Colonoscopy prep..help!

[disfan07]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make the colonoscopy prep less disgusting then it is?

I was just scheduled to have a colonoscopy in 2 weeks (along with an upper endoscopy and a liver biopsy). I have had a colonoscopy before so i've been through the prep before but I wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions on how to make it more bearable.

I'm going to ask my doctor if she has any suggestions but I dont see her until next week so I figured i'd ask here as well.


This is going to be a great way to start off my spring break

 

[travelbug]

For my 1st colonoscopy, I drank the slimy stuff during the prep. I had a terrible time getting it down and keeping it down. So the next time, I did the pills instead. Just as effective, but MUCH more bearable. (The pills were pretty big though).

Good luck! I hope all goes well for you.

 

[LuvOrlando]

There are prescription pills that will cause the evacuation without the disgusting taste, I liked them a million times better.

 

[disfan07]

Wow. Thanks guys. I had NO idea that there were pills instead of the liquid stuff. My doc. probably will tell me about that at my appt next week.

Question though....how big are we talking? If I have some difficulty swallowing pills will it be too hard? Can they be split of do they have to be swallowed whole?

 

[stepmommyof1]

I used to use the pills but this last time doctor told me they're not allowed to use the pills anymore because of some medical problem people were getting, sorry I can't remember what it was , but the news was a blow to me.
Even the pills made me throw up but the drink I really couldn't handle.
What I do is just eat soups and puddings and soft fruit for a day, then have any drinks but no food for the next day, and then the next day nothing but lots of water, and I continue with nothing but water for a week.
I know people will say that is bad for you. But honestly, going on a long fast seems healthier than having everyhing shooting out of you the day before.
I never told my dr about how I prepare because I know they wouldn't approve, but I have had enough colonoscopies in my young life to know that I am going to just have to do what works for me- sorry if that seems bad but oh well.
The thing is, when I drank the prep, I would never be cleared out enough for the dr to see in there, because I threw up so much of the prep drink that their just wasn't enough in me to work- and I had to repeat several colonoscopies because they couldn't see enough BUT I have been preparing this way for the last few times and I have always been cleared out enough when I do it this way.
Plus I don't have a problem with not eating...we probably eat too much anyway...and if you keep your mind busy with other activities it isn't that bad.
I'm just saying what worked for me...and letting you know there is another option if you really can't face that awful drink prep.
Good luck with whichever you decide.

 

[MomRN]

I also did OsmoPrep (the pills) back in November. The pills are large. I'm not really sure if they can be cut, but I believe so. Some GI's and surgeons will not use it and believe in golytely- the liquid version. Someone was being funny when naming that med, because there is nothing "go lightly" about it.

 

[WDWBlue]

I also did OsmoPrep (the pills) back in November. The pills are large. I'm not really sure if they can be cut, but I believe so. Some GI's and surgeons will not use it and believe in golytely- the liquid version. Someone was being funny when naming that med, because there is nothing "go lightly" about it.

Kinda the consistency of lemon tinged saliva.....

 

[Lassie Lynne]

As for the prep: I always eat lightly on the day or two before the prep, not real heavy/spciy food, more like soup, crackers, sandwhiches and fruit. I also always start my prep a few hours earlier too that the doctor says - it just gives me more time. Also, have plenty of very soft TP and A & D ointment (you can find this in the baby aisle) helps with redness and any inflame.

 

[disfan07]

ugghh...I have so been trying to avoid this test. The first time I had it done, I ended up having some electrolyte problems because of the prep so the next time I had to make sure I drank enough gatorade while doing the prep.

This time, I can't have it done at the outpatient center. Any type of sedation causes me to have problems with my asthma so I have to have it done in the main hospital and as an inpatient (which is why I am having the upper endoscopy done as well)

I will definitely ask about the pills though. but if they have any type of possible side effects, there is no way she is going to allow me to use them instead (which is possibly why she has never mentioned them before)

 

[Kara]

I didnt have the pill option either...I had both colonoscopy and endoscopy...I would however ask if you can get something for the nausea..For some reason, my second test prep was harder than the first on my stomach.

