Prep for colonoscopy

[Heartnsoul]

I know we don't like to talk about this but we all have to do it. Has anyone vomited with the preparation for this procedure??

[gomoho]

Only out my backside!!!!

[Mamaderby]

Close......it's a gagger! Stay close to home......better yet, stay close to you know where! The prep is 10 times worse than the procedure.

[KatieDidNot]

Absolutely! It was awful, but I got enough down and was able to get through the procedure. The second time I had one they put me on a three day clear liquid diet and I only took the pills, so there are options.

Katie

[casita37]

I was advised to use a straw, and use very cold water, drink it down as quickly as possible....I got through it, without throwing up, but I really like that idea of just drinking liquid for 3 days. As a friend of mine reminded me....white wine is a clear liquid! JUST kidding!!!!!

[asianthree]

call your doctor if you do not get enough of the prep in the procedure will not go well

[rayschic]

No problem at all. My doctor told me to mix the powder with water and then add Crystal Light powdered flavoring. The whole batch will taste like iced tea or lemonade. Ask your doctor about this.

[old moe]

No problem at all. My doctor told me to mix the powder with water and then add Crystal Light powdered flavoring. The whole batch will taste like iced tea or lemonade. Ask your doctor about this.

:crap2:I used this same product with NO PROBLEM< second time around.:sigh::sigh:

[aussiemom]

Had one this past September and my doctor didn't use that stuff..............just several dulcolax twice the day before (10 a.m and 6 p.m) plus 2 bottles of magnesium citrate (you buy at Walgreens) in the evening. Works great and way better than that powder stuff. You can have lemon jello and broth that day also. No 3 day liquid diet required. All just the day before. You should ask your doctor about allowing you to do the above. Some who do that powder stuff don't get fully cleaned out.....then they make you come back in another year or 2 because the readings weren't that good.

[wjk1912totv]

Most doctors have stopped using the pills because of bad side effects. Drinking the liquid can be less offensive if you mix with cold water and use a larger straw (same type as McDonalds) placing it to the rear of your throat. This allows you to ingest large amounts without crossing your taste buds! Not too bad... best of luck.

[DaleMN]

I've had the procedure twice. The second time the prep was a couple Ducolax then Miralax mixed in Gatorade. Much more tolerable than whatever I had to do the first time.

[Nonnilori]

I just had my second one and it was so easy compared to last time. This time the Doctor told me to just get 3 small bottles of flavored magnesium citrate at the drugstore. I chose like a lemon flavor or similar. Put it in the fridge to get cold and used the large straw method described earlier to the back of the throat. I was dreading it and really it was easy this time! As far as the procedure you don't feel anything and there is no pain involved. There are much worse procedures out there and this one is one of the few preventative things to have done that can save your life!

[Schaumburger]

I had my first colonoscopy this past November. Twice the night before (6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. and once the early morning (about 6:00 a.m.) of the colonscopy I had to drink 8 ounces of a slightly bitter tasting liquid then another 48 ounces of cold water, all within 60 minutes. Chugging that much liquid in 60 minutes 3 times was not that easy, but I kept at it.

This probably is not news, but once you start chugging the liquid you will need to stay close to home if you get my drift.

The prep was not as bad as I imagined it would be, and the procedure itself it a piece of cake as you will be asleep. I even drove myself home from the hospital, even though I had my dad with me as my designated driver. As I could only drink broth and clear liquids the day before the colonscopy, and it was 3:00 p.m. when I left the hospital to go home, I was starving by the time I got home!

And I am good to go for another five years! Yeah!

[NotGolfer]

1st one I had years ago was that gallon jug of nasty liquid! BUT the last time the doctor (this was up north) RX'd a 4 oz. stuff. BOTH had the same results of needing to be near the john.

After my 2nd procedure (mentioned above)---I even got to have a nice breakfast in the recovery room prepared by the hospital chef. Too bad ALL hospitals don't serve such great fare as this!!!

[graciegirl]

One thing for sure. When you are finished with the prep you will no longer be full of....

I mean...You will be clean as a whistle, inside and out.;)

[Heartnsoul]

went to check on my neighbor yesterday as she was doing prep. And while I was there she was vomiting all over. Felt so bad for her. You think they would come up with an easier way by now. The prep is just awful.

[Bobcuse]

I've had the procedure twice. The second time the prep was a couple Ducolax then Miralax mixed in Gatorade. Much more tolerable than whatever I had to do the first time.

The above prep was the same I had in 2012 which was my 3rd colonoscopy. The previous preps were atrocious and I almost vomited more than once. There is no need for those older preps according to my gastro doc and the procedure went very well. Dr Thomas was my gastro guy and he was great!.

[Heartnsoul]

she was drinking the magnesium drink plus taking miralax and then the pills called Dulcolax?? anyone try this and experience same thing??

[mfp509]

I had the same prep as DaleMN and it was easy - Ducolax and Miralax in Gatorade. I know I won't do it any other way.

