The new gastroenterological patient, upon hearing words like ‘rectal meds’, breaths a big sigh of relief when the doctor says she doesn’t think those will be necessary.

The experienced IBD patient (Ulcerative Colitis in my case) who has gone months and months without any improvement is willing to say “I’ll stick anything wherever you want, as long as it helps.”

And that is the story of how I ended up with a scarily large box of medicinal enemas in the bathroom cupboard.

These aren’t the kind of enemas you’d buy at the drug store by the way, which is what most people (including myself in the past) would think of.  They’re meant to be used before bed and the medicine absorbs overnight.  They’re not horrible if you can keep a sense of humor about the situation. But since I got to near remission without using them for a while I’m hoping I can keep ignoring them in the future.  It’s not actually the sticking what/where that I have an issue with, but how I seem to feel it rumbling around the next day, until the leftovers find their way back out, which in my mind falls under causing the same problems it’s supposed to fix.

So I’ve been going around the apartment looking for all of my drugs, things like prescription face wash for my rosacea, to see what is and isn’t safe for pregnancy. I keep a newer, stronger one from the dermatologist (pregnancy class C) by the sink, and my old one in the shower so I didn’t waste it after it was replaced. I grabbed the shower bottle this morning to check what exactly it was and the label says Perrigo.

Wait that sounds familiar…

I checked the other bathroom and yep, it’s the same brand that makes my enemas.

I don’t think I wanted to make that connection.