While you’re in the midst of ass play there are certain things that should always trigger you to stop and investigate and your doctor should be consulted whenever you have a question about your health.

Blood is of course the number one reason to stop and re-examine your play. The lining of the intestines do not have pain receptors and so your vigilance could save your life some day. I have heard of people who had perforated their intestine and besides some bleeding had no other immediate indication that is what they had done. Most often when I hear of people injuring themselves in the community it is usually because they were on some type of drug that had clouded their judgment. Slightly pink lube usually indicates some ruptured capillaries or a hemorrhoid and can be common or routine for some. Bright red blood is an indication of a more active injury. Although this should never happen, it is a part of play for some.

The most important thing is to know what is normal for your own body so that you can recognize when something EXTRA-ordinary happens. And NEVER hesitate to seek medical help if you ‘know’ something isn’t quite right – even when there is no pain.

Way in the beginning, when I first started playing with my ass with more intent, people not into butt play used to scare me by saying the intestine was like a wet paper towel and very delicate. Of course I was worried at first but after some investigation I realize they were just speaking out of fear. In actuality the whole of the intestinal wall is more like your cheek in structure than anything else. Yes, it is delicate on the inside, but it is backed up by muscle and tissue as well. Far more robust than the wet tissue paper of urban legend. It is still more vulnerable to puncture than your cheek however, in part due to the lack of pain receptors. The wet paper towel analogy might better apply to the thin lining, this is why anything that can scratch it needs to be avoided, food debris and nails are the two big ones.

Hemmoroids can cause pain and slight bleeding to discolor your lube. If you know you have ‘roids you have probably come to expect some color every time you play. Again, this is all about knowing what is ‘normal’ for YOU so that you can be alert to changes which might mean something serious. Communicating this to your play partner is always good practice, and a good Top will always ask you if color he sees is ‘normal’ for you. If he is unfamiliar with you he may also decide to stop play entirely at this point which, remember, is always his prerogative.

Inserting toys without allowing your asshole to warm up and relax properly, or working way beyond what your ass is capable of stretching can cause fissures. These are actually small tears in the tissues surrounding your hole and can be the source of a lot of pain and can put you out of commission for weeks or months while they heal. Micro tears on the other hand are so small that the only way you know they are there is a burning sensation that occurs with play. It takes time to work up to taking a larger toy, so always allow yourself the time and enjoy yourself while protecting your ‘ass’ets.

I talk about the pubo-rectal sling above. When going any deeper than about 8 or 10 inches, depending on your body, you can be pretty sure that it is involved somehow. I have heard of a lot of people hurting themselves at this depth, even those experienced players like myself. It is an involuntary muscle and may not be reacting like you think it might be at any given point in time. A person can feel what is going on inside, but with toys you must exercise extreme caution and listen to your body. Bruising and tearing are what you must avoid here. The pubo-rectal sling is most involved in keeping you from being incontinent, so treat it gently and play with a clear head.

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Overall, I cannot recommend any lube that contains non-oxynol 9. Its spermicidal properties are unnecessary and heavily outweighed by the damage it does to your colon, most likely making you even more susceptible to infection. Before understanding the effects of non-oxynol 9, I used to always choose it for safety reasons. My play sessions used to end with me feeling swollen and the next day having cramps and sloughing off a lot of mucous and what appeared to be intestinal lining. Once I learned what non-oxynol 9 did, I stopped using it and haven’t had a problem since. Non-oxynol 9 has been demonstrated to dissolve the mucosal lining of your intestine and is currently banned in some places.

Water-based

Fairly inert stuff. Good for toys that don’t require you to stretch a lot. Great for getting that good, slick feeling. On large toys you may end up needing to add some grease to help combat the “squeegee” effect. My favorite lube is actually a blend of water based and grease.

Grease

Primarily Crisco and other vegetable based shortenings. Great for use in combination with water-based lubes when working with wider toys requiring a stretch. The grease clings to surfaces whereas the water-based stuff just squeegees off. Another favorite are the water soluble greases like “Elbow Grease” without non-oxynol 9 or “Shaft” because they offer the properties of grease but the easy water clean-up as well. Oil or grease attack latex and should not be used with latex toys or condoms however, toys made of silicone are impervious to grease and oil.

