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Can someone offer a rugh timeline for colonscopy prep?

Posted , 6 users are following.

thailen
thailen

I'd like to see a 3-4 day prior to the procedure, with what drugs(prescription and non-prescription0, drinks(including water,kool-aid, Gatorade, homemade), so I can see the benchmark time in both days and hours. If there are more than one drug(ex.Ducolax vs Miralax), include both. The advantahge of this timeline is that I can choose what do take, the correct amount, chill vs. room temp, etc. so I know what to take when and not miss a checkpoint).

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • ellen42502
    ellen42502 thailen

    Posted

    The day before my colonoscopy and edg, I woke up at 10:00 am I drank a cup of apple juice, a cup of beef broth and a sprite. I then throughout the mor Ning I drank water and sprite etc. At 3 pm. I took 10 Dulcolax. Then went shopping until 6 pm when I took my first half gallon on golytely. I had it very cold. It was really yucky. I did it in 1 cup shots with a straw to make it more tolerable. Then would eat a gummy bear after each shot to kill the taste. My doctor said the clear, yellow and orange gummy bears were fine with the first half gallon but, none with the second half. So About 2 Hours After First half, I used the bathroom about 4 times. Then I got really cold, I mean freezing. I took a warm shower and laid down until 3 am. Took second half gallon. Used bathroom about 4 more times. Then left for procedure at 6 am. Everything went great. If you have any questions plz feel free to ask. Best of luck.
    • thailen
      thailen ellen42502

      Posted

      You took nothing between 6PM until 6AM you drank nothng or took no meds. I assume that's because you were instructed not to take anything during that last 12 hours.
    • ellen42502
      ellen42502 thailen

      Posted

      After I drank the first half gallon, I was so full I couldn't drink anything else. I wasn't allowed to have anything past midnight but, trust me when I say, you will absolutely not want anything to eat or drink. You really won't want that second half gallon. Feels like tour gonna blow up and the stuff gets progressively worse tasting no matter how cold it is. But it really is worth it so you can have life saving test done. I have been diagnosed with Barretts esophagus and I had polyps in my colon and stomach. So glad I went. I also did not wake up at all during either ptocedure. I woke up as soon as the stopped sedation meds. I got dressed right away and went and ate breakfast with my family and felt fantastic and did all my regular activities for the day. Felt like nothing was done to me. Honest :-)
    • thailen
      thailen ellen42502

      Posted

      O.K. Tthanks. I've had the prep before and while it's a humungous amount to drink, it was the taste that nauseated me. Anything to make the taste better and more palatable iis welcome....
    • cathy_94688
      cathy_94688 ellen42502

      Posted

      Hi ellen

      I should say you are so brave beacuse i could not do the colonoscopy. It's been two years now that I keep cancelling my appointment. I am terribly afraid of sedation and its drugs. I had a bad experience from my gallbladder surgery which was 4 years ago. I don't know what did they used at first beacuse I could see and hear them but I was paralyzed completely then after few minutes they gave me something else and i was out. sad

      I just don't like that memory to reapet again. I asked many gasyronohist that what kinds of drugs they use some said "Versed,fentanyle, Demerol, Valium or propofol. I don't want any of them I want to

      Be able to talk.

      Ellen did they tell you what sedation they use for you?

      And tell me what symptoms you had that your doctor asked you to do colonoscopy?

      all of problems strated after my surgery 1 year later I develop colon pain with sever constipation. I did

      X-ray, MRCP, Ct scan, blood works and stool tests. All came back normal. I did not see any blood nor my stool tests showed any blood. I just had lots of pain. But I didn't take any pain medications I just tolerate the pain and modified my diet. There were times that I was just crying and scriming from the pain. But after two years the pain got lesser. I still have some but not that severe. It's just when I feel I have bowl movement I get the pain in the upper left side of my colon. I just feel it moving there going around the curve and down. All my pain was there. All these years I thought what I have life threatening illness. But I could not make my self to do colonoscopy and thanks god I'm still here. But honesty if I had life threatening illness I wouldn't be around by now. I kept asking my doctor his opinion and he kept telling me I don't think so but just to put your mind at ease lets do the colonoscopy.

      I don't know if he could Guess without look inside that I am fine or not.

      Thank you

    • ellen42502
      ellen42502 cathy_94688

      Posted

      Honey, I know your scared. I was terrified. I also have canceled appointments in the pastbut, honestly it is better to have it done and find out what's wrong so it can be fixed or risk putting your life in danger. Or find out its something not so bad and can be taken care of. My symptoms were terrible tummy pain when it was empty and much discomfort and bloating when I ate. Turns out I have Barretts esophagus and had polyps in my colon. I'm very thankful I had it done. I am sorry to hear of your awful ordeal during your gallbladder sugery. I feel just awful that happened to you. I know everybody has their own experience but, I had the camera down my throat and then the other end for my colonoscopy. I did not wake up during it, don't remember a thing and as soon as they stopped sedation I woke up, not groggy or drunk, just felt like waking from a great nap. Got right up, put on my clothes and went out to breakfast with my family. Please, please have it done. Just because you have waited so long and nothing has happened to you doesn't mean it wont. My friends mom died of colon cancer because she was to scared to have the colonoscopy. That is what's made me just go. I also had a great nurse and anesthesiologist. That helps to. I will talk to you all thru it and follow you closely. Please have it done.
    • cathy_94688
      cathy_94688 ellen42502

