Colonoscopy prep

[luvflorida]

Am I the only person that just couldn't keep it down?

I'm scheduled for a colonoscopy tomorrow afternoon. I turned 51 last year, so this is a test recommended by my doctor. I started the prep this morning.
I drank a glass of ginger-ale mixed with 1 1/2 ounces of phospho-soda, and I'm supposed to drink another mixture this evening.

Well, I managed to keep it down for almost an hour. I drank water, I tried not to think about the stuff I drank, but nothing worked. I ended up throwing up the entire contents of the drink. I was afraid this would happen. I have an awful gag reflex, and the phospho-soda has a salty taste. That's all I'm going to say, because if I think about it any more, I'm going to make myself sick again.

So, I guess I'll have to call my doctor's office in the morning and tell them I just couldn't keep the prep down. I HATE having to make that call. I'm sure they won't be too pleased with me.

Has anyone else gone through this procedure? Anyone else not able to follow through with the prep? Any other alternatives to drinking this stuff?

 

[ashjohnson80]

That stuff is terrible, I had to have a colonoscopy a couple of years ago b/c I was having some problems, I did throw up the stuff a couple of times but I just kept trying until i got it mostly all down.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Maybe mixing it with ginger ale caused an upset stomach from the carbonation. If you try it again, I wouldn't use anything carbonated (unless they told you to.) Sometimes it helps drinking it with a straw, and you can put it in the fridge if you want. Good luck.

 

[crazyme5kids]

I feel for you! Yuck just thinking about that stuff makes me shudder. I got the plain one and just downed it with a little water. I new if I had anything sweet with it I'd toss it up. I did try a little apple juice with the second dose and it made it much worse. Good luck with the colonoscopy, that was the easy part.

 

[PhotobearSam]

Thank you for getting this test done. EVERYONE OVER 50 should. My Mom had never been told to do so and at 61 the discovered cancer. This saved her life.

I am so sorry you could not keep it down. My Mom kept the 1st one down and not the second one.

I was told by someone that there is another kind that is better tasting and easier to keep down but I don't know the name. Maybe call a pharmacist?

Good luck. Thank you for taking care of YOU.

 

[Mono~rail]

Hi! I'm an RN, and I always give it my patients with 7-Up or Sprite AND ice. It is more comfortable to drink well chilled, and it stays down better.

I'll tell one of my fresh out of school stories. I had only been working for a few weeks, and the first time I gave Fleets Phosphasoda I didn't know it needed to be mixed with something. I made my poor patient drink the whole 4 oz. bottle straight! About 5 minutes later he vomited it all up. That's when a very nice nurse with years of experience taught me the Sprite and ice coctail trick.

 

[luvflorida]

I gag just thinking about it, so I know there is no way I'm going to be able to try it again. I'm mad at myself for not being able to do this.

I chilled the phospho-soda in the fridge overnight. I mixed it with ginger-ale this morning, and added ice. I sipped water to get rid of the salty taste, but I STILL couldn't keep any of it down.

 

[NancyK]

I believe there are several different preps that can be taken. I used something called Citromag. It tasted fine - almost like a lemon-lime pop. I'm sure your doctor will be able to suggest an alternative.

 

[Mono~rail]

I was told by someone that there is another kind that is better tasting and easier to keep down but I don't know the name. Maybe call a pharmacist?

Probably Magnesium Citrate.

Doctors have preferences so consequently, they prescribe the one the prefer.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I had to do it last May to prep for abdominal surgery, and almost didn't make it, but I did. It was really awful, and for months afterward my stomach would curl at the thought. I know your pain!

I'm supposed to have a colonoscopy, too, but I can't bear the thought of going through that again. Someone was telling me that there's something in pill form they can give now. A couple people I've talked to about it said it works great, but another person (maybe she works in a doc's office?) said it tends not to work as well for some people.

I'm going to ask for it, though!

 

[Patsfan7]

My mom didn't like that stuff either, and it was expensive as a prescription. She uses something over the counter now. Call the pharmacy, I'm sure they will know what will work just as well without a new prescription. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Ice! That does help. Really though, it was torture. I only added very little water so that I could get it over with in a couple of gulps. Brushed my teeth for ten minutes afterwords. I sipped on water for a while after because I didn't want to overwhelm my stomach.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Oh, I meant to add that I'd tried it with a carbonated drink at first, and that was not the right thing to do! I burped like crazy afterward, which only made matters worse. Next time I just drank it as quickly as I could, and followed it with a juice chaser to get the taste out of my mouth. It helped.

 

[C.Ann]

DD had a colonoscopy last week and her prep was such a breeze I was actually jealous!!! I used the prep that you did and between that and a very rare allergic reaction to the Reglan that they gave me for nausea, they ended up having to cancel my colonoscopy..

DD had the gallon jug thing - I think it's called Golightly - and she had no nausea and no cramping.. Maybe your doctor could prescribe that instead..

 

[luvflorida]

Brushed my teeth for ten minutes afterwords.

I tend to gag when brushing my teeth as well, but I've managed to brush them a few times this morning. I think I'm a lost cause.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Has anyone else gone through this procedure? Anyone else not able to follow through with the prep? Any other alternatives to drinking this stuff?

Well...this is actually the best prep. I drank it with Sprite.

My prep was 2 Ducolax tablets the night before (8pm) the prep. While that wasn't fun, it really helped me I think.

Then the next day was a clear liquid diet for the whole day. Chicken/beef broth, black coffee, tea, soft drinks, popsicles, jello or fruit juice w/o the pulp.
Nothing red or purple.

Then the Phoso prep was 3, 4, 6, 8, 10pm. Continuing to have broth, liquids and water. I was 41 at the time. Don't wait till 50 people.

Nothing to eat or drink after midnight.

Not fun, but I had a precancerous polyp removed....surprise!
I am thankful everyday I went through with the procedure.

 

[debbi801]

Can you see if you can get the pills? When I had my procedure done, they gave me pills that did the same thing. It was a lot of pill taking, I think once every hour or so, I had to take several pills. But, it was much easier then trying to drink nasty tasting stuff.

I know you've probably heard this before, but the prep is the worst part. The procedure is nothing.

Good luck!

 

[luvflorida]

Not fun, but I had a precancerous polyp removed....surprise!
I am thankful everyday I went through with the procedure.

I'm not at all afraid of the actual procedure, and I know it's something that should be done after the age of 50. I WANT to have the colonoscopy and the peace of mind that would come from getting a clean bill of health would be worth it. And knowing that it's better to find any problems earlier rather than later is also an incentive to get this done.

I've heard about the pill prep and will ask the doctor about it. I HATE swallowing pills, but I'm willing to try anything other than this awful drink.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Maybe try it the way I said. Less in your stomach might help. I sat and Dis'd after drinking it to keep my mind off of it .

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Now I know why I'm reluctant to schedule my consult with the GI dr about some pain I've been having. My stomach is hurting just thinking about the prep involved with certain procedures and I'm thinking that he'll want to run some test.