Fleets prep - to dilute or not dilute?

I have a c-scope tomorrow and probably should have asked this question earlier, but here goes nothing :)

I got the bright idea to drink the fleets like a tequila shot, followed by a ginger ale chaser. Went down easy. But I'm wondering now, should I have diluted it in something and sipped down slower than that? The last time I did this, I diluted the 1.5 oz fleet in 4 oz of ginger ale and really struggled to drink it all. Do you think it matters if you dilute the fleet in a glass, as opposed to just chugging it down? I've been drinking a ton of liquids, and nothing solid since noon.

I have to do another dose in the morning, and I'd prefer to do my tequila shot method again, but I'm being paranoid that I'm doing it wrong. Thanks for any input :)

thanks quincy! it seems to be having the desired effect.

I'll be totally out tomorrow -- watching the flex sig was entertaining enough for me :eek:

I remember reading an article awhile back concerning lawsuits with this prep. Some people are NOT using enough liquid during the prep process and following it correctly and for some people they have serious kidney type problems.

That is my prep of choice and hubby's but after reading the article and even though I know we are consuming enough liquid I think we will do that awful gallon prep in the future. Just to be on the safer side even though we will have a heck of a time with this other prep.

thanks for the advice all! just got back. the UC is only left sided and the asacol appears to already be working -- there's less inflammation now than during last month's flex sig. Doc doubled the asacol and wants to see me back in a few weeks. he already said I'll need another scope in 2 years, so the tequila shot method will come in handy in 2010 :)

it was rough trying to do that method this morning though - I don't have enough coordination at 5 am. I'm going from 2 pills 3 times a day, to 4 pills three times a day. I'm gonna need a bigger purse.

bluepurl...you should also be on rectal meds...curious why the doc didn't at least get you on them as well?

Glad the scope went smoothly.
q

Jano - I split each 1.5 oz bottle into 2 shots. It was nasty, but over quickly, and I chugged ginger ale until the taste was gone. I found it much easier than having to drink a full glass of fleet+ginger ale. I pretended it was tequila and envisioned being at the bar with my friends. It worked perfectly at night, but for the dose I had to do in the morning, my coordination was off and it didn't go as smoothly. I ended up diluting it and hating every sip.

quincy - I am doing rectal meds too, generic rowasa. He started me on that last month after the flex sig. it helps, but I'll be happy when I can stop

AnotherUCWife -- I'd ask your doc first, since your husband probably has a much different situation than I do. I figured it was ok to take it as a shot since it would be diluted by the liquids I drank immediately before and after. I follow the directions from my doc, which requires drinking a ton of liquids. The more liquids you drink, the easier and more effective the fleet is. The day before the procedure, you have a light breakfast and lunch, and start drinking clear liquids. Then you have to consume 32 oz of clear liquid between 6 pm and 7 pm. Then you take the first fleet at 7 pm, with at least 16 more oz of liquid. Then you have to drink at least 24 oz of something before going to bed. That's a heck of a lot of beverages! In the morning, I was not allowed to drink as much liquid, so I didn't have a good "chaser" and ended up just diluting it as normal. it was yucky.

I think if you drink enough liquid, it makes it less rough on the body. I'm also 28 and in fairly good health overall -- the office I go to uses an alternate prep method for folks with liver or kidney disease, cardiovascular issues, or fluid retention problems. From what I can tell through googling about the fleet lawsuits, people with these conditions weren't warned in the past and the Fleet could potentially cause problems in folks with certain health conditions or at a certain age.

I always take these drug lawsuits with a grain of salt -- all drugs have pros and cons, and sometimes the benefits outweigh the risks. Also, sometimes there's a certain degree of user error - like patients that forget to tell doctors their complete prescription and medical history or docs that don't realize all the possible interactions. Plus, lawyers are always looking for things to do -- sometimes it's truly in the public interest, sometimes it's just for $$.

I am not a doctor or a lawyer, YMMV.

I wonder why they don't just make it into a few giant quick-release capsules or something -- I'd rather swallow 10 -20 pills than have to taste it at all.

lol, thanks pb4. I wonder if they ever have to do it themselves, you know? Like how police officers often get hit with pepper spray, mace, tasers, etc. during training so they know the effect of what they are using. My dear hubby offered to do the prep with me, but I told him no since we only have one bathroom... and he'll get his chance to do it in 20 yrs when he's 50 :)