Tips for first colonoscopy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one whose doctor doesn't have them do a morning dose? I'm supposed to be done by midnight.

I cant lie, I'm very nervous about liquid diet for 24 hours. Like, feeling very anxious about it. Very. Don't know why. More anxious about that than prep.

So do you still do two doses, just earlier? Or skip one?

It says:

At 6 p.m.
• Mix the CoLyte, GoLytely®, or NuLytely® with water until
it is dissolved.
• Drink the prep solution at a rate of one cup (8 ounces)
of the prep solution, every 15 to 30 minutes over the
course of 1 to 2 hours until you drink half of the prep
solution. If you feel full or nauseated, you can slow down
but must finish the first half before midnight.
At 9 p.m.
• Take 2 simethicone anti-gas tablets.
• Continue to drink only clear liquids until bedtime to stay
hydrated. Take all medications as prescribed.
• Drink one cup (8 ounces) of the prep solution, every 15
to 30 minutes until the solution is finished or until midnight.
When the prep solution is finished, take 2 more
simethicone anti-gas tablets with a small sip of water.
It is very important that you finish all the remaining
prep solution at least 4 hours before your scheduled
procedure, and that you consume nothing (NO clear
liquids, water, juice, etc.) after completing your prep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep in mind that if your procedure is scheduled for the morning you will have to wake up pre-dawn to finish the prep. I choose late morning/early afternoon procedure appointments and get a regular night's sleep the night before.

In my experience the prep is not bad, aside from the sheer volume of liquid you have to drink. I opt for the miralax/gatorade prep because I can stomach the taste better than the prescription stuff.

+1

The volume of liquids was nauseating. I actually threw up from it.

And I wouldn't mix all of the miralax up front in case you realize that you can't stomach any more gatorade. I wish I had some mixed with just water towards the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one whose doctor doesn't have them do a morning dose? I'm supposed to be done by midnight.

I cant lie, I'm very nervous about liquid diet for 24 hours. Like, feeling very anxious about it. Very. Don't know why. More anxious about that than prep.

So do you still do two doses, just earlier? Or skip one?

It says:

At 6 p.m.
• Mix the CoLyte, GoLytely®, or NuLytely® with water until
it is dissolved.
• Drink the prep solution at a rate of one cup (8 ounces)
of the prep solution, every 15 to 30 minutes over the
course of 1 to 2 hours until you drink half of the prep
solution. If you feel full or nauseated, you can slow down
but must finish the first half before midnight.
At 9 p.m.
• Take 2 simethicone anti-gas tablets.
• Continue to drink only clear liquids until bedtime to stay
hydrated. Take all medications as prescribed.
• Drink one cup (8 ounces) of the prep solution, every 15
to 30 minutes until the solution is finished or until midnight.
When the prep solution is finished, take 2 more
simethicone anti-gas tablets with a small sip of water.
It is very important that you finish all the remaining
prep solution at least 4 hours before your scheduled
procedure, and that you consume nothing (NO clear
liquids, water, juice, etc.) after completing your prep.

Thank you, I appreciate this very much!

[Anonymous]

The prep sucks. It is not only the taste, it is you have to keep drinking it as you start to feel nauseous.

My advice, start a little early and drink the prep slowly. It still sucks, but you are less likely to puke (i tried to do the second dose quickly and puked). Luckily enough stayed down (you should be pooping clear liquid by the end).

For me, once the prep kicked in, there was a window where I just sat on the toilet. Take a bottle of water with you so you can finish the ridiculous amount of drinking water. At most, prepare to stay very close to the bathroom. Very very close.

I was nauseous pretty much the entire day I had the procedure (mine was in the morning). I did not feel hungry until the next day. Even then, I was glad I did not have to go to work.

The procedure itself is nothing. You are asleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one whose doctor doesn't have them do a morning dose? I'm supposed to be done by midnight.

I cant lie, I'm very nervous about liquid diet for 24 hours. Like, feeling very anxious about it. Very. Don't know why. More anxious about that than prep.

Oh man - I am jealous. I asked for an alternative plan instead of doing the second dose at 3am and was told that is the only way.

The liquid diet sucked. Get a variety of liquids - it helps a little. And just plan to chill out all day if you can. You really only feel hungry until 6pm - once you start the prep you will not want food.

[Anonymous]

I mixed the prep with Sprite and it wasn't nearly as bad as everyone said it would be. I didn't mind the liquid diet because I ate stuff I usually don't eat- lemon Italian ice, Jello, etc.

I did mine on Friday morning and it was much easier than I anticipated. The sleep was the best part. It was amazing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mixed the prep with Sprite and it wasn't nearly as bad as everyone said it would be. I didn't mind the liquid diet because I ate stuff I usually don't eat- lemon Italian ice, Jello, etc.

I did mine on Friday morning and it was much easier than I anticipated. The sleep was the best part. It was amazing!

I always have a lot of broth on hand it helps balance the sweet of Gatorade. I had bone broth and it was fine.

[Anonymous]

You don't need sedation. It's done in the United States in almost all cases but in some countries the majority of colonoscopies are done without any sedation. Personally I don't like being sedated and I don't mind a little discomfort. The pain was extremely mild - like between 0 and 1 on the 1-10 scale - so I'm pleased that I passed it up. Clearly many people prefer sedation. Go with whatever makes you most comfortable, but know that it's your choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't need sedation. It's done in the United States in almost all cases but in some countries the majority of colonoscopies are done without any sedation. Personally I don't like being sedated and I don't mind a little discomfort. The pain was extremely mild - like between 0 and 1 on the 1-10 scale - so I'm pleased that I passed it up. Clearly many people prefer sedation. Go with whatever makes you most comfortable, but know that it's your choice.

I've had 4 colonoscopies and am going back for my fifth in December (I have well controlled ulcerative colitis and have to get them every 2 years). I did the first three sedated and the last one without sedation (sedation would have required me to stop a medication 2 weeks in advance, which I didn't want to do).

I vastly prefer without sedation and will never do a sedated colonoscopy again. I would rank the pain slightly higher than PP - insertion was about a 4 on a 1-10 scale. It basically felt like bad menstrual cramps. But that only lasted 2-3 minutes. And then withdrawal (took about 8-10 minutes) just felt like a bowel movement. [the process is that they insert the device all the way and then take pictures/biopsies/whatever as they pull it out.]

My understanding is that the discomfort of the procedure depends greatly on one's build, and more specifically the size/shape of one's colon. I was told that in general the procedure is more uncomfortable for women than for men, more uncomfortable for smaller people, and more uncomfortable for people with lower body fat for some reason. Since I'm a 5'4" 105 pound woman, they really tried to talk me out of skipping sedation the first time because they were afraid that they'd have to stop the procedure at some point due to my discomfort. But, again, it was just bad cramps, and I've certainly dealt with those before.

As for why I prefer without sedation so much? Besides the fact that I can stay on my medication, the recovery was also much quicker and easier. As soon as they were done, I was wheeled out to the recovery room, given my stuff, and told I could leave whenever I wanted. I didn't have to hang out and recover from sedation, and I didn't need to arrange for a ride home.

Plus, in the past, I've always felt sluggish and a bit foggy for 1-2 weeks after sedated colonoscopies - I thought this was just due to some stress/healing from the biopsies they take of my colon each time. But I felt 100% myself after the non-sedated colonoscopy, so I think I'm one of those people that has some lingering effects from sedation.