Silicone-based

I have gone back and forth on the safety of using Silicone lubes with my silicone toys as I see no immediate ill effects but other producers of Silicone toys warn against it so I must do the same. The problem seems to be that the silicone lubes dissolve some types of silicones so consider yourself warned. To test a new lube with your toy rub some on the bottom where damage wouldn’t matter as much and let set overnight. If you can rub off the color or abrade the surface where you applied the lube then it is not compatible. The only silicone lube I’ve ever used has been “Glide”, which closely resembles “Eros” in feel. It doesn’t harm my toys, but was impossible to wash off completely so they were always sticky. I stopped using any silicone lube on toys for this reason if no other.

J-Lube

A staple in the veterinarian’s office, its purpose is to aid the vet to do things like : insert her/his arm into a cow’s or horse’s rectum to check on fetal development, or, to perform artificial inseminations. Needless to say that it is great at reducing friction during play and can allow one to play for much longer than they might normally before getting sore. Same problem here as with water-based lubes however for larger toys, but adding crisco to the mix seems to help. Read the MSDS (material safety data sheet) on this product. It is basically a polymer based on sugar and polyethers and pretty inert. Being sugar based it will breed bacteria so only make what you will use in a few days. If you keep the large batch free of contamination (don’t dip into it during play), freeze it until your next use. Try freezing it in an ice cube tray, makes for great little single servings when you need it.

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A lot of ass fetishists usually have a preference for either depth or width and often refer to themselves in such a way, as in “I’m a depth person” or “I’m all about width”. Others are equally turned on by both. Personally I find that my preference oscillates between the two, so don’t feel like you have to pin yourself down. Just as in depth play, it is just as important to pay careful attention to not over exert yourself when working on stretch play, either alone or with another. You would be shocked to know how much the asshole does expand when totally relaxed. The truth is that a lot of what you are fighting against when opening up is stress stored up in that inner sphincter, or otherwise the fear that you are going to split wide open. I do believe the skin and muscles still need to be conditioned over time to develop the capacity to stretch, much in the way that an athlete develops and maintains flexibility. I’ll draw an analogy here to what you would do to begin strength training in your legs for example, gradually stretching your muscles over time until eventually you are able to sit on the floor, leg extended and touch your nose to your knee. What is happening is that you are gently tearing your muscles on the cellular level and allowing them to regrow to fill in the gaps, effectively lengthening and strengthening your muscle over time. I figure the same must also go for the sphincters, since they are muscles too and this is how I approached my own stretch training. A gradual cycle of stretching and adequate rest between (3 or 4 days) to safely build up your hole for play seems to be good practice. Once you’ve developed the capacity to stretch, you’ll pretty much keep it for a long while, as long as you play every now and then of course.

This is as good a place as any to dispel a common fear to those wanting to get into bigger toys and fisting. “Will I become incontinent and will I be so loose that guys won’t like fucking me anymore?” The short answer is an emphatic NO, and NO. Just because a muscle can stretch doesn’t follow that it has no tone or strength, in fact, it should have more. Think of gymnasts and their ability to bend and yet be strong and toned. They can still walk even though their legs are super flexible. I’m not saying your hole will spring back immediately after a good play session, it usually takes several hours to a day, but you eventually regain your muscle tone and then some. It’s been my own personal experience that strengthening your hole in this way will actually make it stronger and give you more control over the autonomous muscles, giving you grip and making you even tighter than someone that never plays with their hole.

I often get questions about a burning sensation that develops when playing with toys and the concern that they might be tearing themselves from playing too wide. After asking a few questions in most cases it’s determined that it’s not the lube or any micro-tearing that is going on, but rather the material of the toy itself that is burning the lining of the hole and rectum, as in most every case, the toys being used were made of vinyl. You won’t experience this irritation with silicone toys, but if using a toy made of any other type of material a condom will prevent any toxic chemicals from burning your hole. You should treat any toy with a strong chemical odor in this way.

