scared of colonoscopy prep - how bad is it?

[Anonymous]

I had to use moviprep before a surgery and all I can say is buy some of the wet wipes to wipe with instead of using toilet paper. You will thank yourself for it later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope, no enemas no suppositories.

Thank-you...that is great news! (from someone with a phobia about such things)

[Anonymous]

doing moviprep tonight. got thru the first bottle between 6-7pm, but then vomited some of it. Wonder how that will affect the prep. no idea how much I "lost" that way. Still have the second bottle to do in the middle of the night because my procedure is at 7am.
I can do this for one night, but YUCK!
anybody else to moviprep recently and have experience to share.

[Anonymous]

I had two bottles of the magnesium citrate... and after realizing I shouldn't drink the RED colored bottle (what was I thinking? they don't want to see any red during your colonoscopy), I drank two of the yellows. Chill them in the fridge before drinking. Pour it into a glass, have a chaser nearby (whatever is on the acceptable list! I already like the sugarless gatoraide type drinks) and drink the first bottle straight down (chug it... you remember college? or high school?). You can either hold your nose, or what I find so much easier, DO NOT breathe through your nose at any time, just be a mouth breather. It's the same as holding your nose. Things "taste" bad mainly because we "smell" them. No air going into our out of your nose... no taste.

OK, so I've already prepared for what is to come. You will need to be near a toilet from now on. Not right next to it... the other room is fine. You need something to pass the time you are there. Thank goodness for my iPad. Or a book. Or whatever. You get some GREAT alone time! And... I wasn't in there for that long each time. I nixed the tp for flushable baby wipes... no sense irritating yourself down there... (and after the first explosion, I opted for a shower to clean up... and you feel clean after a shower!) It's not a big deal... just go with it. You can have chicken broth, clear liquids, jello (choose the right color), and they say even beef broth, but I would avoid that the next time... beef broth is brown, which can be confusing while cleansing. No liquids after midnight. I did not have to get up a single time all night. Woke up to the alarm. Which I set a tad early.

Day of...
I set the alarm a tad early because, while I understand what needs to be done, and realize they do this all the time, you have this fear that you aren't totally clean. I jumped in the shower and emptied out a store bought enema... some sort of saline laxative in it... I just put in fresh, warm water. And... (you either know how this works, or you learn), gave myself one... the fluid that came back in the toilet was a little too yellowish for my liking, so I did a second, and it was much cleaner. We're talking 10 minutes at the most here. Now I felt clean and confident.

The colonoscopy itself? I have heard such TOTAL horror stories. Turns out... tuning out the prep part... I'd rather go through the colonoscopy part more than a cleaning by my dentist. They give an IV sedating drug that pretty much lets you sleep through the whole thing. They watch for any pain you have, and generally are on top of it before you can even utter a word, since they see it on your face. The pain? Have you ever had a gas pain while sitting in a chair? That's about it. They make the pain go away fast. And... I shouldn't even call it pain, since it is just being so damn uncomfortable... for about 15 seconds. Big whoop. I don't remember much about the rest of it (that's due to the twilight drugs!), and just remember waking up at the very end. I saw some great pictures on the screen of my insides just as he was finishing up and tagging the photos. It was like the procedure was started... and then suddenly was over before I even knew it. They wheeled me off to the prep room... just a big room with curtains, because... this aint surgery... and the doctor explained what he saw to my wife and myself. And... I don't remember anything the doctor said (ha!) so always have someone with you that will remember what the doc recommends. I had no polyps, but some diverticulosis. Instructions were: go on a high fiber diet.

So... the procedure felt like it lasted only about 10 minutes or so... maybe less... but I don't remember. That's the beauty of the drug. You start forgetting, even though what I forgot wasn't bad at all. I was driven home, and spent the rest of the day is a joyous relaxed state. You will even want to take a nap. Nothing hurts. All is good. I really don't know why I was so worried... it had to be done... and look at the glass half full... I was so relaxed for the rest of the day... I now dread a teeth cleaning more than a colonoscopy. Go figure.

[Anonymous]

If anyone is still reading this, drinking the prep can be awful. Something that REALLY helps is to have lemon flavoured sugar free candies/hard lollies to suck on between mouthfuls, it helps so much! I've had to do it plenty of times with colonlytly and previous times I couldn't get through it all. With the candy trick it was so much easier. And a straw, always a straw. Some people recommend having broth or something on hand as a chaser, just depends I guess.

[Anonymous]

It hard for me to drink it

[Anonymous]

It sucks!

Make sure you have baby wipes or better yet a detachable shower head to wash your raw ass off after the 20th time of pooping.

[Anonymous]

Drink the prep with a straw, it will go down much easier. It bypasses the taste buds on your tongue.

[Anonymous]

I still haven't scheduled mine and to be honest I'm most afraid of the diet part-no fruits and vegetables for something like 4 or 5 days prior which will give me constipation from hell and I'll feel like crap (pun intended). and The liquid diet the day before scares me again due to feeling lousy and still having to go about my day. I've had to do the enema laxative prep for a rectal surgery years ago and while it wasn't fun, it was short lived. I don't fear the procedure itself.

For those of you (like me) who have a family history, did the people in your family get it before age 60? I have somehow justified waiting because I'm just 41. I am aiming for this spring or summer.

[Anonymous]

The prep made me throw up. It was just too much liquid. I wish I had taken two days to get it all down.

My colonoscopy was clean and easy.

[Anonymous]

I did one colonoscopy in 2007 and one in 2012. The prep had improved drastically in that time. It's not really terrible -- the clear liquid diet for 24 hours before was the worst part, especially if you have to work that day.

[Anonymous]

And I totally agree with the rec to use wet wipes. Your butt will thank you.

[Anonymous]

I've had to do it every five years since I was 18. I'm 47. I had cancer in my appendix and pre- cancerous lesions throughout my intestinal tract my senior year of high school.

It's not that bad. I did it with the pills once and that was much more difficult. Just drink the liquid quickly without thinking about it. It doesn't really taste that bad, but it's easy to psych yourself out about it. Watch a movie or play on dcum to distract yourself while you drink.

I've never had bad cramps. But you will spend a lot of time in the bathroom. You'll end up with nothing but clear liquid coming out of you.

And the procedure is nothing. You'll get a good sleep! And think about it this way - It's really, really, really important. These types of cancers are very treatable when caught early. I am so thankful that my doctor did that first colonoscopy and removed those polyps. The procedure is nothing compared to surgery and chemo.

[josey23]

I had my first colonoscopy a few months ago and found the prep and procedure to be no big deal.

[Anonymous]

So sad but the colonoscopy prep and procedure felt like a mini vacation for me... My husband watched the kids while I sat on the toilet for four hours armed with trashy mags and my iPad. The morning of the procedure the anesthesiologist gave me some amazing sedation and I woke up feeling like a million bucks. I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging at home, watching tv and reveling in being able to eat again!