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Colonoscopy Prep Anxiety

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Posted 12/17/2011 5:45 AM (GMT 0)
I'm 24 years old, 5'6, only 96 lbs. due to recent flare ups, and I've been unofficially diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. I'm having a colonoscopy Monday and am very nervous, mostly about the prep. I haven't had one since I was very young and can't really remember it. I'm doing the OsmoPrep pills, which is 32 huge pills. I've heard they can make you sick, so now I get to worry about being sick all night before the procedure. I'm excited to finally get some answers, but worried about the prep. I forgot to ask my doctor if I could take Phenergan or Zofran with the prep pills and now it's the weekend. I can barely make it through a normal day without my Phenergan, much less a night of laxatives. Does anyone know if it's safe to take nausea medicine with OsmoPrep? Any advice or experiences to share? Thanks, Britnee.
Posted 12/17/2011 2:17 PM (GMT 0)
Just try and relax...
The prep is the worst part of a Colonoscopy, but it's not all that bad. Just be near a toliet.
My doc always gives me Half/lytely and that has always worked for me other then drinking a half gallon.
Good luck! I wish you all the best..
Posted 12/17/2011 9:53 PM (GMT 0)
heavens 32 pill is crazy - I drink a normal size glass of some very nice tropical tasting drink once the night before then another in the morning. Go the loo a dozen or so times and that is it - easy as ;P

my only tip for comfort is to coat your bottom with vaseline or similar each time you wipe to prevent scouring.

Not sure where you live but maybe ring a 24 hour surgery for advice if your own Dr doesn't have an after hour service esp if you are concerned about being sick.

all the best :)
Posted 12/18/2011 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
I've been given either phenergan or Zofran for nausea during a prep. I'm not a doctor and can't advise you to take them, all I can tell you is that my gastro has scripted the phenergan for me for prep caused nausea and my family doctor has scripted Zofran for me for prep caused nausea.

If it will ease your mind call a local pharmacist. Surely you have pharmacies in yoru area open all night and on weekends.

Posted 12/18/2011 1:00 AM (GMT 0)
I'm 34 (I was dx w/ Crohn's as a teenager), and I've had quite a many of colonoscopies.

So I can tell you this: The prep will probably be over faster than you think. (But it is no fun, and I can see that you already understand that of course.)
My advice would be: Focus on something else, like maybe have one or two good movies ready to watch, near your bathroom.
Or even right there.
And have something soothing (to the skin) to help you feel better in case your bum is feeling irritated, towards the end of the prep (just from going a bunch).
I have never had Nausea w/ a prep, but I do kind of feel like (at least for me) -- doing a prep is probably usually a little easier (more comfortable / less crampy) if I try and eat lighter than normal for just a decent little while (maybe a day and a half) (before ever starting to do the prep naturally).
Good luck, hope you get good news, and it will all be over fast, really.
Posted 12/18/2011 2:29 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone. I was told by a doctor today that it was safe to take my Phenergan. I was prescribed Zofran, but my insurance hasn't fully kicked in yet and it's $200 for the bottle. The OsmoPrep was $150 and I just couldn't afford both. An ER doc gave me Xanax, which I've never taken before, and the pharmacist said to go ahead and take it, so maybe I'll be too doped up to care. I just get nervous because I'm so tiny for such a large dose! Thanks for the encouragement. I just keep telling myself that it's almost over :)
Posted 12/18/2011 2:32 AM (GMT 0)
Also, I think I'm a little nervous over the fact that I've only spoken to my doctor once and for about five minutes, and the whole time I was trying to explain my symptoms, he was like, "Listen, I need to know your insurance will be official by then and that I won't get burned." I was thinking, I paid $300 for this visit, can't you just listen?? I just hope he's capable. He was the only one that could get me in..
Posted 12/18/2011 3:08 AM (GMT 0)
WELCOME!! smilewinkgrin

  The prep is the worse part of the colonoscopy prep. I've done 6 scopes since April and have had a different prep each time. The Miralax and fleet enema combination has been the best prep so far. It doesn't cause as much cramps. I've never tried the pills but I would reccomend you call your GI's office and ask about other prep options that are easier on the stomach and will help ease your nerves.

