My First Colonoscopy
- Tomorrow is my first colonoscopy and I am a 23 yr old female. I have a few tips so far on my journey. First off, my doctor put me on a Miralax and Gatorade prep, however, my sister told me about mixing it with Sprite, and I couldn't be happier. I am an hour in, and half way done with my 64 ounces. I can't even taste the Miralax, it just tastes like regular Sprite! Give it a try :) I stopped eating major foods on Wednesday, which is the day before my prep. Today, I have just had plenty of water and some jello and I am not too hungry or sick at all!!! This has been a lot easier then most people on here make it seem! Good luck!
- —Guest Alisa
Not so hard
- I completed my first colonoscopy yesterday in Denver. I was prescribed Nulytely prep but never filled the prescription. Instead, I went to a nearby health center and got a colonic (colon hydrotherapy) at 11:00 am prior to a 1:00 pm colonoscopy. The colonic took 50 minutes. Following the colonoscopy the release papers described the quality of the bowel preparation as "excellent." Trust me, a colonic is far more tolerable than taking those god-awful preps. As far as the colonoscopy itself, I would not describe it as "a breeze." But that may be because I did mine without sedation. Inserting the instrument was the least comfortable part and took about 3-4 minutes. The rest was no big deal. The release form said "the patient tolerated the procedure well" and I would agree. Perhaps the worst part was the trapped air in the intestines because it made me feel quite bloated and lasted until I woke the next morning.
- —normanp
First Timer
- I must thank the many of you who offered such great tips for prepping for my first procedure. I did the PEG solution, was told to start a mere 12 hours before, and then do a second regime six hours before. That seemed a lot in a short time, so I started with some stool softener about 18 hours prior. That managed to pass the heavy stuff in about two hours. I then started the PEG and did 8 glasses in two hours. Felt bloated and a bit nauseous, but the quick drink/hold your nose method is definitely the way to go. I was running clear two hours later, and was not chained to the bathroom. I started the second series, but since I was running clear, did not finish, fell asleep and got a good rest. Doc said prep was fine. The baby wipes and zinc oxide helped immensely. I found cutting back on veggies and multi-grains 3 days early (stay with easy carbs), also helped. Just glad it's over!!
- —Guest Mister8tch
Apple Juice and HalfLytely!
- Apple juice (not cider) is a great part of a liquid diet because apples suppress appetite. I just used a great product called Halflytely with a biscodyl tablet, made by Braintree Labs of Braintree, MA. The liquid comes with flavor packets and was not hard to drink at all. I experienced only VERY MILD discomfort, and the doctor said my colon was nice and clear. My wife had hers done 4 or 5 years ago, and she experienced much more discomfort using a different product. Technology keeps improving, and there is little to fear!
- —Guest John
Just had mine today
- We had the powder mix. We did not use the packages that came with the stuff. We flavored each eight ounce cup with a half of Crystal light little tubes. It never tasted like salt water that my husband had ten years ago. He said this was a big improvement. Had our colonoscropy today. We had to drink four eight ounce cups early this morning. (I think I had some left in me before I used more). I think it was more worrying about everything. Don't plan to leave your home the day you do this. Both my husband and I had it done on the same day. We are finally getting our body back and eating real food.
- —Gingee01
Prep Time
- I am scheduled for my first colonoscopy in the morning. This site was a great help to me. I am doing the Gatorade/Miralax prep. I started with 4 Dulcolax at noon followed by the drink starting at 4:00 p.m. I used the hint of eating light the week before and was running clear by 6:00 p.m.
- —Guest Linda
Ducolax and miralax.
- I'm 16, and I'll be having my 4th colonoscopy in 3 years. For the ducolax and miralax, I recommend putting it in the fridge as it will taste a little better. Go and splurge on the best toilet paper and wipes you can get; you'll need them. Also, get some nice reading material for the bathroom; you'll spend most the day there. Hope the best for everyone!
- —Guest LynnDee
Piece of Cake
- This site was a lifesaver -- I was a scared first-timer (64) but after reading these tips I was able to handle with less worry. The best tip was to start clearing your system a few days earlier by eating light and less. The Moviprep was not bad and I did it earlier in the day so as not to lose sleep. I only needed half of the prep before bowels ran clear. A DEEP thanks to all who shared the tips. I took 1 mg Ativan the night before and had no qualms or sleeplessness. Remember to start early -- both eating and prep -- and avoid needless stress. Not bad at all!
