The Joys of Enemas

In my last post I mentioned that the only treatment that worked for my last flare was a Rowasa enema. When my doctor first brought this up to me, I refused the treatment, but later was mad at myself for not using that treatment sooner. I initially refused the treatment because I pictured this painful, messy process. I remember getting an enema once as a kid and it was anything but fun. Not that the new enema treatments are fun, but they are better than what I remember enduring.

True, it’s kind of a hassle because you have to block out thirty minutes of your time in the evening (the enema has to be done at bedtime so that enough time passes after the last meal) to do the procedure, but I found a way to make the time useful and strangely, relaxing. The treatment comes in this huge box so I couldn’t use the drive thru window at Walgreens, I had to go inside and have the pharmacist ask me if I needed him to explain anything to me in front of all the other people waiting. Of course, I quickly told him I would call if I had any questions and bolted out of there.

For six weeks, every night at bedtime, I had an appointment with a small bottle. That’s one thing I really liked—the treatments come in convenient little bottles that can be tossed in the trash when finished. No mess, well, not quite anyway. This is what I did. I brought in a mat that I use to lay by the pool and covered it with an old towel. I used a couple of other old towels to cushion between my legs (you have to lie on your side) and another one as a pillow. I was able to lie down in the master bathroom, and with the door open, I could watch the television in the master bedroom. I also brought in books to read. It was kind of cool. I had that private, quiet time to myself for thirty minutes. The insertion process doesn’t last thirty minutes, that took maybe a minute, but you are supposed to remain in a reclined position for thirty minutes.

It was pretty easy and I liked it so much better than the pills. The enema works best for people with colitis in the lower part of the colon, but it’s always better to check with your doctor as to what treatment works best.

Cheers and good health!

Colitis Chick

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Diary of a Mad Colon

Okay, so I haven't posted anything on here since February of 2008. Part of it is just not wanting to broadcast my illness and part of it is because I just want to forgot about have ulcerative colitis. But I can't forget about the disease because it won't go away. I thought I would have my one flare and it would be fine, but that's not the case. Since my first flare in 2007, I have had another bad flare in 2009 and now I am having another flare. The last one was really bad. I wasn't responding to the Ascol, in fact, the medicine made me much worse. It was the most horrible experience. I was afraid to to eat and leave my house for about two months. Finally, I stopped taking the Asacol and told my doctor it was making me worse. He had originally wanted to treat my flare with a Rowasa enema, but I refused. Stupid me. If I would have listened to my doctor, my flare would have cleared up quicker. The enema works better for me because my colitis is only in the lower part of my colon--lucky me. Having it only in the lower part of the colon is better, but it still has it's downside. In my case I have systemic colitis--meaning the disease extends to other areas outside my colon. My ulcerative colitis has also caused reactive arthritis in me. I suffer from chronic pain all over my body, but the most severe pain is my lower back joints. It's a party having to deal with abdominal pain, fatigue and pain all over the body.

I don't even know what is considered a normal 'bowel movement' anymore. Nothing is normal for me now. Since my last flare up I have suffered some extremely painful bowel movements. Yeah, I know this is gross and I expect, unless you have the same disease, you won't read this blog. Anyway, I get constipation so bad that it feels like I am trying to pass a boulder. I spend anywhere from 1-3 hours in the bathroom waiting it out. It's horrible and frightening. To try to improve things I eat Activia for breakfast, take 1 oz concentrated aloe vera juice in the morning before I eat and I drink an Ensure shake up to twice a day with 3 grams of fiber, antioxidants to improve the immune system and omega 3's. I know that in order to have a healthy colon, you are supposed to eat at least 25 grams of fiber per day, but fiber seems to make things worse for me and I don't even eat that much food in one day. I'm thinking I might need to increase my aloe vera dose to two times a day. If anyone has any helpful advice, I would love to hear it. Someone just mentioned that flax seed has fiber so I might start taking a small dose and gradually increase it and see what happens. I eat wheat crackers, bread, rice and pasta with salmon or chicken and steamed veggies. My only real vice that I know is bad for me is chocolate. I have cut back but I can't stop eating it. Chocolate cravings for me are like a cigarette smoker trying to quit smoking.

I guess that's enough for today. My vow is to add content to this blog at least once a week so anyone out there in cyberspace coming across my posts will be subjected to more gross outs from my experiences with a mad colon.

Cheers and good health!
Colitis Chick