   I usually drink a lot of gatorade, water, chicken broth and eat some Jello and Italian ice when I'm hungry. I have Crohn's in my stomach too so Sprite is a no-no for me. As for the bathroom situation make sure to stock up on toilet papers, magazines, petroleum jelly, some hemorrhoid pads(help the pain and burning) and I've heard some people like to take a pillow/blanket in the bathroom and light some nice smelling candles. If it works for you, then go for it! smilewinkgrin

    Your GI sounds like he;s all about the money and not all about you. You are the patient. Doctors work for YOU. I've been in a situation where I've had to see a GI I didn;t like and who barely knew how to treat pediatric Crohn's patients. I now travel 4 hours away to see my new GI and it is SO worth it. He listens to me and always answers/returns my phone calls.

 Hang in there! I know how it feels to want a diagnosis so bad! Just know that if the colonoscopy shows nothing that doesn't mean you don't have Crohn's!

Posted 12/18/2011 5:50 AM (GMT 0)
I'm right there with you. It's been 5 years since my last scope, so I'm due for one. I keep trying to put it off, I'm actually quite scared to do it again. I had to drink that gallon of stuff, I was hospitalized at the time. I remember throwing it up half way through. I didn't even get it all down I was so nauseated. Thankfully I hadn't ate in days, so I was pretty cleaned out.

I had two scopes during that stay in the hospital. The first was with NO prep, cause I was bleeding so badly. They had to hurry up and get in there and close off the ulcer that was bleeding. The next day is when I started the prep for a scope to get a better look. The first scope, even with no prep, went great. Don't remember a thing. It was the second scope that I had, that I woke up during the middle. I remember being in pain, them telling me to breathe. Then I passed back out. Ever since I'm scared to death of them. :(

So I'm scared of the prep, and it making me sick. And I'm scared of waking up during the scope. Not sure how I'm going to do it soon. :(
Posted 12/18/2011 6:34 AM (GMT 0)
Jennifer, I understand how you feel. I've been sick for over ten years, so I've developed a phobia of sickness in general. I have panic attack issues. I had a scope both ways in the hospital when I was very young and remember waking up with it down my throat and setting up in the bed freaking out. It was traumatizing. I'm only doing the colonoscopy this time, and I guess it's better to wake up with it in that end than down my throat. I just keep telling myself that medicine had come a long way over the years and that this experience will probably be better. I'm so tempted to just fast and do a ton of enemas, and skip the pills, but I don't wanna do all this and them have to stop midway through because I'm not cleaned out. I opted for OsmoPrep pills this time, because I didn't think I could drink a ton of stuff. I've heard good and bad feedback on them. I'll be sure to let you know how my experience goes so that maybe you can use them. I have a very sensitive stomach, so if they work for me, they'd probably work for anyone. Good luck with your upcoming procedure.
Posted 12/18/2011 8:21 AM (GMT 0)
Oh gosh, I'm afraid they'll want to go down the throat for me soon too. I've had some Crohn's symptoms in my throat with this last flare. I've never done that one, so yeah I think I'm even more anxious about that! lol

It does sound like a lot of pills they gave you, but I think I'd go for pills over drinking all that nasty stuff. Good luck with your prep and scope. Let us know how it goes! My fingers will be crossed for you!!
Posted 12/18/2011 1:35 PM (GMT 0)
Some of you might want to ask for HalfLytely. Its half the amount and not quite so bad tasting as the NuLytely and GoLytely sewer water.

Its no picnic, its a bowel prep, BUT, at least I could get it down altho w/my gastro's blessing I took less over a longer period of time. In other words I took twice as long to get each of the two "cleansings" down. Instead of an hour per dose I took 2 hours to get each dose down.

That greatly reduces the nausea caused just by having to get so much volume of liquid into your tummy in so short a time.

And, Ellemmy, if I were you, once this scope was behind me I'd be asking around and checking around to see if I could find a gastro w/a little more respect and consideration for his/her patients. This guy may be darn good - BUT - he sounds like a real jerk to have to put up w/and rely on.

He is either egotistical enough - or dumb enough - to badly handle the insurance issue w/you rather than being smart enough to leave that up to his staff.