- —Guest sandy
Not A Big Deal
- I'm really glad I read all the tips, they helped me a lot. But I have to say my experience prepping was less hard core than most report, which I'm happy about. The hardest was feeling hungry. I ate light foods (soup for lunch/dinner) two days before, and then had Smooth Move tea too. This is a laxative tea, and so I had a big BM the morning of the prep, which I think helped clear me out. During the prep, I really didn't spend that much time in the bathroom - went about 6 or 7 times in the evening and twice during the night - and I was pretty much in and out, didn't have to hang out in the bathroom. I used Suprep. Drinking it was no party, but not so bad either. Also, I stocked up on all sorts of "treat" liquids at Whole Foods to drink during my prep - ginger tonic, fancy clear sodas, kumbucha. I made the prep with Whole Foods electrolyte water. When I had the colonscopy, the doctor said everything was clear and healthy. It felt good to prepare thoroughly & take care of my health.
- —Guest Ann
So far so good
- I'm getting my first colonoscopy tomorrow. My report time is 10:30. My prep instructions were to eat a light dinner last night, and my prep tonight is 238 grams of Miralax in 64 ounces of clear liquid. They recommended Gatorade, but I really can't stand it, so I took the Crystal Light option. I chose the lemonade with Truvia sweetener. The Miralax did not affect the taste or texture in any way. I had to drink half of it between 6 and 7 pm, 8 ounces every 10 - 15 minutes. I'm done that part. I have to drink the other half at the same rate 6 hours before my report time. I kept it cold, used a straw, and chugged it down. I feel water-logged, but OK. Can't speak for what happens next because it hasn't happened yet, but the Miralax prep itself is a breeze.
- —Guest First Timer
Thanks for the tips!
- This site really helped me, so I wanted to add what worked for me. I agree with light foods before starting the cleanse. I have a very strong gag reflex and a generally queasy stomach. I was worried about vomiting and not getting all that Gatorade mixture through my system. What worked for me was distracting myself with a really good spy novel (something I don't normally read). I got into a real page-turner and even read while drinking that stuff. It works better not super cold and with a straw, counting how many drinks you can do. Then I immediately sucked on butterscotch hard candies. Had absolutely no problems with gagging or nausea. I also chanted positive phrases to myself while getting ready to drink, especially near the end: I take care of myself...I want to be healthy...I am doing a good thing. The actual procedure was a breeze.
- —Guest karen
Going From Memory
- I lost my colon prep instructions so I had to go on memory, I couldnt believe the dr's website had no instructions on it. Clear liquid diet the day before. I took 2 dulcolax at 1pm, and started drinking 8oz peg at 6pm every 15 minutes for 2 hours then every 10min until I thought I was going to be sick. I ended up having what looked like pee coming out of my butt after the first 3-4 cups of prep. I was freezing cold. I woke up this morning with a tiny bit of frothy yellow diarrhea and had to go to the bathroom 3-4 times to get out more of the liquid. I just had a few sips of water last night and nothing by mouth today except to rinse my mouth out with mouthwash.
- —Guest sarah
Great tips I figured out!
- I'm 54 and never had one because of hemorrhoids and fear of pain. Sister's dangerous polyp finally made me get one. (I drink ACV daily so I am already regular.) To make the cleansing easier, I started cutting back earlier. Wed I ate light breakfast, good lunch, applesauce for supper. Thurs, late breakfast of pancakes (easily dijestable-no meat). At 2pm started with magnesium citrate MIXED WITH GINGER ALE since they're both bubbly. Went down easily. You will burp a lot but it's better than gagging. I'm not into gatorade but the low cal was not bad at all. Had it cold and mixed in the 1/2 bottle of miralax. No problem at all. Didn't sit on the toilet all day like I thought since I had already been cutting back. NO PROB with hemorrhoids at all; wiped with Tucks. Worse part of whole thing was drinking so much. Everything turned out well.
- —Debbiemof2
2nd Colonoscopy Tomorrow
- Yes, the prep is much worse than the procedure, but neither are that bad. For my 1st procedure 5 years ago, I had to drink about a gallon of the nasty stuff, and stayed on the toilet all afternoon/evening. This time I'm doing the MoviPrep, and it's about half that much, so I'm happy about that.
- —emkeela7
Miralax/Gatorade
- My Dr did the Gatorade/Miralax prep. 2 Ducolax at 1pm the day before. After those go to work, drink 1/2 the Miralax/Gatorade mixture then 2 more ducolax. Finish the Miralax/Gatorade mix at 12:30am - procedure is at 6:30 am. This was not bad at all.
- —Guest KC
