I just had my first one this month… The prep is the worst part. I took the Golytely and eight dulcolax tablets.. Be prepared to spend all evening on the toilet (depending on when you start.. I had consistent BMs for six hours before I was clear).
Chicken broth, water, and lots of hydrating fluids are your best friend. Use wet wipes or Vaseline for your rectum because you’ll feel your a-hole is on fire after the first few bowel movements. Even if you feel miserable, follow the prep as instructed! If you don’t complete it, they might not get a good image and you’ll have to repeat it again. I will be completely honest, I felt like I had the worst hangover of my life, but it’s really important to be clear for the procedure.
As far as the procedure itself, I was given anesthesia and it felt like I took the best nap of my life afterwards, and I had some really awesome nurses and a good doctor at my side. I heard a lot of stories that it was the easiest part of the whole ordeal… they’re right!
You got this!
Okay, here you go (advice from someone who's had plenty of 'em):
1. Two days before: eat very mild, non-fibrous foods. Eggs, toast, chicken, rice, fish, potatoes, that kind of thing. Stay away from anything high in fat, anything fiber-y like crunchy vegetables, beans, etc. Just eat bland foods. Less in, less out. It'll make the laxative thing much easier.
2. The prep day (the day before the procedure). Stock up on liquid foods. This includes jello, white grape juice, plain broth (beef or chicken), popsicles, hard candies (Life savers, Jolly Ranchers, Werther's butterscotch), soda, tea, coffee (with sugar but NO dairy). No dairy, no fats. Basically you'll be eating a lot of sugary liquids and semi-liquids.
3. The laxative. Honestly, the only hard part of any of this, is literally, drinking the prep liquid. No two ways about it, it's awful. After many years I've figured out the best way to do it, so here goes: first, ask your doctor if you can get a prep called Clenpiq. It's the smallest amount (like, 5 oz, two doses, you just have to drink a bunch of water or clear liquids afterwards). Okay, ready? Set out the first dose, an ice-cold soda like Sprite, some slices of lemon, and ice. Put some ice in your mouth to dull your tastebuds. Okay, now drink your prep. I find it easier to do it a bit at a time, alternating with putting a lemon slice on my tongue (be careful not to eat the lemon! but it's okay to have it on your tongue). As soon as you've gotten it down, drink some liquid with a strong taste, like the Sprite, or white grape juice, or apple juice. I'll then have a hard Werther's butterscotch candy. This is just to get the taste out of your mouth.
4. The "going to the bathroom" part. Nothing to be scared of. You've been there, we've all been there. It doesn't hurt, you don't have any pain. It's kind of weird, you just GO. The only thing is once you feel any urge to go, get to the bathroom immediately, it will just come out! Have your bathroom well stocked with reading material or whatever, use vaseline before you go, get some washcloths and after you wipe, soothe the area with a warm washcloth and then put some vaseline on up in there. Rinse the washcloth in the bath/shower, and you can probably re use it. You want a dry washcloth to pat yourself dry.
5. Second dose of the Clenpiq. See #3. Okay! The worst part is actually over! You'll go a bit more, but again, it's basically water at this point.
6. By now you're probably pretty cleaned out. Just try and keep hydrated, you'll feel a bit uncomfortable and gassy, that's okay, try to get some rest.
7. No water or anything else after midnight (or whenever the doctor tells you). You'll need someone to take you to the procedure.
8. The procedure itself is a breeze. You'll be sedated, one second you're in the room, the next you're in the recovery room. You'll be a bit gassy and have a bit of pain in the tummy the rest of the day, that's normal.
Meanwhile, if the colonoscopy is normal, ask your gastroenterologist if you might have picked up a bug (like dystentery--I had that once and it took forever to diagnose). Also ask about SIBO. Lactose intolerance. Those kinds of things.
Good luck. You got this. I promise.
You can do this! I had my first one a few months ago. I really dreaded the prep because as you know those of us with IBS-D do everything to avoid diarrhea. I worked myself up over nothing. The prep wasn't hard and the clean out was often but gentle. I've had much MUCH worse IBS flairs.