Posted 12/18/2011 3:55 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck with your scope! I just had my last scope this past summer and it had been years like Jen77 since I had had one. The prep is the worse, so once you can get thru it and do the test, remember that now you will have some needed answers. I told the doc afterwards though, this is the last one you are getting for years. I hate them too! I agree that afterwards I would start looking for a new doc. He seems more interested in his bottom line, than yours. Hugs!
Posted 12/18/2011 11:22 PM (GMT 0)
I put off getting my first scope for years b/c I was so afraid of the prep. I've had several scopes since and have not had a problem with nausea or cramping with the preps. I've taken go lightly and half lightly. My colon was so painful and dysfunctional, I was terrified I would have all that prep in me and get awful spasms and cramps. That didn't happen any of the times. I hope you have good luck. I usually felt really good after my preps and scopes. I think it was the drugs. ha,ha,ha......
Posted 12/21/2011 7:16 AM (GMT 0)
Well, I'm all done. It feels great to have it over with. The doc said everything looked great. Can you believe that?? I know it's bad to root for a bad diagnosis, but not knowing is killing me. I've always been sickly, but for the past six months, I've been HORRIBLE! I've lost fifteen pounds. I stay up all night sometimes, pacing the bathroom floor in pain. I run a mild fever and get terrible chills with EVERY bowel movement (which either happens once a week or six times in a day!) The ER doctor said he'd bet anything it was Crohn's, but my gastro doc said my colon looked good. He said it was twisted in several places, and he straightened it out, but that other than that, I was normal. I go in for my oral scope next week, and I'm PRAYING with everything that I get an answer.

I took my three-year-old to the zoo for her birthday in September. It was a two hour drive, and right before we arrived, I got horribly sick. We ended up sitting in the car parked at a city park for four hours while I ran back and forth to the trash can and used a cup in my car as a toilet. The worst part of the entire thing was that we could see the sign for the zoo a block away, and my sweet baby was pointing at it the whole time. We had to go home, and I've never forgiven myself. I'm sick of people grabbing my hand and saying, "Honey, you're just getting so skinny," like I'm an anorexic, and I'm sick of people saying, "Maybe if you don't think about it or worry about it so much, you won't get sick," like I'm a hypochondriac. I know I'm sick. It has to be more than my GERD doing this to me, because I take my Nexium religiously. I've dealt with this my entire life, and my family deserves more than me holding them back.

I'm so sorry to vent; I'm just so very frustrated. I thought for sure I'd get answers this time. My mother has worked on getting me insurance for months, and through all the sick trips to doctors and hotels, she'd say, "Just get through this, and you'll get answers and be a new person by Christmas!" So much for that. Thank you all for your support. It means the world to me to have the support and advice of people who can relate to my situation!
Posted 12/21/2011 7:26 AM (GMT 0)
And in case you were wondering Jennifer, the procedure was a breeze. I feel a little silly for worrying. I was told to only do liquids the day of prep, but I began a mostly liquid diet the day before, so I didn't have much on my stomach. Against my instructions, I only took about half the pills. I know I took the risk of not being cleaned out, and I do not advise this to anyone else, but it did work for me. Like I said, I'm very small and my tummy was empty. I also took a half of a Xanax as advised by my pharmacist, because I was pretty much in a panick. It helped to calm me down a lot. My stomach gurgled a bit, and I went to the bathroom until it was obvious there was nothing left.. no cramping, no sickness. I would never ever want to drink the horrible prep stuff if I can get the pills. I have a smaller throat, and I still got them down easily. The actual procedure was so simple for me. They told me to lie on my side, and I closed my eyes. I woke up to my mom helping me dress. I walked straight to the car, a little out of it.. not dizzy or anything, just felt kinda goofy. Every five miles or so down the road, I became a little clearer headed. It was a piece of cake, so don't worry Jennifer, just give in and schedule it. It's not so bad, and it could save your life. For me, dreading it was the worst part of all!
Posted 12/21/2011 7:32 AM (GMT 0)
Right when I saw your post I had hoped you had some nausea medication.and you do so you should be fine. Take some Tylenol, no aspirin as I am sure you know. I have to be honest, it's the worst part of the whole thing but getting some answers is so worth it.. I know before my diagnosis I was very frustrated. Just try and relax and think of the positive you will get thought this..will be thinking of you an let us know what the results were! Good luck,
Leslie
Posted 12/21/2011 7:50 AM (GMT 0)
Ellmenny,
Sorry to post again, must be annoying but I just read all your responses! brings tears to my eyes for you to not have an answer.. I have been there when my daughter wanted to be somewhere end I just couldn't. I had lost control so leaving the house was very difficult I eventually had a colostomy bag. She is eleven now and I would love to say the guilt gets better but she understands now. But the guilt it's a b.
I am 93.5 pounds right now ans gorge myself till I am sick to try and gain weight..nothing. I,like you,lost a lot of weight in a short time and just can't seem to get it back on. I get comments all the time.. I have learned to just ignore it, it's none of anybody's business.
Maybe with the endoscopy you will get an answer, I know insurance is an issue but have you had barium? Where they have you drink barium and a follow through where they take X-rays as it moves through the intestinal track?
Also I have been diagnosed with crohns and then have another g.i. Say I do not have it..so get second opinions! Good luck again Hun.
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