Upper Endoscopy and Colonoscopy/ the PREP / Help/

[JuneChickie]

.

 

[Bareacuda]

I did test this past July.
It is a little rough, but very do'able.
I mixed it with water and all but one of the packets*, it makes a fruit punch taste. Big Hint: Keep it Cold! Lemon-lime, orange and a pineapple flavor
Stay home!!!! All day! You will be needing alot of private time within a short time It took me all day to drink it, with no other liquid, I know I have never drank so much liquid ever!
It said to drink 8oz every 30 minutes, I kept a measuring cup with the liquid.And I set a timer for the 30 minutes.
Drink it all, if they do the test and see debris... they will stop the test and you'll have to repeat the liquid part the next week. That scared me so much, I drank All!!!
During the test I was put under what they called "twlight" sleep. Out of the surgi-center in 3 hrs!
Im glad I did it, I lost a friend little over a year ago from colon cancer, she was 47.
Ithink one day of being uncomfortable is worth it for 10 years.

Good luck... hope you tests are all good!

Ann

 

[Sleepy]

I did test this past July.
It is a little rough, but very do'able.
I mixed it with water and all but one of the packets*, it makes a fruit punch taste. Big Hint: Keep it Cold! Lemon-lime, orange and a pineapple flavor
Stay home!!!! All day! You will be needing alot of private time within a short time It took me all day to drink it, with no other liquid, I know I have never drank so much liquid ever!

Sounds far more pleasant than that phosphosoda stuff they made me drink. It was the worst experience I ever had. Was not sure which end to face the toilet with that stuff. It was similar to having a really bad flu.

 

[EdiePA]

Do not mix it with tea! Tea has natural dyes in it that may influence the test. (and trust me, this is one prep that you do not want to have to redo.) Think CLEAR liquids. And mix it early, put it in the frig and let it get COLD.

Be glad you're doing Halflyley -- there's a prep called Go-lytley that is even more liquid.

Set yourself up for success -- a measuring cup, things to do while you hang out in the bathroom, baby wipes, etc.

Good luck!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I did both of mine together 4 yrs ago at age 41 in which I had 2 precancerous polyps removed. It saved my life. Doc said had I waited until "50" to get a colonoscopy, I would probably have had colon cancer.

I was getting an endoscopy to check for reflux and I insisted on getting the colonoscopy since my insurance covered "routine" ones. The doctor was reluctant however I told her I have never been "right" in that area so since I am under to go for it.

Now I have a colonoscopy scheduled for May 10th. My prep is not like that. Anyway the prep is now the least of my worry. I am praying that I have a cancer free test.

You will be OK and after the test you will feel so good you did it. It is a huge relief off of your shoulders.

 

[lvloopingbag]

They took the pill prep off of the market? When was this? I had a colonoscopy at the end of January and used the pill prep and it was not that bad at all......It was very tolerable and I would do it again......

 

[MIGrandma]

DH and I each had a colonoscopy last summer. We used Fleet as our prep and it really wasn't that bad to drink. I was worried about it tasting terrible but with the lemon packets it wasn't bad at all. The worst part was having to spend so much time on the potty. Make sure you have some reading material in there, as you will be spending a lot of time in there.

What I was worried about for mine was the IV needle, usually they have a hard time finding a vein and have to poke me more than once. I got someone this time who really knew what she was doing and got it, almost painlessly, on the first try. Then I could relax!!

They put dopamine (I think that's what they said) into the IV and said I would probably get a little dizzy. I said "wow, I sure am" and that's the last thing I remember until I was waking up after it was over. Piece of cake.

DH had both done at the same time because he gets heartburn so easily. He said the worst part of that was when they sprayed his throat with something to deaden the nerves, he panicked for a second when he couldn't swallow but then he was out like a light.

You will feel better once it's over, and know you did the right thing for your health, so I hope you don't cancel. It really isn't much to go through, for peace of mind when it's over.