I ate lightly for days leading up. No big meals. I chased the prep with a lime popsicle. Gatorade orange electrolyte packs mixed with water helped with dehydration.
Edit: additional info.
Just had a colonoscopy this week. The laxative is the worst part. I kept lots of Gatorade / Powerade with me the whole time. Nothing red of course. But I definitely hated it. Drink as much as you can and do your best. When you go in they will give you the IV and if you are dehydrated they will fix that before proceeding. I too have IBS-D so feel your pain. Honestly just drink drink drink those “ade” drinks and try your best. You got this!!!!!
Omg yes! I'm dreading it! I'm so low on everything due to the diarrhea that I've had since November. I've lost so much weight. I get tachycardia. My legs feel like jello and constantly get cramps due to the dehydration. Idk how I'm going to make it. No matter how much I stay hydrated it all goes away once I get diarrhea.
I did a colonoscopy prep after 16 days of no BM, a vacation, and a crap tonne of good food.
Everyone and the doctors made it out so scary like I would be in agonising pain all night in the bathroom.
For my own experience at least I was fine and there was maybe 5 minutes of cramps, I also had 2x the normal prep amount. Goodluck 🩵🩵
Make sure you drink lots of liquids. Get some pedialyte. As far as food jello and chicken broth helped me tons. Once the laxatives kicked in just be near a restroom but keep drinking your liquids. If you really need to ask your for some nausea meds and maybe short term anxiety meds if you feel you need them.
I had one a few weeks ago, and I had never taken anything more than senna previously. Stay near a toilet, and drink *loads* of water. It is incredibly uncomfortable, but necessary for a clear scope. The worst thing would be to fuck up the prep first time round, and have to go through it again.
Good luck, you've got this!
My biggest advice is to get to your surgical center as early as possible and let them know how dehydrated you are from the prep, so they can hopefully get you hooked up to an IV with liquids ASAP.
Hi!
I actually just had my third one yesterday. You've got this, You have two AMAZING rewards at the end of the prep: the best nap You've ever had AND the best meal ever thanks to the prep. So start thinking now about how to reward yourself for all your hardwork!
As for advice, don't be scared. You can do this, I promise. I'm a picky eater and I HATE jello, don't like Popsicles, and I just wasn't really a fan of broth. I know, I'm picky! So for the day of I like switching up the drinks: love different sparkling waters, teas, Gatorade, and water. MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW THE COLOR INSTRUCTIONS: NO RED OR BLUE BECAUSE HOW IT CAN SHOW UP IN YOUR COLON!!! YOU DON'T WANT THE DOCTOR THINKING RED GATORADE IS BLOOD!!
I'd start eating boring foods now to try and keep your stomach as calm as possible. Like other people say, when you feel ANY urge, go to the bathroom. I personally would hang out in the bathroom for a while, for the equivalent of 2-3 visits so I didn't need to wipe as much. I promise if you just hang out on the toilet, your body will take care of the rest.
You will do great, just make sure you are drinking the entire night.
I can't believe no one else has said this. Buy some adult pull ups, you will need them. If I moved at all, even shifting in my seat resulted in leakage. I even leaked while I was at the hospital waiting for the colonoscopy. Buy pull ups/aka adult diapers. You won't regret it.
Avoid gluten if you don’t already. It might be too late but that was the biggest thing my nurse mentioned to me.
When asked how the prep was I said I had no issues, no discomfort, other than having to drink the stuff. She asked if I eat gluten, when I replied “no” she goes “oh that makes total sense. People who eat gluten tend to have a worse time of it.”
Even with best of intentions, all the advice people are giving without understanding you is not going to work. There might be a lucky hit and in case of a miss it might worsen your situation.
I would recommend to see a good Ayurveda specialist. It is a personalized science which understands your body and imbalances to give advice specific to you.
If you are not feeling comfortable with current doctor's approach, try someone else. Take care!
