Anybody use enemas?
In a year and a half out from my take down and things overall are pretty good. I've used and enema less than a handful of times when things were just clogged up and every time they worked amazing. My question is this. Are there draw backs to using enemas? I swear I could do one a few times a week just to keep it all cleaned out but I'm not sure if that's advisable.
Any advice would be appreciated.
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If you have a problem emptying your pouch it's best to get it figured out, so you can make a more informed decision about how to manage it. For some issues tap water enemas might be the right choice. Your pouch doesn't need cleaning, though.
@Scott F posted:If you have a problem emptying your pouch it's best to get it figured out, so you can make a more informed decision about how to manage it. For some issues tap water enemas might be the right choice. Your pouch doesn't need cleaning, though.
Do you know if there are any issues associated with using enemas with a jpouch?
@Jaydog posted:Do you know if there are any issues associated with using enemas with a jpouch?
I don't honestly know. I'd be concerned about doing it all the time, particularly if it meant I was failing to identify and attend to a problem. I suspect it does no harm if limited to occasional enemas. OTOH, if you can empty an enema just fine maybe the stool is simply too thick.
@Scott F posted:I don't honestly know. I'd be concerned about doing it all the time, particularly if it meant I was failing to identify and attend to a problem. I suspect it does no harm if limited to occasional enemas. OTOH, if you can empty an enema just fine maybe the stool is simply too thick.
It's not really that I have a problem emptying. If I eat right and follow my routine I'm usually just fine. If I over eat that's when I tend to get jambed up. Usually I can do a good fast and that clears everything all up but a enema is a much faster option.
I use warm water enemas daily, approved by GI Bo Shen and my CRS. For those with difficult to empty pouches (for any number of reasons), Shen recommends regular “irrigation”, which can be more involved than enemas (large, long tube with holes at the top to drain the pouch). This would never work for me as output is too thick and seems like a pain. I use an enema most mornings and sometimes after work. My CRS has patients that use enemas to empty every time. They haven’t expressed any concern and I can’t think of any risks to the pouch (unless you fill the enema from your leach field :-)