[kittygilchrist]

haha! this thread tickles me..misery loves miserable company!
It's good to clean the system out, but it's totally not fun.

[Susan G]

Best way to do it is get Golytle liquid very cold (put your glass in freezer before you pour each dose). Step two HOLD YOUR NOSE until you drink it all, then let go of your nose...you only taste it once so much easier. I have this procedure every 5 yrs due to family history and this way works. Good luck!

[billethkid]

what ever "it" is that is being referred to, just block off your nasal passage as you drink.....and stop thinkinking about how bad it is.....the mind is the biggest element at play.

There are alternate preps available but you have to ask about them. The doctors and nurses are insensitive (not a negative comment but a statement of working fact) and routinely assign the "usual" regimen.

btk

[Heartnsoul]

Just went to check on neighbor and she doesn't even have procedure till 12 noon. She is starving!! That's a long time to wait without eating.

[LI SNOWBIRD]

Yes, it's the dreaded "Ring of Fire'

[rirlam]

I also endure the procedure every 4 to 5 years due to family history. So far haven't had too much of a problem. I make sure I get an early morning appointment!

[sueandskip]

Absolutely! It was awful, but I got enough down and was able to get through the procedure. The second time I had one they put me on a three day clear liquid diet and I only took the pills, so there are options.

Katie

THE PILLS !:BigApplause:

[2BNTV]

No, i had it done twice and did not experience vomiting with the prep. The prep is the worst. the first time I was instructed to take fleet enema. That certainly performed well but a little harsh on the system.

The second was a rush job as I worked until midnight and started with Miralax. Lets just say it left a lot to be desired. I stayed awake all night to do this and fell asleep during the procedure. They had to wake me to go home.

The procedure is nothing compared to the prep.

[msendo]

what ever "it" is that is being referred to, just block off your nasal passage as you drink.....and stop thinkinking about how bad it is.....the mind is the biggest element at play.

There are alternate preps available but you have to ask about them. The doctors and nurses are insensitive (not a negative comment but a statement of working fact) and routinely assign the "usual" regimen.

btk
I work in the an endoscopy department in a hospital (no offense taken to doctors and nurses being insensitive). Someone , for sure would be a rich person if they ever devised a delicious prep. We, too, have to follow the same regiment of fasting and drinking all the same stuff when we go for our colonoscopies. Some preps taste better than others, such as the powdered one that takes on the taste of the liquid that you mix it. IMO, I don't think that it does the job as well as other preps for every one. There are patients that vomit right away, and have the good sense to notify their doctor's office. The doctor will then sometimes prescribe something else
for that procedure, or for another one down the line. Unfortunately, a patient may vomit because of consuming the large amounts of liquid, along with the prep, which causes bloating. Some patients come in with a ravenous appetite, and others get over their hunger. Some may
be fine for one procedure and then vomit when they return, a few years later. Their prep may
work immediately the first time, and then may not be cleaned out the next, even though they did the exact same thing. Sometimes one is told to take "that whole gallon," from the dark ages, with a reason that they may have a history of heart problems, and it is better for them to maintain their electrolytes.

There are different types of sedation that some are talking about. Deep sedation is the one when you totally go to sleep. This seems to vary in different parts of the country. It's been
more common for about ten years in the northeast. Moderate sedation (sometimes is referred to as conscious sedation), where you may doze, possibly be awake-and still not remember.
I did my colonoscopy without anything, not because I am a martyr, but because they wanted to reschedule me, due to the lack of availability of the anesthesiologist in the office, that afternoon
and I'll be damned if I was gonna have to repeat that prep!

Whatever you do folks, take the entire amount of the prep, even if you think that you are already "cleaned out." There is a less if a chance missing a polyp, if there is one present. I don't want to sound like a know it all, but I see this every day. It breaks my heart(and the doctors) to find a cancer because of waiting too long to have a colonoscopy, or even someone not wanting to return, because they had a poor prep and refused to repeat it, only to find something years later when it didn't have to happen.

[mainlander]

I know this is essentially about the "prep" but if I could just take a sec. to underline the advisability of seeing your Doc., if you have not had the procedure. It is not as bad as it sounds, yet it is a tremendous relief to have one and know the results. I hope this thread can convince a few to go and talk to their Doc.,, thanks.

[jazzy48]

Yesterday I went through the prep for the second time in 18 months. When I did it 18 months ago, I got really sick, but not until I was cleaned out, so I didn't lose enough of the prep to matter. I also had the chills something awful. Colonoscopy was a breeze, but did have a couple polyps removed.

Last month I had a fecal occult test come back positive, and it was recommended I have another colonoscopy, because of the previous polyps. I used the exact same prep - adding one 14-dose Miralax into 1/2 gallon of whatever clear liquid I wanted (I used lemonade mix) and taking some Ducolax. This time, I spent most of the night feeling very nauseous, but never got sick. Almost wish I would have. Doctor decided to do "double header," colonoscopy and EGD.