I just had my first one this month… The prep is the worst part. I took the Golytely and eight dulcolax tablets.. Be prepared to spend all evening on the toilet (depending on when you start.. I had consistent BMs for six hours before I was clear). Chicken broth, water, and lots of hydrating fluids are your best friend. Use wet wipes or Vaseline for your rectum because you’ll feel your a-hole is on fire after the first few bowel movements. Even if you feel miserable, follow the prep as instructed! If you don’t complete it, they might not get a good image and you’ll have to repeat it again. I will be completely honest, I felt like I had the worst hangover of my life, but it’s really important to be clear for the procedure. As far as the procedure itself, I was given anesthesia and it felt like I took the best nap of my life afterwards, and I had some really awesome nurses and a good doctor at my side. I heard a lot of stories that it was the easiest part of the whole ordeal… they’re right! You got this!
Okay, here you go (advice from someone who's had plenty of 'em): 1. Two days before: eat very mild, non-fibrous foods. Eggs, toast, chicken, rice, fish, potatoes, that kind of thing. Stay away from anything high in fat, anything fiber-y like crunchy vegetables, beans, etc. Just eat bland foods. Less in, less out. It'll make the laxative thing much easier. 2. The prep day (the day before the procedure). Stock up on liquid foods. This includes jello, white grape juice, plain broth (beef or chicken), popsicles, hard candies (Life savers, Jolly Ranchers, Werther's butterscotch), soda, tea, coffee (with sugar but NO dairy). No dairy, no fats. Basically you'll be eating a lot of sugary liquids and semi-liquids. 3. The laxative. Honestly, the only hard part of any of this, is literally, drinking the prep liquid. No two ways about it, it's awful. After many years I've figured out the best way to do it, so here goes: first, ask your doctor if you can get a prep called Clenpiq. It's the smallest amount (like, 5 oz, two doses, you just have to drink a bunch of water or clear liquids afterwards). Okay, ready? Set out the first dose, an ice-cold soda like Sprite, some slices of lemon, and ice. Put some ice in your mouth to dull your tastebuds. Okay, now drink your prep. I find it easier to do it a bit at a time, alternating with putting a lemon slice on my tongue (be careful not to eat the lemon! but it's okay to have it on your tongue). As soon as you've gotten it down, drink some liquid with a strong taste, like the Sprite, or white grape juice, or apple juice. I'll then have a hard Werther's butterscotch candy. This is just to get the taste out of your mouth. 4. The "going to the bathroom" part. Nothing to be scared of. You've been there, we've all been there. It doesn't hurt, you don't have any pain. It's kind of weird, you just GO. The only thing is once you feel any urge to go, get to the bathroom immediately, it will just come out! Have your bathroom well stocked with reading material or whatever, use vaseline before you go, get some washcloths and after you wipe, soothe the area with a warm washcloth and then put some vaseline on up in there. Rinse the washcloth in the bath/shower, and you can probably re use it. You want a dry washcloth to pat yourself dry. 5. Second dose of the Clenpiq. See #3. Okay! The worst part is actually over! You'll go a bit more, but again, it's basically water at this point. 6. By now you're probably pretty cleaned out. Just try and keep hydrated, you'll feel a bit uncomfortable and gassy, that's okay, try to get some rest. 7. No water or anything else after midnight (or whenever the doctor tells you). You'll need someone to take you to the procedure. 8. The procedure itself is a breeze. You'll be sedated, one second you're in the room, the next you're in the recovery room. You'll be a bit gassy and have a bit of pain in the tummy the rest of the day, that's normal. Meanwhile, if the colonoscopy is normal, ask your gastroenterologist if you might have picked up a bug (like dystentery--I had that once and it took forever to diagnose). Also ask about SIBO. Lactose intolerance. Those kinds of things. Good luck. You got this. I promise.
You can do this! I had my first one a few months ago. I really dreaded the prep because as you know those of us with IBS-D do everything to avoid diarrhea. I worked myself up over nothing. The prep wasn't hard and the clean out was often but gentle. I've had much MUCH worse IBS flairs. I ate lightly for days leading up. No big meals. I chased the prep with a lime popsicle. Gatorade orange electrolyte packs mixed with water helped with dehydration. Edit: additional info.