 

[Katie's Butterflies]

I've had a bunch of colonoscopies and the last time was the best. My doctor had me take a bunch of those ducalax stool softeners (not the laxatives!) and gave me a powder that had to be turned into a drink. I started taking the pills a day or so before drinking the real prep. (I also limited the amount of solids I had for several days before the test). Then with the powder, I mixed it with homemade lemonade. It was really good! (Who can say that about prep?!) Plus, since I had taken the stool softener everything came out easily with NO cramping! By far the easiest and most thorough prep I had ever had.

Good luck with all these tests. Honestly your posts sound exactly like my life a couple of years ago...scheduling tests around school breaks and spending way too much time in hospitals/doctors offices.
Feel better and good luck with school!

 

[disfan07]

I didnt have the pill option either...I had both colonoscopy and endoscopy...I would however ask if you can get something for the nausea..For some reason, my second test prep was harder than the first on my stomach.

Yeha I'm probably going to ask if I can continue taking my zofran while doing it. I've been on zofran for about 5 months (which is part of the reason we're doing all of this).

 

[DMRick]

I was told to drink the prep out of a straw. Pref a larger straw, like at Burger King. I don't know why this made it easy to drink and keep down, but it did.

 

[Christine]

The pills are still an option out there. Some practices aren't using them anymore but my coworker just used them yesterday. They are called OsmoPrep. They are like the "Fleet" treatment but in pill form. Much better.

 

[mhsjax]

I've had a bunch of colonoscopies and the last time was the best. My doctor had me take a bunch of those ducalax stool softeners (not the laxatives!) and gave me a powder that had to be turned into a drink. I started taking the pills a day or so before drinking the real prep. (I also limited the amount of solids I had for several days before the test). Then with the powder, I mixed it with homemade lemonade. It was really good! (Who can say that about prep?!) Plus, since I had taken the stool softener everything came out easily with NO cramping! By far the easiest and most thorough prep I had ever had.

Good luck with all these tests. Honestly your posts sound exactly like my life a couple of years ago...scheduling tests around school breaks and spending way too much time in hospitals/doctors offices.
Feel better and good luck with school!

You probably had Miralax. I did the ducalax with this stuff, Mirilax had no taste what so ever, so all you taste is whatever yo are drinking. OP, Ask your Dr. about this.

 

[starwood]

I need to schedule one soon. DH had is a couple years ago and they said to take a whole bottle of miralax. My doctor said the prep I would use was called moviprep. It looks like a powder that you mix and drink so much each 15 minutes. I'm really not looking forward to this. I had a barium about 20 years ago and the prep for that practically killed me. I was up going all night and extremely nauseous.

 

[aprilgail2]

ugghh...I have so been trying to avoid this test. The first time I had it done, I ended up having some electrolyte problems because of the prep so the next time I had to make sure I drank enough gatorade while doing the prep.

)

One time I used this little bottle of liquid that you added to 12 ounces of orange juice and that was it--worked great! The last time it was not go lightly anymore- it was half lightly that you mix with gatorade.

 

[Joyful3Heart]

My husband just had a colonoscopy last week and the doctor gave him a brand new prep called "SuPrep" It is a little bottle you mix with 2 cups of clear liquid and take at 5 pm the night before, then take another one the next morning four hours before your test. At first my husband was upset because it was so expensive (brand name only, so $55 with our insurance $95 without), but after the prep he said it was worth every penny compared to the last prep he went through. Maybe check with your doctor (and your prescription coverage) to see if this would work.
FYI - A lot of the gastroenterologists I work with won't use the pills because they can cause inflammation during the prep, possibly irritating an underlying condition or creating a false positive of inflammation. I didn't know that they had been pulled but I know I haven't used them in the hospital setting since '09.

 

[crashbb]

I haven't had a colonoscopy, but last month I had abdonimal surgery and they had me prep as if I were having a colonoscopy. I used "Pico Salax" and it really wasn't that bad. It is a powder (kinda has an orangey flavour) but disolves in about half a cup of liquid, so you can down it without really tasting it. You take two doses, about 6 hours apart.

http://www.pico-salax.ca/eng_home.html

 

[Bonnie40]

Plenty of experience in the colonoscopy department here....

Drinking the prep with a straw as a PP suggested makes a big difference.
Sucking on popsicles helps to numb the taste buds.
My Dr. suggests taking gravol to help with any nausea.
Drinking gatorade (not red) helps with electrolytes.
Definitely change diet leading up to the prep - makes a huge difference.