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Personal
Recollections
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After having enemas until clear, I was
already pretty sore. Since I was a kid, my feelings weren't considered. The
entire process was all a matter-of fact. The nozzle was put in. the barium was
pushed in. I was moved around on the table to get several angles. The barium was
drained. the air was pumped in for what seemed like forever. Just to make the
day complete, I was given a large volume, retention enemata make sure the barium
was cleaned out.
It took too long, it felt as
though I had to
move my bowels, the nurses tended to ignore my discomfort but kept telling me
that it would only take a little longer, but it took much longer and was very
uncomfortable, it took forever after the exam to expel the barium and I had to
receive several big (2 qt), uncomfortable, hard to hold, rinse enemas
I was told to lay down on my left side, the
doctor did the rectal and then inserted the nozzle and then was told to lay on
my stomach while he pumped in the barium. The cramps were bad but then I got
used to it. He used a lot of air on me. Then took a bunch of x-rays, was let up
to go and release the barium more pictures and then laid back on my stomach
while they removed the nozzle took 3 more pictures and went home
There were three female technologists, 2
students and one "supervisor", I was embarrassed, being 19 at the time of my
exam. When I was allowed to go the bathroom, I was escorted by two of them to
the bathroom , having to hold the entire bag of barium inside of me, while they
walked m to the bathroom. When we got to the bathroom, they let the air out of
the balloon and pulled the horrible tube out of my butt. I remember feeling
faint, so, as I sat there on the toilet, evacuating, one of them held my hand
and stayed with me. I felt humiliated.
The tech kept the bag out of sight behind me
and never showed the nozzle. She lubed it with surgilube and lifted my right
buttock and inserted the nozzle without fanfare. The barium was started right
away and was cold and uncomfortable. The tech pressed on my abdomen and had me
roll into different positions. While on my back, they introduced the air -
ouch!- and pressed on my abdomen again. After several exposures, they lowered
the bag and opened the clamp to allow the barium to flow back out of me. Such
relief! After a couple more pictures I was allowed to get up and go to the
bathroom and eliminate the barium. My anus was irritated from the chalky stuff
for days.
I walked into the room which was COLD, and
sat down and waited for the doctor. He came in and explained the enema to me and
asked why I was to have this done. He told me how far he would put the tube in
and that he was going to do a rectal on me first. I got on the table and laid on
my left side while he did the rectal and placed the enema tube. Then I was told
to lay on my stomach (face down) and relax. I heard him click the clamp open and
I felt the cool barium enter my rectum. It kept filling me up till I could
hardly stand it. He said he made it all the way to my cecum and then did a
couple of pictures. He then lowered the barium enema bag to take out some barium
and pushed in more air. I counted 7 puffs of air and then some more went in. I
was in so much discomfort at this time. They kept telling me to roll all over
the place to keep the barium from pooling up in my colon. After an hour of this
they finally took out the enema tube and let me go to the bathroom. Then I went
back into the room and they took a couple more x-rays and then I went home. After
I got home I took 2 water enemas to get the barium out of me.
The nozzle was put into my bottom and I had
to move into different positions while the barium went in. It felt like I would
burst. Eventually I was allowed to go to the toilet. I thought it was over, but
then I had to have another examination when they pumped air into me> I thought I
was going to die it was so embarrassing
I had gone to the outpatient clinic at the
college medical facility two or three times because of abdominal pains, which
were left-sided. Each time, a history was taken by the triage nurse and then I
was referred to the physician, who did an exam including palpation. The last
time, he also did a digital rectal exam. Since he didn't find anything
significant other than the pain and some tenderness, he decided that a barium
enema would be useful and ordered it. Because the college was in a semi-rural
location, it had a hospital with space to admit students with illnesses or
injuries requiring observation and nursing care, though no surgery was performed
there. I was told that the test involved filling my bowel with a barium solution
and then taking x-rays to see if any abnormalities appeared, and that it would
feel like an ordinary enema, except that I would have to hold it until all the
x-rays were taken and that a special tip would be used to help me retain the
solution for the time required. I was told I would need to come back that
afternoon for admission and preparation for the exam (I saw the doctor in the
morning). I was told to not eat any solids at lunch, just tea, coffee and Jell-O.