      Posted

      Hi ellen

      Thanks for your respond. I know you are right I should do it but I don't know when. But as I told you my doc is not that stressed about cancer. He thinks it's something else. I went to different docs most of them told me the samething just one of the mentioned nerve problem. I asked how and he told be maybe during the surgery a nerve was damaged. But I don't know if a nerve damage can give you constipation.

      Ellen did you do other tests and blood works befor the colonoscopy. If yes did they show any of the problems that you mentioned?

    • ellen42502
      ellen42502 cathy_94688

      Posted

      No, there was no other test done before colonoscopy and edg. Even if it's not currently cancer now, simple problems can turn into cancer. Just plz go do it. When it's done, you will realize it wasn't that bad. As terrified as I was, now that I had it done, when they told me I would need to have it done again in a year. I Was Like ok. I'm not even slightly worried about it this time.
  • rsteinbach90
    rsteinbach90 thailen

    Posted

        This was my experience of a colonoscopy in the states.  I scheduled the colonoscopy four months ahead to fit my wife's schedule so she could drive me home if needed.  One week before the colonoscopy the anaesthesologist called me and we discussed options. After discussing my options in light of my egg allergy and oversensitivity to Benzodiazepines I decided to forego sedation, which the anaesthesologist said was highly unusual.  He said I was only one of a handful of people having an unsedated colonoscopy done in his clinic without sedation this year in a clinic that routinely does dozens of these procedures a week.  Apparently it is common in the states to have heavy sedation during the procedure and I was the rare outler. I had studied the possibility of unsedated colonoscopies and to assure that I would be awake enough I opted for a single dose of antihistamine the morning of the Colonoscopy and nothing more. Two days before I was on an all liquid diet and the day before I would start with the Magnesium drink and I took 10 Dulcolax in the early afternoon, followed by about 4 liters of Polyethylene Glycol 80 powder and Gatorade mix in the early evening. I downed both easily but found they were slow to work.  By 3 AM, 5 hours before the Colonoscopy, I decided to start using progressively higher volume enemas to get things going.  First the 1 liter one, followed by a 2 liter, then a 3 liter.  3 liter enema was the limit for me with the kit I had, which only had an end that would stay put at high volume.  I needed the full 4 liters to hold for 30 minutes and that was not happening.  I was not able to get it completely clear but the discharge was finally very watery.  

        I went to the clinic early in the morning; was called into the back to a changing area with a gurney; got undressed, except for my socks, and put on the gown; got on the gurney with a cover; I was asked if I wanted sedation and again I declined it; signed consent paperwork, and my gurney was pushed to the room where the colonoscopy was to be done.  They put an IV in me in case I needed the pain meds, which I found I didn't need.  My doc, the operator, and a nurse was there to monitor my vitals and provide assistance.  I got on my left side and my doc started to feed in the colonoscope.  I was surprised that there was no discomfort until he hit the sigmoid turn and the twist to the transverse.  I expected a lot of pain but I was surprised that I had no real pain with the procedure.  I told the doc to use as much air as he needed to see because I could tolerate it easily.  The doc got to the Ileum and there was a good amount of pressure but no pain.   He pulled back to the beginning of the colon and found a lot of yellow stuff still stuck to the colon wall.   The doc tried to clean it off but a lot of it would not wash off. He has to twist the colonoscope a lot to get the walls cleaned off and I expected pain in the twisting but I was surprisingly comfortable with the entire procedure. I was fascinated with the view on the telly of my own colon.  It is not often that people get to see their own insides in real time.   I passed some of the gas that the doc put in to see inside and the IV was pulled out.  It bled a lot more that I expected but the bandage stopped the flow.  I got off the gurney, got dressed, and me and my wife got breakfast.  That was the perk of foregoing sedation.  I will do it again without sedation if I can get the same doctor.  He is very experienced and used less air than I expected.  Next time I will get a better prep kit and possibly a high volume enema kit with the Castille soap.

  • ruth88255
    ruth88255 thailen

    Posted

    Unusual. Very unusual, don't bank on subsequent visit being easy. Just do or.
    • rsteinbach90
      rsteinbach90 ruth88255

      Posted

      Don't worry.  I always expected my colon to be blown up like a bicycle tyre during a colonoscopy with the horrible pain that comes with it.  I am very pleased he didn't have to put in that much air.  Fortunately mine lasted just over 20 minutes.   I will also insist on the same doctor since he is very experienced.  A lot of people hear seem to get doctors that are not as experienced or they a different doctor and that when things go wrong.
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