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Frustrated -- colonoscopy prep question

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 3/24/2015 3:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hey everyone -
so I had my appointment with a new GI today. He came recommended so I was a bit disappointed that I had to wait for over an hour and a half to meet him (part of the frustration was I heard him BSing in the hallway) that my appointment was only about 5 minutes - where I gave him a brief timeline of stuff, he looked through my reports from the last colonoscopy and then said "how do you feel about getting another colonoscopy?"

- Obviously I'm not excited about it - but I wasn't shocked and said I understood.

Anyway - then he said I needed to use Suprep bowel prep kit. I started to explain that I've had 2 colonoscopies the first time I had to drink the awful crap (I think Magnesium Citrate) that made me vomit and gag - it was horrible. Second time I had Miralax and dulcolax -which was an absolute breeze - as pleasant as this unpleasant experience can be. He kind of dismissed it saying that this Supep was better and didn't taste that bad.

Reading online it sounds like people are saying it was as bad as drinking the other.

Is it unreasonable for me to insist on the other prep (or simply to do it without asking?)

Had the doc not been recommended by a friend, I'd be even more discouraged since I didn't think he was that attentive, but want to give it the benefit of the doubt that perhaps he was having a long day.
Posted 3/24/2015 3:33 AM (GMT 0)
You want to be "as clean as possible" so the GI can see exactly what your colon looks like. Miralax is just a laxative so you might not get as clean as a bowel prep. Also GI's have their preferences on what their patients use.

If you don't like this GI then switch to another. My original GI I absolutely hated and looking back he was very neglectful to my condition; I have a friend who thinks that he is the wonderful doctor. My current GI will spend 15-30 minutes with me during every office visit, he would visit me almost every day while I was in the hospital for my surgeries. My insurance company would not pay him for that since I was being cared for by my surgeon but my GI cared enough about my condition to check on me every day.
Posted 3/24/2015 3:39 AM (GMT 0)
I've heard suprep is the easiest. I have done miralax/dulcolax, and I think I was pretty cleaned out, but it made me vomit. it's a lot of fluid. I would imagine you could go that route and the doctor wouldn't know the difference but I would go for the suprep if it were me. I had a bad experience with the other. I did golytely once and that was the absolute worst. Pill prep was the easiest for me but my GI said it didn't clean me out that well. The truth is, I couldn't finish the pills because I had the scope in the AM and the directions said to take it at 6:00am and it wouldn't have given me enough time so I skipped the morning dose.
Posted 3/24/2015 4:20 AM (GMT 0)
For my very first colonoscopy last year I used suprep along with taking dulcolax before it. Ive only used suprep so I have nothing to compare it to, but from what I have heard about the other preps, it was not that bad. I did not experience any nausea or vomiting and it was not that much fluid and does its job in cleaning well. the taste was unpleasant but it was manageable
Posted 3/24/2015 1:40 PM (GMT 0)
I used Suprep and really didn't think it was that bad. I chased my big gulps of it with some ginger ale. Worked pretty quickly and I probably only drank half of the second dose.
Posted 3/24/2015 2:35 PM (GMT 0)
I am getting a scope done in May and they asked me what prep I wanted to use. The only one I have ever used is the dulcolax/miralax prep so that's what I chose. It always gets me well cleaned out. The last time I didn't even quite finish drinking all the liquid and everything was fine.

A friend told me to eat very lightly (mostly broths and soft foods) for a couple days before the prep and it goes easier. I did that for my last scope & she was right. I got cleaned out really fast so even though I didn't finishing drinking everything all was well. It was by far the easiest prep I ever did.
Posted 3/24/2015 2:38 PM (GMT 0)
It shouldn't matter to your dr what you use and as long as you are well cleaned out he'll never know ;)
Posted 3/24/2015 5:47 PM (GMT 0)
The first time I had a colonoscopy I took Osmoprep. 4 (HUGE) pills every half hour until I took all 32. It also wasn't covered by insurance and I was allergic to something in the generic version so had to get the name brand. Over $100. It wasn't bad, but it was the most dehydrated I've ever felt. After that I went to a different doctor who did miralax and dulcolax and I've been fine. My mom had to do suprep and said it was AWFUL. For her second colonoscopy she asked if she could do miralax and dulcolax, but her doctor said it wasn't approved by the FDA so they wouldn't allow it. She did it anyways and he didn't know any different. Just don't fill the prescription and do the miralax and dulcolax. He'll never know.
Posted 3/25/2015 2:24 AM (GMT 0)
Do the dulcolax/miralax prep without asking. After years of horrible preps, I discovered this is what they use at the children's hospital in town. I started using it without asking my GI doc and always had a clean colon. I won't do any other prep unless someone comes up with a better one.
Posted 3/25/2015 6:13 PM (GMT 0)
I just had a colonoscopy today for my ulcerative proctitis. I used the suprep and the taste wasn't TERRIBLE. I chased it with apple juice to help. A friend also said that it's better if you mix in some crystal light (if that's allowed for you). It's a lot better than the huge quantities of the other things I've had to use in the past.
Posted 3/25/2015 8:45 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone - BAMS that's been my #1 concern was the taste. The first colonscopy I had was about 6 years back and I had to drink those bottles of clear fizzy stuff that were horrendous. The taste made me gag and vomit. Thats what scared me about suprep. I had asked them again today (had to go to the office for something else) and they assured me it's not bad and said "worst case just use a straw"
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