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I would consider anything that goes beyond the area of the rectum (past the pubo-rectalis) to be depth and requires certain attentions to safety and cleanliness. It is hard for a lot of people to play deep and not have totally pleasurable feelings at first. Remember that the “second sphincter” is what holds back feces in the Sigmoid and so, pressure applied to it from any direction, usually sends signals to your brain that it’s time for a movement, which then creates those uncomfortable feelings. Some people have to spend a lot of time desensitizing their second sphincter ( I sure did! ) and then, through relaxation techniques, learning to allow it to open at will. Now that I’ve become accustomed to enjoying having the second sphincter played with it feels really good and adds another dimension to my play. It has also become a reliable tell for me if I’m clean or not. If I have any debris up in the descending colon, playing with the second sphincter will stimulate movement and bring along with it those uncomfortable feelings. This is where you really should seek out someone you can trust and whom you know to be a respected and experienced depth player. When ever I hear of someone tearing a hole in their colon it is almost always from playing deep with a dildo or other inanimate object, so care is always needed. That is not to say you can never play deep with toys, but nothing can replace the tactile ability of a human hand. That said, I did develop the Smooth Longneck model as an aid to helping open up the second sphincter and getting it used to being stretched open. Not everyone has a trusted helping hand around to aid in their play. After playing deep, don’t be surprised if things are a bit different for a few days after. I can often feel a tightness inside my belly just behind and below my navel which I feel even more during a bowel movement. If I’ve really had a good time, my second sphincter might just clamp up for a day or two or my whole system will slow or stop entirely while I “heal”. I used to worry about this, but know now to expect this if I play particularly long and deep.

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One of the best books out there for describing the physiology of the anus, rectum and lower intestines is the book “Anal Pleasure and Your Health” by Jack Morin, PhD. Knowing just what is up there and then going in yourself with fingers to see just how everything is placed is essential to playing with the least amount of risk for injury. It has been an invaluable resource for me in the discovery of my own hole and understanding others’. Most gay / lesbian bookstores stock it or maintain it on backlist, I highly recommend it.

The Sphincters.

What most people don’t realize is that there are actually two outer sphincters composed of separate rings of muscle, one is called the external, the other internal. You can actually feel them both with your finger if you know they are there. The external one is the one you can loosen or tighten at will, the internal is part of the autonomous nervous system and the reason why your hole stays closed even when you’re not focused on it. The latter requires practice and meditative relaxation to learn to ‘control’. Contrary to common belief it is not the sphincter that is primarily responsible for helping maintain continence (control over bowel movements). Hence, the urban legend believed by many not into butt play of guys and gals having to eventually wear diapers is not founded in fact. Playing with your hole and stretching it will NOT make you incontinent. Damaging the Puborectalis (next section), will. The section of colon immediately inside the sphincter is called the rectum and is there to absorb any last bits of moisture. It’s therefore important to think about what kind of toys, chemicals and lubes you put up there, since it will most likely find its way immediately into your bloodstream.

The Puborectalis … what some call the Second Sphincter.

Although you can have feces in your rectum, the bulk of it is usually held back by what Morin refers to as the ‘pubo-rectal sling’, in America known as the Puborectalis. It is a loop of muscle attached to the pubic bone at both ends and embedded within a whole sheet of muscles within the cavity of the pelvis which wraps around the intestine to form what is essentially the boundary between the rectum and the sigmoid colon. A lot of people commonly refer to this as the ‘Second Sphincter’, some say the ‘Third Sphincter’ depending whether you count the anus as having 1 or 2. Clever and confusing but the puborectalis isn’t a sphincter at all. Calling it a sphincter is pretty natural when you consider that it functions much like our idea of one, and even delivers feelings like the asshole does when it is manipulated in a particular way, this I can personally attest to. On those lucky occasions when I have been able to take a fist past this point, or when I play with certain toys deep, during the withdrawal it can feel as though the hand or toy comes out of me twice. Once, I wasn’t watching the action ‘down below’ and at one point I had thought that my partner had completely come out of me. When I realized he was still pulling I looked down and saw he was still in about to the mid forearm. It was the second sphincter that had produced those feelings in me. But, caution must always be exercised when going this deep inside, choose your partner wisely and don’t pressure yourself, or let others pressure you to do it. Damaging the puborectalis will likely cause incontinence. In the beginning, I believe going that deep is something that must just magically happen when all the pieces are in place. Trying to force this next level of play is not wise. Once this has happened and the door is open, you can begin to actively explore the depths. When people complain of a pain inside while either being fucked or playing with toys it is most likely the puborectalis that has not relaxed or is in a position to prevent opening. Sometimes I have felt a snapping feeling inside like a rubber band, which I often attributed to this muscle. Though, if snapping is what you are feeling it is most likely not a good thing. Since they are on the autonomous nervous system this muscle, along with the internal sphincter, respond to and store up stress. Uptight people have rightly earned the designation ‘anal-retentive’ for this reason. But through focused relaxation one can learn to ‘control’ these muscles somewhat. So needless to say that, in the long run, peace of mind and good relaxation techniques are as essential to a happy hole and productive playtime as anything else.

