Prep w/Miralax and Laxative pills? While have a flare!?!

I've done this prep and I find it to be the easiest. I wouldn't stray from the instructions. You don't want to skip something and go in and end up not being cleared out enough so you did the prep for nothing.
When you can't eat really depends on when your scope is the next day. When it says eat nothing, do they include jello and broth or nothing period?
I mix the miralax with propel because it doesn't have a taste so I really just take the propel.

I was in a horrible flare when I had my first (and so far only) scope. I was also told to eat nothing the entire day before. My other instructions were similar--laxitive pill mid-afternoon and liquid prep in the evening (I used GoLytely). They explained that even though I was in a flare and was pooping 15-20x's a day, they needed to ensure my colon was completely clear.

I did that same prep for the first time this year - my 24th colonoscopy. It wasn't so bad.
BUT - do you have any idea what your transit time usually is? I know mine is normally about 12 hours, so - I am a bad girl, I know!!!! - I ALWAYS go ahead and eat a light breakfast witha lovely cup of coffee (with milk!) the day before the scoping. I make sure I have it early in the morning, so it's pretty much gone through before I start the prep, and I make sure it's nothing scratchy, (no granola!) so it won't hurt when the prep expels it.

And - yeah, I don't understand the laxative thing, either, but it didn't seem to hurt.

The better the doc can see, the more benefit to you. And, as one doc explained it to me, pathologists get cranky when they end up doing a test on something that ends up being a sesame seed or piece of a nut! So - the clearer the gut, the better for all.

Thanks, Everyone. Glad to hear this is a tolerable prep.

I was just thinking how strange it is that this prep doesn't have anything to do the morning before. I used to have to drink something at 5 in the morning. I guess this is better because I can sleep late, but I liked the idea that in the morning you had proof that you were all clear.

I wish people hadn't mentioned throwing it up. That wasn't what I needed to know. I just wanted to know:

When was the last time you ate before your c-scope?
Did you take the laxative pills?

Seriously, this is one of the things I dislike about this board -- people always free-associate and wind up telling you scary crap that you don't want to know.

This may be the last time I use this board. I'm really nervous about the prep later today and that LAST thing I needed to worry about -- which hadn't even crossed my mind -- was puking. Geez.

Try to relax & think positively, Julee. Miralax is supposed to be the most gentle prep. I haven't used it myself, but have been on pre-prep regimens where clear liquids were required for 2 days prior to scope. It made me darned hungry; however, the scope went well & I recovered quickly. Keep in mind that the object of prep is to expel only clear fluid from your colon at the end. It's not a contest to swallow 64 oz. of fluid by or within a certain time. Many times people write here that they chugged it all down in record time &/or they puked-- well, no wonder. Don't gulp it or fill your stomach to bursting; just drink steadily every quarter hr or so. When you start to feel full, stop drinking & take a rest for at least 15 minutes. You might want to rinse your mouth in between + definitely on the morning of your scope to keep some saliva flowing. Are they going to put your sedative thru an IV-drip? I hate those, but it does prevent dehydration-- so think about something soothing you'd care to eat/drink when you get back home. Pamper yourself by resting as much as possible, listening to music you like, etc.-- good for fighting the flare as well as prepping. Hang in there! / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])

I just had my colonoscopy last week (Wed.; scheduled for noon, was supposed to be there at 10:30 am, but was called the day before and asked to be there at 10 am (there was a cancellation)). I had the colonoscopy under deep sedation. Best way to do it for me.

Got up prep day, mixed the PEG 3350 crap around 7 am and refrigerated it. I had breakfast the day around 9 am, and started liquid diet at 10 am. Took 2 Bisocodyl (sp?) laxative tabs at 5 pm. At 7 pm, started drinking 8 oz. of PEG 3350 every 15 minutes until I had drunk 2 liters (that's eight, 8 oz cups to you and me. I actually used the oven timer; what helped me in between doses was to rinse my mouth out with mouthwash (first time I did this, but I think I'll do this from now on). Then, things started to, um, move around 9 pm. Continued to drink liquids (so as not to dehydrate). Around 11:30 pm or maybe midnight, I felt like I had "done my thing," so I went to bed. Set my alarm for 2:45 am, as this go-around, my doc instructed me to drink one liter at 3 am. Did the four, 8 oz. cups and could drink clear liquids until 5 am. I think I used the bathroom maybe five times or less after the last liter, and I was able to get a bit of rest. I was actually surprised.

I did notice that I had the chills a bit (hadn't had this happen before) while I was in the bathroom and later when I was waiting for the IV to be put in. I asked my gastro about this, and he said PEG 3350 causes your body temp to drop. Never heard this before (nor did I see this in the literature the pharmacy handed out).

Apparently, the doc had no trouble seeing my colon (I was worried perhaps I wasn't totally "cleaned out," as I thought I'd be up all night. Said everything looked "normal," but took biopsies to check for inflammation and dysplasia. Perhaps this is standard operating procedure, so-to-speak. They're supposed to call me with the results (hopefully next week).

I drank clear chicken bouillion, sodas, Gatorade (no red; stuck to yellow. Didn't venture to blue.), had some yellow Jello (island pineapple was pretty tasty, but lemon..eh??), water and lemon Italian ice. I thought the prep would be worse; even though I had to drink more stuff at 7 pm, I actually think getting up at 3 am was worse, even though I drank less at that point. Prep is definitely worse than the procedure...especially since they knocked me out (I take Xanax XR, so they had to put me under deep sedation; I woke up the last time and was in pain. I guess my tolerance for meds is low.).

Post Edited (Mybackpgs) : 11/15/2009 1:06:41 PM (GMT-7)