Colonoscopy FAIL

I am back from my colonoscopy.

So how did it go? It didn't! It was a big old FAIL!!! She started in on it and said I was not adequately cleaned out so she could not complete it. This is my nightmare - that I had to go through all the torture of the prep and then have to do it all again!!! I have heard of this happening from time to time but since I never had this issue before I thought I was okay. She said I probably did not drink enough liquids. Then the nurse when I was in recovery said Oh, you probably need to drink more liquid. When I got home I called my GI's office to reschedule and the assistant said, Dr Tai told me to remind you to drink more liquid next time. So, from all this I gather that perhaps next time I need to drink more liquid. SIGH. The assistant said a few times, when you think you've had enough to drink and can't drink anymore... then drink that same amount again. UGH. I will burst.

Has this ever happened to anyone else? Anyone have any tips or advice?? Other than don't eat for a week beforehand, I don't do well with starving myself. Though perhaps I will try not eating solids for 2 days instead of 1. I don't want to ever go through this again.

How frustrating! What prep did you use?

q

Pico-Salix is one my GI suggests as well, and his previous assistant used it herself a few times (singing accolades as well)...but I prefer the gallon PEG.

Don't do with the citro-mag...so it seems the PS would be the only other choice then.

I think it's only available in Canada at this point...but could be mistaken.

q

I've had many of them and the "Go-Lightly" I drink is anything but that. After it hits my system I flush out over and over like Niagara Falls. My system gets so empty that you could probably roll a marble through my colon from one end to the other!

I don't know what they mean by not enough liquids!!? I never drink liquids, I basically just drink a gallon of that stuff, and believe me, that is enough liquid!!!

Of course after the procedure I'm so hungry it's frightening.

for my first sigmoidoscopy, i did the magnesium citrate and i wasn't cleaned out either. my doc saw enough to diagnose me, but constipation was my biggest problem at the time so i probably needed something stronger.

now, i just do no food for 3 days before hand without any prep. i'm clean every time. i know you hate starving though. i just drinking lots of broth and juice and eat jello out the wazoo.

I do clear liquids 1 1/2 to 2 days before, that always seems to get most of whatever is in me out of me before the prep. Then I do the Ducolax/Miralax-Gatorade prep plus a bottle of mag citrate the following morning before the test. The Miralax cleans me out in about 2 hours. Anything leftover gets cleaned out by that mag citrate the next morning. I think doing the clear liquids earlier is key. Definitely include chicken broth in that though just to give yourself some more energy from not eating solids for a few days.

DJ....They don't mean stool, however, unless it were an emergency.

There's always gastro fluid in the colon, however....my GI mentioned that with the PEG gallons, the colon is much "wetter" than with the Pico Salix.

Mine was definitely wet and juicy..:-b

q

This is one of my worst fears. Sorry you had to go through that.

In future preps, if you are not passing clear liquid by the end of the prep you should call your DR and discuss it. You will probably be told to stand down and try again in a few weeks. Save yourself the time, trauma and cost of a procedure by checking the toilet bowl before heading to the scope appointment.

Sorry this happened to you Serenity! What was your post-scope meal choice?

what a bummer. I hope you enjoyed the muffin! Was it a gigantic one with lots of crumble on top?

@JohnPX HAHAHAHA. I take that same stuff and know EXACTLY what you're talking about. My colon is so cleaned out the camera prolly squeaks as it brushes the walls in there.

I've never had that happen OP, but my last colonoscopy they couldn't get past the sigmoid colon and put so much air in me they thought I perforated because I was in so much pain...then BOOM! I farted and felt alive again. Good luck with your next scoping I hope it goes much better.

That sucks!!! I once had a failed colonoscopy because my perianal crohn's skin tags and rectum were so inflamed he could/would not try to force the scope (surprisingly, but thank goodness)...

I've always done liquids for 2 days before prepping because generally what you eat today will take about 3 days to "reappear" again in the toilet...this method has always worked for being completely cleaned out.

same thing happened to me, not once, but twice! Did the prep using Half-Lytely, which has always worked well in thepast. Took my pill, started chugging the liquid.... nothing! Finally I called the GI on call around 7:00pm, asking if it was harmful to keep chugging the liquid yet not going! I felt horrible, so full I sloshed when I moved. He said to keep it up, drink water, etc. I kept it up, things started a bit, but not like they usually do. Bottom line, it wasn't a good prep- had to schedule another scope in 3 months. So the next scope, did a 2 day prep with 2 bottles of mag citrate (which I actually like), then Half-Lytely. And 2-3 days of liquid diet beforehand. Same thing, I went.. but not enough! Poor prep.. my GI was able to suck out enough liquidy stool to get some ok biopisies, but it was still considered to be poor prep, clinically. The stool was all liquid, but it wasn't passing. My colon has gotten pretty thick, due to scar tissue, which could be the cause. And it's not that flexible these days either, which doesn't help.. Anyway, I'm due for another in January, and have already started to dread it. I plan to drink some mag citrate, then do the prep, and also go on a liquid diet for like 3 days prior. Sometimes, they just don't do the trick! And they tell you to drink water too- I'm so full of gross prep I can't swallow anything! Are you doing a re-scope soon? I felt like such a failure.. haha!