colonoscopy

 Well one week exactly from today I'll be doing my prep for my colonoscopy on Friday.  I'm nervous as anyone would be and all the tips I've been reading to make the prep a bit smoother and recovery a bit easier is helpful.  I'm going to try and eat light on Wednesday.  I'm going to get my chicken broth and popscicles this weekend maybe some jello.  I dout i will feel much like eatting anything as I go through the process.  I am worried about what might be found more than anything.  I did read to start your eatting again slowly such as with pretzels and water don't go out and have a burger afterwards like my husband wanted to do after his test a few years ago.  That was the first thing he wanted.  Of course he paid for it later so I'm not going to do that.  I might try a PB & J after but will take things easy for a couple of days.  I also heard that mixing that stuff with Gatorade is better than mixing it with water.  Hubby chased his with some 7up.  Any other tips will be helpful.  I don't do well with taking medicine that taste bad so this will be challenging for me.  I don't much even like cough syrup. 

JRBear, I think you're preparing much more than I did for my first scope and that's great. The main tip I would usually give is to eat light the day prior to prepping, that should make the prep much easier. The colonoscopies have been a breeze for me but the prep is always a nightmare. You have to use a gatorade that isn't red, I used yellow. It wasn't great but I made it through the majority of the prep. Last time I did the pill prep and it wasn't too much easier because it is such a ridiculous number of pills, they are hard to take after a while as well. It sounds like you're doing everything right. Good luck & let me know if you have any other questions :)

The prep is ridiculous for people that have this illness because all it does is cause more inflammation in your system. I understand if you want someone to diagnose you, you have to clean yourself out... just wish there was a better option.

When I did it I took Muralax(sp?). Mixed with gatorade... told to drink the entire gatorade in a day... but cleaned myself out more than enough times so I gave my body a rest at night, told myself, okay this is enough.

Just be prepared mentally, when you go in for a colonoscopy its definitely not a casual experience by any means and you'll likely be upset by the end of the day for how much they seem to know about you, but how little they can truly help you other than prescribing loads of medications. :( Good luck to you!

By the way I had 3 colonoscopies done in about 8 months. 2 without the drug that makes you sleep and 1 with. It's uncomfortable without the drug but I dealt with it.

Even if you're not completely cleaned inside it does not matter. What they do is absorb the poop with the scope and spray the inside of the colon with liquid, I presume water, so it cleans it, then absorbs again. So in a way, they clean it for you. I noticed all this when I saw it with my own eyes on the monitor while the probe was going further and further.

I kept asking, what is this and that, etc.

JRBear said...
I will probably call and ask what kind of a sidation they do. I'd rather be knocked out and not know a thing about it. Thanks for all the info. This is my first so I'm just not really looking forward to it at all. I can't remember off the top of my head what the prescribed for me. I know its something I have to mix and drink so I'll remember to mix it up the day before so it's cold. Oh I so can't wait to get this stupid thing over with.

If you change your mind, you should try to do with without the sedation. Its fascinating to see the tube going in your colon and all. If they sedate you, you won't resist and fall asleep in 10-15 seconds lol.

The third time was funny, I'm like, ok give me the drug I'm tired. They inject me and I'm like...hmmmmm...zzzzzzzz...

fortunately my test is at 7:30 next friday morning.  So at least I'll get it out of the way early in the day and be done with it.  Thanks again for the tips.  I do appreciate it.

When I had my colonoscopy, I asked whether Vitamin Water was okay to use and they said yes (so long as it wasn't red, of course). I like Vitamin Water better than Gatorade, myself, so I wanted to pass that along in case you prefer it, too. I generally like the flavor choices better and I think the flavors are not as strong.

I was on a liquid diet for 2 days before mine, and I think I just had maybe 8 mostly liquid poops and it was over. Easily made it to the bathroom each time.
I was in the hospital at the time and didn't have any choices for flavors, but I didn't think it was bad, just heavy- like Pedialite.

My problem is that I'm not a liquid drinker - especially in the winter. I had a hard time keeping it down near the end, and even vomited up a few cups.
There was about an inch and a half left in the jug and I was looking at it thinking I'm gonna finish one more cupful and then throw the rest in the sink before the nurses come back!

The nurse walked in a minute later and said that I've suffered enuf and poured it all down the sink!! LOL The procedure then was a piece of cake.

Well, in a couple of days I will be starting my prep:( I know this needs to be done, but the hard part is not being able to have advil and of course there is a big front moving through in the next couple of days with lots of rain.  I always tend to have more headaches and pain when a front of any kind moves through.  I had a horrible headache all day yesterday.  I tried napping it off and that didn't help.  I managed to get things done, but I still woke with a bit of a lingering headache today.  It was almost a migrane type headache.  I didn't take anything for it cause tylenol just doesn't do anything for me.  That's going to be a bit tough for someone that has headaches and fibro pain not to take advil in the next few days.  Still think I might ask the GI doctor what he might recommend for headaches.  I don't like excederin.  I took some at work for a headache one time cause i didn't have any advil on me and I sure didn't like the way it made me feel.  Even aleve that's supposed to be the best just doesn't do it.  Advil liquid gels work the best on me so I guess that will be my next step is to find an alternative for headaches and fibro pain.  It doesn't get rid of all the fibro pain it just makes it bareable.  Hope y'all are having a good day.  Even with a slight headache and some achiness I'm doing ok at the moment.

I've thought about seeing a neurologist, but I have doctor's for everything.  I guess it couldn't hurt I do tend to get headaches a lot from fibro pain, to stress headaches, tension, weather related you name i get a headache.  I guess I'll cross that bridge next, but one thing at a time for now.

lol JRBear, you sound like me. There are so many doctors I would like to see for my various issues but I am "all doctored out". I try to go as minimally as possible these days simply because I don't feel like going to any more doctors.

I have discovered a safe and more gentle product to clean out my colon. I had such a bad experience with the other products out there, cramps, throwing up, just awful. I was nervous trying this out at my last one, but my specialist told me I was clean as a whistle!

The product is called 'Bioxy Cleanse', it is a natural gentle Oxygen & Magnesium powder that you drink with water then chase it with lemon juice. It is expensive around $40, but after my awful experience, this was a breeze, no cramps, no vomiting, no urgency to run to the bathroom, it wasn't bad at all. It is also good for general cleansing and keeping the colon healthy.

I took 1 tbsp in a glass of water, 2-3 times a day, for 2 days, I started just drinking liquids the first day (not clear) then on the second, only clear.

http://www.greenalive.com/bioxy.html

Also I reversed my ulcerative colitis through cutting out sugar and taking probiotics, diet is huge, it took me a year, but if you can do this you will cure yourself, I only go for check ups now, and there are scars where the ulcers once were.

my 2nd colonoscopy i was in the middle of a bad flare. when i flare i'm hungry pretty much the entire time i'm awake. on my prep day i had a huge bite of some cake lol i just was so mad and hungry and i did it lol. oh and i only drank about half of the big ol jug they give you. it's nasty. anyway i went in the next day and told the nurse i couldn't drink it all and i ate something, she said ok we will do a couple enemas. i could hardly feel them cause my butt hole was so used & abused from uc & mesalamine enemas. i think i did 3 enemas and pooped them out in 10 minutes an that was that. i laid down on the bed and waited for my drugs to kick in!! good luck :)