Milk of Magnesia & Results of my Scope

I think the liquid is more effective. The pills are very chalky and you have to chew them (or they used to be anyway — maybe they have liquid capsules now?). I was given milk of magnesia a lot as a child and my grandfather used to keep a tin of chewable pills in his pocket all the time. I always assumed it was for indigestion.

I’ve never used it except as a laxative. When I had my colon surgery my bowels stopped working and they wouldn’t let me leave hospital until I pooped so they finally gave me a dose of MoM. It worked fairly quickly.

SN,

I switch over to "blended," food about a week before. MOM is 30 mL 2x daily. I use the liquid. It says it works within 6 hours.... It's much faster for me. So schedule before and after work times.

I tried taking it before my meals, then right after 7 at night. It worked but the 2x a day worked better for me. I take it middle of the night and right after work..

Clo

Post Edited (clo2014) : 1/30/2023 5:23:47 PM (GMT-8)

I used the pills on the colonoscopy I had prior to my most recent one, and they worked great. Much easier on me than all that drinking of the prep fluid. This was with old GI. He said nothing afterwards that the pills didn’t work in cleaning me out.

Just had a colonoscopy recently with new GI. He said he didn’t want me taking the pills. Said he has had too many people show up, and they weren’t clean, and they had to reschedule. So, he said, he only approves the old style drink now.

I got nauseous the night before drinking it. I added sugar free crystal light to it. I started drinking it at 6 pm and not 8 pm as per the instructions. I didn’t puke, but I felt like I was going to, about halfway through the drinking.

I think the instructions said drink 8 ounces every 20 to 40 minutes? And I think what made me nauseous was I was wanting to get it over with, so I was drinking it at the shortest interval, per the instructions. Next time, I’ll drink it at the longest interval. Pretty sure that’s what got to me.
Lesson learned.

I used Suprep, which was 6oz of solution at 5:00 p.m., followed by clear liquids, and then the same early the next morning.

My Gi has me use M of M for my scopes, but I have a jpouch. It’s effective for me.

I drink a whole bottle the day before up to Midnight for a scope the next morning.

I’d have no problem fasting on coffee and broth for 2-4 days prior. I’ve never done it before for a scope, maybe I’ll try it next time.

SN,

I have the same issue with the fasting..... That's why I will puree SCD chicken bone broth soup (that had a couple of potatoes thrown in .. I know it cheating but it helps me with the shakes and nausea) plus a pot of ham and white beans (cooked down to mushy then reconstitute with additional water and pureed to a thinner consistency but with a good taste) and plain vegetable soup (celery, onion, lots of carrots, potatoes, canned green beans in chicken stock). I stay away from red foods that week before.... I sip on those and also will eat SCD yogurt..... I also up my liquid intake to 115 to 120 ounces per day and take the MOM. 2x a day...3x if I am not seeing the results I need. (But I can only do that every other day as I end up getting nauseous). After a week I'm going mostly liquid. This is the only thing I've found that "cleans" me out as much as needed. My GI said that some people with IBD develop extra "sticky" mucus that traps debris along the colon wall... So a low residue diet plus the MOM before the prescription cleanse will help those patients.

It's a pain..... But I've found that the soups made with salt and a light sweet tea will keep my electrolytes in balance and I don't get as sick.

Please let me know how it goes.

Crossing my fingers for you!
Clo

Serenity, the weakness, shaking, plus feeling freezing cold sounds like low blood sugar. So I would conclude that you need to keep replacing electrolytes somehow while purging pre-scope. On the past recommendation of Judy2 (Jujub), a retired RN, I tried using clear Pedialyte (an OTC in U.S.) in combo with my purging gook for most recent scopes, which definitely eliminated those annoying side effects; also, I never schedule c-scope during our cold season nor hot summers to avoid climate stress. Probably you'd have access to some balanced OTC electrolyte drink in BC; I followed Judy's recommend 'cause I didn't want to use a sports drink like Gatorade, due to added dyes, etc. *** Glad to read that MOM is helping you unexpectedly right now! / Old Hat (40+ yrs with left-sided UC; in remission taking Colazal)

SN,

I take MOM to the night before I start the cleansing prep.... Then the next morning start the cleansing prep.

I use zofran to ward off nausea during the clear liquids prep. I have not had to use the Pedialyte...The salty soup, sweet tea, and juices the night before seem to get me thru the 24 hours of the prescription cleanse. However I did sip a homade electrolyte drink during the prescriptions cleanse, and I did add extra salt to my broth and sugar to the weak tea when I started getting leg cramps the day of the prescription cleanse....

But I am a wimp. I have a horrible time with this stuff...cramps, sweating, feeling cold
..nausea and shaking... And that's before I even drink the devil's brew.... Lol... But seriously....

The salty soup, sweet tea and homemade electrolyte drink helped enough that I wasn't puking and I didn't end up in the hospital because my heart rate and blood pressure were going all over the place--which had happened the 4 times before. So it's just what my GI and I have pieced together that works on me.

I added the potatoes to the soups to help with the nausea and shaking and once everything is pureed together it seems to help. I've also used a couple of vanilla meal replacement shakes while doing the pureed soup.

I wish you the best of luck and really really hopes this helps you too. One of the ladies at my support group tried it and said it was "better" regarding the cramps, cold, shaking and nausea.... Not great but she didn't feel as bad as before. On the cleanse portion... She said her doctor knew she had done something different because things were easier to see.

Clo

I’m another one that gets sickly with preps (although I do get well cleaned out). My go to drinks now include coconut water. It doesn’t taste that good although there is a pineapple flavored one that’s not too bad, but it does seem to really help. There’s a pale blue Gatorade that is about the only flavor I can tolerate so I use that too.

Good luck!

Serenity Now,

Thinking of you and hoping everything is going well.

Clo

Okay so first I'll comment on the bowel prep process. Thank goodness I pre-prepped with the MOM. If I hadn't, the 4L of Colyte would not have gotten me completely cleared out. As it was, it took me right up until the last moment to finally go clear. It was just awful, such a struggle to drink all of that stuff without throwing it up and then drinking all the clear liquids required to flush everything out.

At the beginning of the scope, I heard my GI tell the nurse how much sedation to use. Here we are not completely put under. It is termed "twilight sedation". Normally I stay awake and watch the scope travel through my bowel so I can see how cleaned out I am. Sometimes I am even alert enough to watch as she takes tissue samples and remove polyps. Usually I don't remember much but I do remember at least how cleaned out I am. This time? She must have ordered a lot more sedative, perhaps because I am flaring. I don't even remember the start when she first inserted the scope. I must have fallen asleep.

The next thing I recall is my GI standing beside me when it was over, telling me how it went. I've told her that I never remember anything she tells me at that point, when I still have the sedative in my system!!! The only thing I can recall her saying was something about maintaining current meds. So she did not prescribe steroids or anything.... Guess that means what she found wasn't that bad??? Guess I can also deduce she was able to complete the scope so I was cleared out enough.

I was wheeled back to recovery and promptly fell asleep again (which normally I never do). Woke up and a different nurse handed me the checklist form my GI had filled out. There was inflammation but no polyps - wow. I always have polyps. There is no followup appointment with my GI. This confuses me. She doesn't want to check how the flare goes? ARGH. Now I have to wait 4 weeks until she sends the report & biopsy results to my GP. And don't even suggest calling her office. I'll just be told to get the report from my GP in 4 weeks. Frustrating.