scared of colonoscopy prep - how bad is it?

[Anonymous]

Do you get a choice of liquid or pills? I can't swallow pills so would prefer liquid. Can you take your time drinking the liquid or do you have to drink it within a certain amount of time? If you barf does that make it so the prep is messed up and you can't do the procedure? How and when do they sedate you? Can you drive yourself there and back or do you need someone to go with you? How long does the entire thing last the day of?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you get a choice of liquid or pills? I can't swallow pills so would prefer liquid. Can you take your time drinking the liquid or do you have to drink it within a certain amount of time? If you barf does that make it so the prep is messed up and you can't do the procedure? How and when do they sedate you? Can you drive yourself there and back or do you need someone to go with you? How long does the entire thing last the day of?

Based on my colonoscopy a few months ago:
1. My doctor only prescribes liquid prep. Was told pills can damage kidneys.
2. You mix the powder with water and drink 8 oz. every 15 minutes until liquid is finished, which took total of 1 hr. to drink. Started prep at 6:00 pm and finished "eliminating" by about 11:00 pm. Then you take second round next morning about 4 hrs. before procedure to ensure you are cleaned out.
3. You really need to drink all of the liquid to clean yourself out. If there is a problem with vomiting, they tell you to contact your doctor.
4. They gave me an IV of fluids after changing into a gown. Then walked back to procedure area, laid on table, was given anesthesia almost immediately.
5. You are not permitted to drive at all the day of colonoscopy. You must have someone go with you to drive you home. If you don't have anyone, you can hire medical transportation to take you there and back. No cabs allowed due to liability.
6. Check in, paperwork, waiting in waiting room, talking to nurse, IV setup, anesthesia setup, procedure, wake up, eating a snack afterwards, getting changed and results from Doctor took just under 3 hrs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

What?? Why were you having pain? I have only had one colonoscopy in my life but as soon as I layed down the doc gave me something and I was OUT. No pain! They did not insert anything while I was awake. I woke up and it was over and i went home. Who was your GI?

[Anonymous]

I have a colonoscopy and endoscopy coming up soon. I'm terrified of the prep because I had an adverse reaction to Ducolax after my surgery in 2010. I ended up in the ER with projectile vomiting and my blood pressure was dropping. It was a horrible experience! Has anyone used anti-nausea meds during the for the colon prep? Did it help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a colonoscopy and endoscopy coming up soon. I'm terrified of the prep because I had an adverse reaction to Ducolax after my surgery in 2010. I ended up in the ER with projectile vomiting and my blood pressure was dropping. It was a horrible experience! Has anyone used anti-nausea meds during the for the colon prep? Did it help?

I'm sure if you tell your doctor this, they will prescribe you exactly what you need. They've seen it all and want to make sure you are comfortable.

[Anonymous]

The prep is much worse than the procedure. However, I had a friend died of colon cancer because she "couldn't be bothered with all that nonsense.". As noted upthread, it is a necessary evil. Just stay home and close toilet.

[Anonymous]

Prep is definitely the worst part. I also was very stressed that I didn't start "going" right away. Was many hours before I started. But it was fine in the end.

I also started early with colonoscopy (age 42) due to family history. The colonoscopy did find polyps, biopsied and they were benign. But recommended to do this every 5 years instead of every ten now.

But, having had chemo for breast cancer, I will gladly submit to this kind of testing as recommended with the goal of catching anything early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you get a choice of liquid or pills? I can't swallow pills so would prefer liquid. Can you take your time drinking the liquid or do you have to drink it within a certain amount of time? If you barf does that make it so the prep is messed up and you can't do the procedure? How and when do they sedate you? Can you drive yourself there and back or do you need someone to go with you? How long does the entire thing last the day of?

Based on my colonoscopy a few months ago:
1. My doctor only prescribes liquid prep. Was told pills can damage kidneys.
2. You mix the powder with water and drink 8 oz. every 15 minutes until liquid is finished, which took total of 1 hr. to drink. Started prep at 6:00 pm and finished "eliminating" by about 11:00 pm. Then you take second round next morning about 4 hrs. before procedure to ensure you are cleaned out.
3. You really need to drink all of the liquid to clean yourself out. If there is a problem with vomiting, they tell you to contact your doctor.
4. They gave me an IV of fluids after changing into a gown. Then walked back to procedure area, laid on table, was given anesthesia almost immediately.
5. You are not permitted to drive at all the day of colonoscopy. You must have someone go with you to drive you home. If you don't have anyone, you can hire medical transportation to take you there and back. No cabs allowed due to liability.
6. Check in, paperwork, waiting in waiting room, talking to nurse, IV setup, anesthesia setup, procedure, wake up, eating a snack afterwards, getting changed and results from Doctor took just under 3 hrs.

