 4-qt enema itself, I have a white, open-top 4-qt bag that I bought years ago.
I pour one whole jug of soapsuds in it, reach in with my hand, and break the soap up into small enough pieces that it will easily fit through the hose. I'm looking for something a little like syrup. I fill it the rest of the way with hot water and hang it over the bed.
I dig out the small dishpan from under the bed
Then I make sure nothing is left from the previous enemas. I also pee, just so no pressure is coming from the bladder
I attach the so-called “Barium Nozzle” which is really little more than a pre WWII straight douche nozzle with the tip cut off.
I get in Simms position with my head on one pillow, my hips on another and a third smaller pillow positioned so I don't roll too far over and end up putting pressure on the lower abdomen.
I lubricate the nozzle with a THIN coat of one of the many generics of KY Jelly. Now I'm NOT supposed to do this, but I always hold the nozzle straight up in the air and stare at it for a moment. Makes me feel funny in a good way. Then the voice inside me says “Lisa STOP THAT! You KNOW where it has to go. Get it there and don't think!”
I touch it to my rosebud, tilt it at a 45 degree angle, so it will be pointed towards the navel, take a deep breath, push it all the way in with one motion. Since no one else has ever been in the room for the 4-qt part, I am not sure how much I flinch, but my body DOES react!
I spend about 5-10 minutes getting relaxed, and in the right frame of mind. The voice inside my head is saying “Truth is, this IS going to hurt.”
I tell myself, “It will be uncomfortable!” but try not to think about it hurting, since the pain is not usually severe.
Then I check one last time on the position of the dishpan, so if things get rough I can just hang my head over the side of the bed.
I double-check my positioning and make sure the nozzle has stayed in
I relax another minute or so, then I put my hand on the valve, and take a few deep breaths. Always at least two, I take more if I think I need to.
Then, its the same as any other enema. Breathe in, hold it, when I hear the valve click breathe out, then just breathe. It comes fast! First second which seems like 30 seconds, nothing, then the feeling like every other enema, then another few seconds the bloating, then the “over full” feeling, then the “sucking” sound that you get from an open-top bag when it reaches empty. Then ALL AT THE SAME TIME my brain is saying “Lisa, your a champ, you got it all in.” It starts hurting, AND I start to feel like I can't hold it! Then there is a time where it is just the pain, and a more moderate urge to expel.
I've teared up more than once! Then the pain moderates, but does not go away and the nausea is there.
I just try to hold out as long as possible. If I get to 10m minutes I'm happy.
When I really am at spontaneous expulsion, I head tor the bathroom keeping the bag(The valve is OPEN) up high, face height or higher.
Most times, things go good and I make it to the toilet no problem. pull the nozzle out, and just let it flow. I quickly put the bag in the bathtub in case there is a little left.
ONLY IF I REALLY CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE TOILET I will lower the bag to my hips, and let it rush in. As soon as it stops (within the bathroom by that time) I hang the bag from the robe hook inside the door, drop to my knees and try to get the knee-chest position on the bathroom floor. There HAS BEEN that odd time where I have tried that and ended up with my head in the toilet, but normally I get it all back in. As soon as it starts to leak around the sides of the nozzle, which is usually not long, I stand up, unhook the bag, and put it in the bathtub wit the open end about 6 to 8 inches from the drain. I wait for it to stop before I pull the nozzle out and sit down on the toilet.
That's MY 4-qt enema Everybody is different!