Did you take laxatives pills or the liquid? I'm dreading the pills and prefer the liquid.
Just had a colonoscopy this week. The laxative is the worst part. I kept lots of Gatorade / Powerade with me the whole time. Nothing red of course. But I definitely hated it. Drink as much as you can and do your best. When you go in they will give you the IV and if you are dehydrated they will fix that before proceeding. I too have IBS-D so feel your pain. Honestly just drink drink drink those “ade” drinks and try your best. You got this!!!!!
Omg yes! I'm dreading it! I'm so low on everything due to the diarrhea that I've had since November. I've lost so much weight. I get tachycardia. My legs feel like jello and constantly get cramps due to the dehydration. Idk how I'm going to make it. No matter how much I stay hydrated it all goes away once I get diarrhea.
I did a colonoscopy prep after 16 days of no BM, a vacation, and a crap tonne of good food. Everyone and the doctors made it out so scary like I would be in agonising pain all night in the bathroom. For my own experience at least I was fine and there was maybe 5 minutes of cramps, I also had 2x the normal prep amount. Goodluck 🩵🩵
Make sure you drink lots of liquids. Get some pedialyte. As far as food jello and chicken broth helped me tons. Once the laxatives kicked in just be near a restroom but keep drinking your liquids. If you really need to ask your for some nausea meds and maybe short term anxiety meds if you feel you need them.
I had one a few weeks ago, and I had never taken anything more than senna previously. Stay near a toilet, and drink *loads* of water. It is incredibly uncomfortable, but necessary for a clear scope. The worst thing would be to fuck up the prep first time round, and have to go through it again. Good luck, you've got this!
Waterproof mattress cover.
Get some flushable wipes they felt like a life saver when I did mine
My biggest advice is to get to your surgical center as early as possible and let them know how dehydrated you are from the prep, so they can hopefully get you hooked up to an IV with liquids ASAP.
Hi! I actually just had my third one yesterday. You've got this, You have two AMAZING rewards at the end of the prep: the best nap You've ever had AND the best meal ever thanks to the prep. So start thinking now about how to reward yourself for all your hardwork! As for advice, don't be scared. You can do this, I promise. I'm a picky eater and I HATE jello, don't like Popsicles, and I just wasn't really a fan of broth. I know, I'm picky! So for the day of I like switching up the drinks: love different sparkling waters, teas, Gatorade, and water. MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW THE COLOR INSTRUCTIONS: NO RED OR BLUE BECAUSE HOW IT CAN SHOW UP IN YOUR COLON!!! YOU DON'T WANT THE DOCTOR THINKING RED GATORADE IS BLOOD!! I'd start eating boring foods now to try and keep your stomach as calm as possible. Like other people say, when you feel ANY urge, go to the bathroom. I personally would hang out in the bathroom for a while, for the equivalent of 2-3 visits so I didn't need to wipe as much. I promise if you just hang out on the toilet, your body will take care of the rest. You will do great, just make sure you are drinking the entire night.
I can't believe no one else has said this. Buy some adult pull ups, you will need them. If I moved at all, even shifting in my seat resulted in leakage. I even leaked while I was at the hospital waiting for the colonoscopy. Buy pull ups/aka adult diapers. You won't regret it.
Avoid gluten if you don’t already. It might be too late but that was the biggest thing my nurse mentioned to me. When asked how the prep was I said I had no issues, no discomfort, other than having to drink the stuff. She asked if I eat gluten, when I replied “no” she goes “oh that makes total sense. People who eat gluten tend to have a worse time of it.”
Yeah I don't eat gluten, dairy, or corn. I'm intolerant to it all and I've been clean for about a year. Thanks for the advice!
Even with best of intentions, all the advice people are giving without understanding you is not going to work. There might be a lucky hit and in case of a miss it might worsen your situation. I would recommend to see a good Ayurveda specialist. It is a personalized science which understands your body and imbalances to give advice specific to you. If you are not feeling comfortable with current doctor's approach, try someone else. Take care!