If you go to bed early, like 9 pm, can you start prep earlier than 6 pm? I want to start my prep around 3-4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you get a choice of liquid or pills? I can't swallow pills so would prefer liquid. Can you take your time drinking the liquid or do you have to drink it within a certain amount of time? If you barf does that make it so the prep is messed up and you can't do the procedure? How and when do they sedate you? Can you drive yourself there and back or do you need someone to go with you? How long does the entire thing last the day of?

Based on my colonoscopy a few months ago:
1. My doctor only prescribes liquid prep. Was told pills can damage kidneys.
2. You mix the powder with water and drink 8 oz. every 15 minutes until liquid is finished, which took total of 1 hr. to drink. Started prep at 6:00 pm and finished "eliminating" by about 11:00 pm. Then you take second round next morning about 4 hrs. before procedure to ensure you are cleaned out.
3. You really need to drink all of the liquid to clean yourself out. If there is a problem with vomiting, they tell you to contact your doctor.
4. They gave me an IV of fluids after changing into a gown. Then walked back to procedure area, laid on table, was given anesthesia almost immediately.
5. You are not permitted to drive at all the day of colonoscopy. You must have someone go with you to drive you home. If you don't have anyone, you can hire medical transportation to take you there and back. No cabs allowed due to liability.
6. Check in, paperwork, waiting in waiting room, talking to nurse, IV setup, anesthesia setup, procedure, wake up, eating a snack afterwards, getting changed and results from Doctor took just under 3 hrs.

If you go to bed early, like 9 pm, can you start prep earlier than 6 pm? I want to start my prep around 3-4.

You have to follow the hours instructions. Stool forms even if you don't eat, so the hours-before-procedure instructions are tailored to how long you will be empty.

I've had half a dozen colonoscopies because I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease at 20. I've done several different preps, including the gatorade/miralax prep. Of all of them, some of them including things that are no longer on the market because they are so damaging, the Miralax/Gatorade prep was the ONLY one that made me vomit. The best that I've used is prepopik. It's a small volume of liquid the night before and the morning of, followed by several glasses of water. It doesn't taste awesome, but you drink it fast and then you just drink water.

Also- for the poster about who asked about pain - standard procedure is twilight sedation for a colonoscopy unless there's a reason to do a heavier sedation. I am always fully sedated with Propofol, but my prior colonoscopies with valium/versed were incredibly painful.

[Anonymous]

The only unpleasant part is the prep because its hard to drink so much of something that has a bad taste. The procedure was fast and painless, and received pics of my colon suitable for framing.

[Anonymous]

I've posted on here about my Suprep prep. It involved grape Propel, ginger ale, lemon wedges and lifesavers. Maybe it will come up in a search. Just don't sit down when you're drinking it. Keep upright and moving around so it doesn't sit like a brick in your stomach.

[Anonymous]

Were there any effects after the procedure? Like that same day or the next? Any cramping or discomfort. I figure that the clean out the entire colon (including healthy microbiome) so maybe BMs or GI isn't normal for a few days after? Was this the case for anyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Were there any effects after the procedure? Like that same day or the next? Any cramping or discomfort. I figure that the clean out the entire colon (including healthy microbiome) so maybe BMs or GI isn't normal for a few days after? Was this the case for anyone?

No. You're way overthinking this.

[Anonymous]

Like others have said, the prep is a PITA because once you start it you are stuck at home running to the bathroom every 10 minutes. The procedure, itself, is no big deal at all. You basically snuggle up into a warm blanket, lay on your side and sleep through the whole thing. When I woke up I felt completely normal, no discomfort at all.

I felt a slight discomfort from gas on the ride home but that didn't last long. I took it easy on food for the rest of the day (ex: chicken noodle soup and saltines). Although I had no dietary restrictions - I just wanted to give my body time to recover from the prep.

The next day, I ate scrambled eggs and spent half the day boating on the water.