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Techniques for cleaning out are as wide and varied as people themselves. You may even find that over time or with varying circumstances, your method will evolve, so it’s good to always keep an open mind. From a safety standpoint cleaning out is important to getting ready for playtime: feces is a gritty, abrasive substance that can cause harm – even instigate tears in the lining of your rectum and colon. The girth of some toys accentuate the risk by pressing debris against the walls and dragging it as you play. Some people like to play a little (or a lot) dirty. From a pleasure standpoint, being clean helps reduce spasms that might be caused by stretching. In any case, knowing what is up there is important. Nuts and seeds present the greatest risk because they don’t break down well in the body, coming from something as simple as a hamburger bun or candy bar. Be aware also of ground beef, which can hide chips of bone or gristle. My personal nuisance is popcorn…love to eat it, but the hulls present a certain danger, thin and sharp, and linger for a day or so. Everything in life is a trade off, and by minimizing the risks while maximizing enjoyment you can hopefully maintain your hole for a lifetime of play. Playing deep (beyond the rectum and into the sigmoid colon) requires a much more involved cleaning than what simple enema bulbs can provide.

For anything that involves just the immediate cavity beyond the asshole, like the first 6-8 inches, a little bit of water (8-12 ounces) will work wonders in eliminating food risk and making your play time more enjoyable – and a rinsed out hole lacks any kind of offensive odor. If you’re like most people your body does not hold feces in the rectum so it is often pretty empty, only trace amounts might need to be removed. It’s important to have had a good dump sometime before and allow your body to relax again. A simple flush will remove anything left behind and leave you squeaky clean. Lukewarm to cool, plain water is what most use (no soaps, salts or anything else, ever). To get it inside you, most fetish stores sell the enema bulb, something like a modified turkey baster. In a pinch, I have heard of guys using a regular 16 oz empty plastic water or soda bottle, putting the mouth of the bottle up to their hole, not in it because of the threads, and squeezing. You get a dosed amount of water either way and won’t over do it, (this is a great trick I’ve used while traveling and caught without my kit). There is also the old fashioned Enema bag, but this can be hard to know the amount of water being released. It doesn’t take much water to get the job done. Sometimes doing the “squirt” enema can stimulate the nerves into a bowel movement, if it does that’s good because there was something up a bit further that would have come down anyway once you started playing. If you’re empty when you do the “squirt” chances are you won’t feel the need to go. Beware of getting too much water in and having it enter the Sigmoid colon, which can often trigger a series of events that turns the quick rinse into a major flush.

If there is any chance you will be going deep, are planning on stretching or, are planning on an extended shallow play session a more involved douching is in order. There really is no tried and true method for doing this….depending on your physiology, metabolism, health, daily elimination habits, everything really, you will just need to hear what other people do and try different things. It’s good to keep in mind as well, that as time goes on and your body adapts to your play habits, your method will most likely evolve as well.

Diet plays a major role for some, while for others the role is negligible. The first step towards hassle-free clean-outs is to know what your body’s digestive clock is and what foods might accelerate it or slow it down. You can practice figuring out your digestive clock by eating what are called tracer foods, sesame seeds are good for this, and seeing how long they take to work through your system. You can do this by simply taking a spoonful of seeds with a meal. They will be easily seen after they’ve exited your body the next day. Knowing your body clock is so key to happy clean-outs I can’t stress it enough. It’s good knowing when everything has come out so you don’t overdo it and get sore or tired. It also gives you the confidence that will be key to helping you to relax during your play. I used to envy those who could eat and do whatever they pleased and after only 30 minutes “on the hose” as one says, be ready for play. My envy has matured into an understanding that they are simply in tune with their body on such a level as to make clean-outs as painless as they can be. I do know for myself, that if I time my play for the evenings I can count on a fairly easy prep time as it coincides with my natural body clock. If I were to attempt to clean out during the day I know I would be in for a rough go of it. Once you have an understanding of what your cycle is, you can use that knowledge to alter eating and play habits to help make clean outs more efficient.

I have heard of eating only clear liquids the day before, or only melon, or pasta, or yogurt, or no dairy. Basically what I think is that people are avoiding the foods they know irritate their own systems. (Horseradish goes through me in about 6 hours flat). I would however recommend limiting leafy things like lettuce as they can be persistent and get stuck in the tract. The only method I’ve tried and can’t find merit in is fasting – you need your strength and energy for play and besides, when you stop eating your system slows way down and leaves your last meals inside regardless. Indeed, the best thing might simply be to maintain a regular eating and elimination schedule and time your play periods for a time when you are most likely to naturally be empty.