 

[Carl]

I have the tests done often. I try to get them to do the endoscopy and colonoscopy at the same time to get them over with. Usually they will, but this last time they were looking for something in particular and did them separately. Then they did a pill cam. They finally said I had Celiac disease.

By the way, they have found polyps a few times when they did it, but not this last time. Do polyps always ultimately develop into cancer if not removed?

 

[swanmom]

Two other small, but really helpful, tips from my DH.
- Keep straws handy. After the 4th or 5th or 6th glass, he couldn't STAND the taste (no matter how 'fruity good'!) A straw really helped him get those last couple of glasses down.
- Keep really soft, anti-irritating baby wipes handy (for obvious reasons.) DH said they really saved his life!

It's not painful, just unpleasant. Best wishes for a clean, healthy test.

 

[Jane-in-PA]

I've never had an endoscopy, but I have had 3 colonoscopies. Each time it was a different prep. First time was the phosphosoda, seond time was Go-Lytely, and last time was Half-Lytely. It really wasn't so bad doing the Half-Lytely. I wouldn't mix it with tea, but I don't know if tea is or isn't OK to use. It's just that it still won't taste good, tea or none, so why bother? A few things I can recommend are: BluBell Sugar-Free Bullets popsicles (the green and orange colors only), lime green jello, LifeSavers to suck on (not red or purple), and clear broth. Between all of those things, I didn't feel like I was starving. I don't even remember the procedure itself because I was semi out-of-it! I've heard of alot of people asking the doctor when they were going to start and the doctor answering that it was already over! As others have said, it's one day of being uncomfortable that can possibly save your life. That, to me, is a pretty good trade-off! Good luck and I'm sure everything will turn out fine!

 

[PixieTopaz]

I have to go in next week for both of these at the same time.
I've heard nightmares about the "prep" for the colonoscopy. The
dr. gave me a rx for something called ** HalffLytely **. I went
to get it today and opened up the box and there was this huge jug
that Im suppose to drink all of that with these flavor packets and take
2 tablets that were included.

The dr. said I could mix it with anything just nothing with RED or Purple
in it. Can I use ice tea? (its not red)

How long does it take to do these 2 things ? It just seems weird
to do both ends at the same time ~~ anyone else had these two
procedures done together ?

I would appreciate any and all insite on this. Did a search and only came
up with other types of preps given . ex: the fleet .

I asked for the pills and the dr. said they pulled them off the market.


I have a high gag reflex , IM so afraid I won't be able to keep it down , that I just want to call and cancel. Im such a baby .
is this stuff really as bad as it sounds.

Help

I have done this test many times. Last time i threw up all the Halflightly and had to reschedule. I will NEVER drink that again-it is beyond discusting

Instead i take about 20 "Horse" pills and lots of water to clean me out-if they are no longer on the market-i wont do the test anymore.

 

[4nana]

I've have had both these tests done consecutively without a problem. The pre is worse than the tests (that you hardly remember), as half-lightly is more mental, knowing you must make yourself drink it. I have a strong gag reflex also and did best managing to sip on it continiously through out the day/pm mixing it with lemonlime on ice. Do keep some wet wipies handy . Good luck, these are two preventive procedures everyone should have - think of the reward of knowing this could actually save your life.

 

[Christine]

Both my husband and I use the pills so I can't help you with the prep. My coworker has colonoscopies often because of previous colon cancer and she said to use a straw with the liquid.

I wasn't aware that they pulled the pill prep off the market. There were some issues with both the pill prep and the Fleet Phospho-Soda (they are both made of the same stuff) and people who had kidney problems. If you don't have kidney problems, those preps are fine. I guess the issue is that the docs aren't testing beforehand for the kidney problems and I couple of people had kidney failure with the tablets and Fleet. As a result, some doctors are choosing not to use it anymore.

 

[Muushka]

Endoscopy, piece of cake. Colonoscopy, piece of cake once you get through the prep.

As far as having iced tea, I was told it was fine to use it. You may want to call to verify (since someone else has said it is a no-no).