I'm already dreading when I have to do the prep in another 5 years, but as I remember a dear friend that died of colon cancer, because it went undetected too long, I'll drink the stuff, spend the night in the bathroom, and get sick if necessary. The peace of mind is so worth it.

[Heartnsoul]

While watching my neighbor go through it again, I thought geez maybe I better call and schedule mine since my last was 5 yrs ago. They told me it's every 10 yrs now. Wow that seems like a long time??

[billethkid]

While watching my neighbor go through it again, I thought geez maybe I better call and schedule mine since my last was 5 yrs ago. They told me it's every 10 yrs now. Wow that seems like a long time??

The gastroenterologist we use (as do many others) recommend every 10 years UNLESS polyps have been detected and removed. Then it is every 3 (some say 5) years until one gets a clear (no polyps) colonoscopy.

btk

[getdul981]

Doctor decided to do "double header," colonoscopy and EGD.

.

My wife used to work in the Endoscopy unit where we lived. When I had to have a "double header", I told her to make sure they do the EGD first.:smiley::smiley: She told me that they actually use two different scopes.

Unfortunately, I'm due for another pretty soon.

[graciegirl]

NEXT » (http://www.zimbio.com/Comedy+Central/articles/18qcsf9froC/Comedy+Circus+Ke+Ajoobe+Episode+37+20th+April)

Dave Barry’s Colonoscopy ++++++++++++++++++++
This is from newshound Dave Barry’s colonoscopy journal:

…….I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenteritis, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis .
Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn’t really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, ‘HE’S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!’
I left Andy’s office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called ‘MoviPrep,’ which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America ’s enemies.
I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn’t eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.
The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, ‘a loose watery bowel movement may result.’ This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.
MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don’t want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and star t eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.
After an action -packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, ‘What if I spurt on Andy?’ How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.
At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.
Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn’t thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.
W hen everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA I remarked to Andy that, of a ll the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, ‘Dancing Queen’ has to be the least appropriate.
‘You want me to turn it up?’ said Andy, from somewhere behind me. ‘Ha ha, ‘ I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.
I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling ‘Dancing Queen, Feel the beat of the tambourine,’ and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood.
Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.

[msendo]

If you have had polyps, I would urge you to encourage your children to seek advice from a G I doc when they should go for their colonoscopy, if they have not already done so by age 50. The recommendations are that they would have the procedure earlier than the recommended screening age 50. If you know that any of your children have had polyps, and you have never gone for your colonoscopy, then I strongly urge you to get one. Polyps tend to run in the family

There are different types of polyps. Some are harmless, some have the potential to grow into a cancer, and may not. Then there are some that are cancerous. Period. Regardless, they are all sent to a lab for analysis. The type may determine the length of time that you would return for another colonoscopy, as well as if there is a family history.

Polyps can be missed. because of an inadequate prep. That's why we have to suck it up and take ALL of the prescribed prep and diet (so that your doctor can see that beautiful pink colon). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Although it sounds. corny, the GI team is pretty passionate about their work.

[getdul981]

My wife said that many times the patient will wake up afterwards in the recovery area and want to know when they are going to start. They can't believe that it is all over.

[2BNTV]

The gastroenterologist we use (as do many others) recommend every 10 years UNLESS polyps have been detected and removed. Then it is every 3 (some say 5) years until one gets a clear (no polyps) colonoscopy.

btk

The three year rule applies if there is a history of colon cancer in your family as my mother had colon cancer.

I hate the prep but it's worth the peace of mind knowing I am whistle clean.

[Cantwaittoarrive]

Only out my backside!!!!

:a20::a20: I mixed mine with a pack of Crystal Light lemon aid and it was wonderful, no issues drinking it at all.

[graciegirl]

I hope all of you will consider finding the best gastroenterologist available and scheduling yours if you are over fifty. Katie Couric sadly lost her young husband to Colon cancer and now campaigns for colonoscopy. Medical guidelines suggest you have your first one at fifty.

It is a test that saves lives.

On my first one, I had cancerous polyps removed. AND never felt ANY discomfort afterward at all. It was painless...The yucky part is the prep, but doable.I would chug and go outside and walk around for a few minutes and think about Christmas trees.

Please do it for yourself and everyone who loves you. And for all of us here so we can enjoy your friendship.

Please share the name of a gastroenterologist locally who you trust.

[rubicon]

I am sort of a pro on this issue because i have had more colonoscopies than the average bear. Colyte( gallon mix) quickly lost my favor even with Crystal Lite. By the way never use a mix with sugar because if during the procedure there is a spark well.............................................. .......

I ask my doc why I was given the colite(sp) as I never could get it down without gagging. he said because they had a lifetime supply on the shelves. So I went to fleet phosphus soda (sp) and that ease my the night before prep