Enemas are injections of fluids used to cleanse or stimulate the emptying of your bowel. This process has been used for years to deal with constipation and comparable points.
Constipation is a extreme situation that slows down the motion of your stool. It additionally makes the stool onerous and troublesome to excrete. It may change into a persistent downside for many individuals and requires therapy, equivalent to enema.
Enemas may deal with fecal incontinence, a situation during which the stool leaks from the rectum unexpectedly.
They’re additionally used to wash the bowel earlier than any take a look at or surgical procedure.
Knowledgeable often does the enema process, however you can too self-administer enemas at residence.
Sorts of Enemas
Some sorts of enema embody:
Cleaning enema. This process is water-based. It contains holding the injection within the rectum for a short while to flush the colon totally. Your physique then releases the stool inside a couple of minutes.
Cleaning enema is additional divided into two sorts:
- Giant quantity enema. It’s an efficient therapy for constipation because it cleanses a big a part of the colon. The fluid quantity used on this sort is 500-1,000 ml. The docs might ask you to carry the fluid in your anal opening for a very long time to launch the stool fully.
- Small quantity enema. It’s used to wash the decrease a part of the colon. The fluid quantity used is lower than 500 ml. It is strongly recommended to people who find themselves not constipated from the higher a part of the colon.
Oil-retention enema. This enema sort is for folks whose stool has hardened. The oil-retention enema softens the stool. The enemas used on this course of often include 90-120 ml answer. The physician might ask you to retain the answer for a minimum of an hour to get efficient outcomes.
Return-flow enema. Also called Harris flush, a return-flow enema is completed on folks with bother pooping resulting from intestinal gasoline. On this methodology, a big fluid quantity is used, which is injected in 100-200 ml increments. The fluid is then drawn out together with the flatus (intestinal gasoline). This course of is repeated three to 5 instances till the gasoline is completely out.
Cooling enema. In case your temperature is extraordinarily excessive, the physician might use a cooling enema to decrease your physique temperature. It’s not a typical process.
Rectal instillation of treatment. Enemas will also be used to insert drugs into your colon. Enema relieves the intestinal mucosa, and the medicines stability the electrolytes and combat infections. This process is completed after cleaning enemas.
What Are the Totally different Enema Options?
Some commonly-used enema options embody:
- Regular saline answer. It’s a mixture of salt and water. The salt of the combination sends the physique’s water into the bowels to make the feces gentle.
- Glycerin. It stimulates the liner of the colon to trigger bowel actions.
- Castile cleaning soap. It’s a gentle cleaning soap manufactured from many oils, like olive oil. This gentle cleaning soap is added to saline answer, which is then inserted via an enema. This answer stimulates the bowel to create actions.
- Espresso. It’s a combination of brewed espresso and water, used to take away bile from the colon.
- Phosphate answer. A phosphate answer enema attracts water into the bowel to melt the hardened feces. Keep in mind that an excessive amount of phosphate in your physique might trigger well being dangers. So by no means go for a couple of enema a day. Phosphate enema can be not beneficial for folks with kidney issues.
The best way to Use an Enema
You possibly can self-administer an enema or give it to your little one at residence. The steps embody:
- At all times wash your palms earlier than beginning the process.
- Gather all the mandatory provides. These embody any sort of answer, enema bag, silicone catheter with a balloon, two slip-tip syringes, a catheter-tip syringe, towels, and lubricant. Your physician will let you know how a lot answer to make use of.
- Put air in a single slip-tip syringe and join it to the balloon on the catheter. Push the plunger to inflate the balloon after which pull it again to empty the balloon.
- Put the tube on the enema bag.
- Pour the prescribed quantity of answer into the bag.
- Open the clamp and let just a few drops of fluid out. Now, re-clamp the tube and squeeze the drip chamber till the fluid fills the tube midway.
- Now, lie in your knees along with your hand on a pillow and hold your buttocks up. In case you are administering an enema to your little one, ask them to lie down in the identical place.
- Use the lubricant on the balloon finish of the catheter.
- Put the balloon finish of the catheter into the rectum for 4–5 inches.
- Subsequent, fill in 20–30 ml of air within the syringe and join it to the catheter port. Blow up the balloon by pushing the plunger.
- Pull the catheter slowly till you are feeling resistance. Hold pulling the catheter with light palms to stop the leakage of the enema.
- Join the catheter to the enema bag.
- Now, open the tube clamp and permit the enema to move in for five–10 minutes. You possibly can shut the clamp a little bit to decelerate the enema move.
- Maintain the fluid in for five–10 minutes. Do not detach the fluid tube from the catheter.
- Now, rush to the lavatory and put your self or your little one on the bathroom. Enable the air to come back out of the balloon. Join the opposite slip-tip syringe to the catheter port and pull the plunger again. Enable the catheter to come back out.
- Watch for 45 minutes to push out the stool.
- When carried out, clear the bag with water and the catheter through the catheter-tip syringe stuffed with soapy water.
There aren’t any enema uncomfortable side effects. However, chances are you’ll expertise enema leaks through the process. Some folks additionally complain about cramping and discomfort.
In case you are not sure about doing the process your self, ask your physician for assist.