 

[Aimeedyan]

It's very common to do both tests at the same time - and actually something you want to do at the same time. there is no prep for the upper and you won't even know it was done unless they do some dialating or something while in there. I always get it done together.

I get scopes a lot - having my 2nd in a 6 month span in a week, matter of fact - and the preps differ by GI. I've done them all. Each GI prefers a certain prep for a reason. I did the Halflightly before my surgery in February and it does taste awful. Mix it with water - not tea. Drink it as cold as you can get it through a straw.

I am also a big fan of doing a mostly liquid diet a day or two before they tell you to go liquid only. It will REALLY cut down on the bathroom/pain you have doing the prep.

(my GI just went to a new prep that I am trying out next week - it sounds better than the Halflightly but I haven't tasted it yet!)

The test itself is a piece of cake - assuming you will be given drugs You won't have any memories of it and there should be no pain.

 

[anniemae]

Ugh! I hate half lytely. When I did it, I threw up at about glass #7. What made it so bad was the speed at which you have to drink it. I think it was a glass every 15 minutes. I just couldn't handle it. I was able to do the test though. I ate really light the two days before the test so I really didn't have too much to "clean out."

You will be fine though, I think the straw idea is a good one, that way you won't really taste it as much. The colonoscopy is no big deal, sounds much worse than it is.

 

[Inigo]

Sounds far more pleasant than that phosphosoda stuff they made me drink. It was the worst experience I ever had. Was not sure which end to face the toilet with that stuff. It was similar to having a really bad flu.

On my last colonoscopy, I couldn't do the half-lytely as it made me sick, and sent my husband back to town to find the phospho-soda. It's not being sold anymore because the high sodium content can cause problems, but he found the very last bottle on a shelf, so he brought it home for me.

The phospho-soda is a lot less to drink, although it's basically pure salt, so hard to drink. I mixed it with Simply Lemon lemonade, and got it down. One trick is to keep everything as cold as possible, and use a straw as far back in the mouth as you can get it, in hopes of bypassing as many taste buds as you can, and to drink it as fast as possible.

I'd suggest calling your doctor, and ask him if you can do the pill prep. That was the easiest prep I've ever done. Still a lot to drink, and a bazillion pills to swallow, but it was so much better for me as I have a strong gag reflex. And the Simply Lemon or Simply Lime (if you like lime) are really good as the drink along.

Because of the Crohn's Disease, I've had a lot of tests going in both ways. I think it'd be great to get both done at once that way you only need to prep one time.

Good luck on the test, and for the prep.

 

[4greatboys]

I have had 2. The first time my GI had me do a 3 day prep which consisted of having liquids for the 3 days prior and a laxative the night before and the morning of. The second time was a 1 day prep of liquids and the go lightly stuff. It was not tasty and took me longer than the allotted time to drink it. Can't remember if I mixed it with water or Sprite but I do remember I tried to take really big drinks of the of stuff and then I had to follow it with a drink of Sprite.

I pefer the 3 day prep over the one with the go lightly.

 

[Sleepy]

The phospho-soda is a lot less to drink, although it's basically pure salt, so hard to drink. I mixed it with Simply Lemon lemonade, and got it down. One trick is to keep everything as cold as possible, and use a straw as far back in the mouth as you can get it, in hopes of bypassing as many taste buds as you can, and to drink it as fast as possible.

I am not trying to hijack the thread, but is phosphosoda not supposed to make you vomit? I had such an awful time with this during the prep and if this is not normal, I want to avoid it if possible next time.

 

[Inigo]

I am not trying to hijack the thread, but is phosphosoda not supposed to make you vomit? I had such an awful time with this during the prep and if this is not normal, I want to avoid it if possible next time.

No, not supposed to make you vomit. I encourage everyone to talk to their doctors about all the different preps available to figure out which would best for them.

My gastro has been doing various tests on me for almost 19 years now, so he was OK with me switching to a different (over-the-counter) prep, since we have such a history together. Anyone else, TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR!!!

I'm a little unique in that I probably know my body better than most people just getting a screening scope, or who hasn't had a very long history of having a disease.