Here’s personal account of my action plan for play: modify only the amount I eat at each meal but not so much my habits. By cutting back a bit there isn’t as much to get rid of later. I stick to simple foods without a lot of fiber, so no salads and nothing that creates gas (eggs, broccoli, beans for me), and eliminate snacks between meals so I can better gauge where I am along the clean out process. I do replace breakfast with a protein/meal replacement shake further enhance the “empty slot” in my gastric tract.

Tips and Tricks

Try cycling a small amount of water in the rectum only and pushing it out in rapid sequence (like every 3 seconds) until you trigger a bowel movement. If you’re not able to trigger one, your sigmoid is most likely empty.

After a bit of cycling water in the rectum, take 2 fingers on each side of your hole, making sure to grab the inner sphincter as well, and pull your hole open tight. What you’re trying to do here is trick your body into a BM, if you have more to come out this will usually work, if you’re empty up higher you’ll most likely not have any reaction.

Use the tips of your fingers to shake and prod the descending colon on the left side of your abdomen. Once you get good, you should be able to detect debris just by the way your colon feels when prodded and help it on its way out.

If you start having that “sick feeling” during a clean out, like you might feel with diarrhea, you’ve overdone it and have triggered spasms in your large intestine. Stop and rest, and stay near a toilet. Sometimes these will grow and you’ll be stuck on the toilet for a while. Think to what feelings preceded this to avoid it next time.

Rhythm Method.

My own personal clean-out process includes something I call the ‘Rhythm Method’. Fact: my body normally cycles food in about 18 hours and I most always like to play at night after dinner. But, despite everything I tried, I used to always have trouble being reliably clean, until I stumbled on the solution. By having a full meal at dinnertime and not snacking afterwards, which I would often do until midnight, I was able to solve my problem. How could that be you ask? By not snacking between dinner and bedtime I could set myself up to have at least 12 hours of ‘clean space’ in my digestive tract. If I stuck to this, when evening would roll around I had most always gotten rid of the previous night’s dinner with a simple bowel movement and all that was needed was a quick rinse and check with the tricks above. I knew I was free and clear for some playtime and the peace of mind that came with it allowed me to fully relax and enjoy myself. So, in the end, instead of trying to find the right clean-out technique for deep cleaning I altered my habits so a shallow clean was all that was required. Namely, by snacking at night I was “littering” my digestive track with debris. Eating better and more regularly ended up not only being good for my playtime, but for my health too.

Hose vs. Bag.

A common designation within the community is weather you prefer a hose or a bag. Hose refers to the nozzle and hose that attaches to your shower head and provides a limitless supply of fresh water to your colon, bag is the traditional red enema bag. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Bags allow you to be portable and gauge exactly how much water you’re using. For those that share households and installing a hose is just out of the question, bags are an option. There is a new device on the market which is a portable bag and hose made from silicone, so it travels easily and doesn’t require any set up other than hanging it over the shower head, so it is portable but provides a limitless water too, it’s my new favorite thing. Fixed hoses are great for the home to provide larger volumes of water and quicker cycling (no need to stop and refill), just keep the pressure low. There is also the colon tube, which is used in the medical profession to facilitate an efficient evacuation of the lower intestine. If you are novice enough to be seeking the advice in this article then the colon tube is NOT for you. They can be as long as 4 feet I am told, and some guys swear by them. But I think you should be VERY familiar with your body and reading it before embarking on such an intense method. A colon tube is a device intended to be used by professionals, most often in hospitals. Such deep manipulation should only be done by the most informed or you run the risk of a perforated colon.

Laxatives and such.

The body really is a very adaptable thing and will take to whatever conditioning you put on it. Quick easy fixes will more often than not come back to bite you in the ass later on. Developing good habits early on will pay off big down the road. I have seen a lot of guys try, and personally experienced some of the “quick and easy” solutions that go through the community every so often but none of them seem to have endured within my immediate circle. I speak here of herbal supplements or other over the counter medications. I’m chalking it all up to the ‘placebo effect’. The mind really is your most powerful ally – work on developing healthy, regally eating habits and relaxation techniques and you won’t need any dependence on chemical solutions.

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