When I went to the front desk mid-afternoon, I was signed in and taken to a ward
that I was the sole occupant of. I was given a hospital gown the usual
open-backed type and a robe and told to undress, put my clothes in a locker and
notify the charge nurse when I had finished changing. I did so, in a somewhat
apprehensive mood I will say. The charge nurse was not too old - mid=30s I guess
and a pretty no-nonsense character. She asked me if I'd ever had an enema, and
when I said I had, she asked if they had been given with a bag or a bulb and how
I had been positioned. I told her that my mother had given me enemas with a
combination syringe and I had to lie on my tummy on the bathroom floor. She told
me that she would be giving them in a slightly different fashion and they
probably would be less uncomfortable, as getting an enema lying prone was likely
to be uncomfortable. She then conducted me to a treatment room, told me to go
tot he toilet annex and empty my bladder. When I returned, she had prepared the
enema in a white enamel can. She had me take the robe off and get on an exam
table and roll onto my left side and pull my knees up, and after lubricating me
by inserting a lubed finger and then the rectal rube, gave me the enema. This was
repeated several times at intervals, the last (third or fourth) just before
bedtime. I had a liquid (broth, juice, tea, and Jell-O) dinner. The next morning,
I was given one more enema and then after expelling it and resting for a half
hour or so escorted tot he X-ray room, where the doctor was waiting. The barium
enema had already been prepared and was in a large stainless steel can with
amber latex tubing and the retention tip hanging down. I looked - larger than the
cans used for the enemas I'd already had and did cause some increase in
apprehension. The doctor gave an explanation of the procedure, telling me that
the barium solution would be injected just like the prep enemas, except I'd have
a special nozzle to help me retain it, and would have to change positions while
it w running in. After I had gotten on the table, the tip was inserted and the
balloon blown up, which felt decidedly odd. The barium was run in, while the
filling was monitored on a fluoroscope, with x-rays taken at intervals. I was
asked to turn on my back, then right side and on my tummy (which way really
uncomfortable, when my by then somewhat swollen abdomen was compressed. After all
the x-rays desired were taken I was back on my back, and the can was lowered to
a location below the table and the barium solution drained out, with observation
on the fluoroscope. When I had drained adequately, air was pumped in. I was
warned it would make me feel full and would be a ;little bit uncomfortable. That
was a lie. It got beyond uncomfortable and hurt. And while I as waiting for the
x-rays to be developed, the cramps got really bad and practically doubled me up
several times. The doctor came back and took some additional films because some
hadn't come out the way he wanted them, which took linger and increased
discomfort, but they finally took me to a toilet annex and removed the tube. I
blew the air and some barium out. When I was through I was allowed to put the
robe back on and escorted back to my bed and told to rest for a while. A pad was
put on the bed over the sheets "in case I leaked" - which I did, I had a sudden
expulsion of gas and some barium remnants. As instructed, I notified the nurse.
She told me it was to be expected and had me go to the bathroom to clean up,
while she replaced the pad. After about an hour, she took me to the treatment
room and gave me a soapsuds enema, and after checking the returns and making
sure I felt OK, allowed me to dress and signed me out, with instructions to
return the next morning for another enema as the barium was very constipating
and could cause problems if not completely removed. That would have been in
1961, and none of the barium enemas I've had since were much like that first
one. Or at least the preps weren't, nor the after-care.
It was much worse than a colonoscopy. I was
given a very large tap water prep enema before the procedure. The technician
lubricated my rectum with her finger and inserted the inflatable nozzle, then it
was inflated. The inflation was uncomfortable in itself, and made my rectum feel
very full. Then the barium was started. It was cooler than body temperature, and
I could feel it filling each part of my colon. It was uncomfortable. I would
estimate that I was given about 2 liters. I might have lost control if not for
the inflatable nozzle. I was quite uncomfortable, but by now I had lost all
modesty and no longer worried about the backless gown and my exposure. After
draining the barium, I was filled with air. This was manually pumped in by a
hand bulb attached to the hose of the syringe. I could feel each pump as it was
put into me. At first it felt uncomfortable, like having gas. Soon, however it
became more painful. By the time the procedure was over I was begging the
technician to stop, and she was telling me to just take a little more and I
would be finished. Finally, I was finished and allowed to go to the bathroom and
void my colon. I had foolishly worn rather tight jeans and was not even able to
get them zipped after the procedure. I made my husband walk in front of me to
somewhat conceal this fact as I left the hospital. This was all in all one of
the worst medical procedures I have ever had. Very uncomfortable, even painful,
and completely degrading. The technician was nice and tried to minimize the
pain, but there was really not too much she could do. Much worse than a
colonoscopy
I checked into the radiology
department and was told to wait. After a few minutes, the technologist came to
get me. I was taken to a dressing room and told to remove all of my clothes and
put on a pair of hospital pants and a backless gown. She came back for me and
took me to the exam room. There was an x-ray table and beside it was an IV pole
with a bag of white barium that was full. From it was a long clear tube filled
with the barium and at the end of it, hanging from the IV pole was an inflatable
bardex nozzle. After telling me what was going to happen, she told me to remove
my pants and lay on my left side on the exam table. She moved the gown aside to
expose my bottom. Next I felt her spread my bottom apart and insert her finger
all the way into my rectum. The she touched the end of the bardex nozzle to my
anus and began pushing it inside. It was wide and when it finally popped into my
rectum it literally took my breath away. She covered me with a sheet and told me
the radiologist would be in shortly. She returned with him and the barium was
started. It felt cold. The x-ray machine made a lot of noise as the pictures
were taken and the technologist had me turn in many different directions as the
barium went into me. I felt full be it wasn't painful. After a few minutes the
barium was drained by her putting the bag on the floor. During all the turning,
the sheet had fallen on the floor and I was laying face down on the table with
the tube coming out of my exposed bottom. She took a few more x-rays and then I
was told to lay on my left side again. She deflated the nozzle and then pulled
it out of my rectum. Again, I gasped. She told me to go to the bathroom and
empty and clean up which I did and then she took a couple more x-rays. Overall
the experience wasn't as bad as I expected. Fortunately everything was normal.
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