Won't get a colonoscopy

[Alpental]

I am 52 and had a colonoscopy two months ago. My doctor bugged me about it for two years and I finally scheduled it because my mother's friend died of colon cancer and she suffered horribly before she died. The prep is not the greatest. I only had to drink the two small bottles though. The procedure itself was easy. They started an IV, moved me into the procedure room, and the last thing I remember is me telling the anesthesiologist that I was nervous and him saying that he was about to take care of that. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a recovery room. I had no polyps and no pain whatsoever and I'm good to go for the next 10 years. My husband and I went out to breakfast afterward.

So what were your dietary instructions for the two days before?

 

[Alpental]

I've been avoiding it too but I will have one done by the end of the year. On the lighter side, have you ever heard Robin Williams' stand-up on the topic? Hilarious!

Hilarious, do some reading about the low residue diet before. Should be easy to fine also search for time to end the starvation diet before colonoscopy.

 

[Alpental]

I've been avoiding it too but I will have one done by the end of the year. On the lighter side, have you ever heard Robin Williams' stand-up on the topic? Hilarious!

Actually there is an article called, A gastroenterologist cheats on the colonoscopy prep and wins.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

Hi OP - I'm just a little confused about why your posted. It sounds like you've definitely made up your mind to avoid a colonoscopy. Are you rethinking that decision or are you still sure? Like all of us, you certainly have the right to run your own life. As one of the many who have posted, however, I'm also in the camp of being grateful to have put up with having colonoscopies due to family history. I believe they've probably saved me from colon cancer, so I hope that you might reconsider, particularly if family history is an issue.

If you do decide to go through with it, I think you're being smart to be concerned with your particular gastroenterologist's track record. Find one with a great reputation among other well respected doctors and ask him/her how many "untoward" incidents s/he has had. You have a right to know that, and my guess is that asking that question will relieve your mind. Remember, routine colonoscopies are elective, and the expectation for any elective procedure is that the patient will be just fine. If the answer your doctor gives you makes you uncomfortable, find another doctor! And just FYI, my gastroenterologists have both been women and I've had a lot of confidence in how carefully they work.

 

[mom2rtk]

You had it easy, most doctors require only clear liquids for almost two days before the colonoscopy. You only had to stop eating at 12 noon the day before the procedure! Wow, you should read online what most people go through. And complaints about the actual procedure are rare because they usually zonk you out. Some people would prefer to do the test without the happy juice and often have to fight with the doctor over that. I'm glad to hear that your doctor let you eat until 12 hours before, maybe doctors are beginning to listen to the new research.

Clear liquids for 2 days? I don't think that's what "most doctors" require.

 

[jerseygal]

My brother in law colon cancer was detected during routine colonoscopy about 12 years ago..immediately had colon surgery followed by chemo..thank goodness cancer free so far..colonoscopies save lives!!!

 

[anniemae]

I have had a few colonoscopies and I have never heard of fasting on liquids for 2 days prior. I can eat the day before "prep day" (the day before the procedure.) Then day before the colonoscopy I can only have clear liquids and usually start prep in late afternoon.

 

[Klayfish]

This is a zombie thread from 1.5 years ago. However, getting one is important. IMO, the fuss about the prep is overblown, it's not really that big of a deal. Yes, the diet is a bit restrictive but not terrible and even the prep meds aren't that bad. I have Crohns', so this is something I'm all too familiar with...

 

[John VN]

This is a zombie thread from 1.5 years ago. However, getting one is important. IMO, the fuss about the prep is overblown, it's not really that big of a deal. Yes, the diet is a bit restrictive but not terrible and even the prep meds aren't that bad. I have Crohns', so this is something I'm all too familiar with...

A colonoscopy performed TODAY has a much easier prep than the first of my MANY colonoscopies of almost 20 years ago. Even then it was not awful and the Propofol was awesome.

 

[lovemygoofy]

So what were your dietary instructions for the two days before?

I had a colonoscopy in September for the first time at age 39. I had no idea what to expect. No I did not have two days of dietary restrictions or liquid diets.
I guess if there were any restrictions, it was more "soft" foods two days prior and day prior. I had things like grilled chicken, baked fish, white rice, and other easily digestible foods. Nothing fried and no beef. On day prior I had cereal for breakfast and a lighter lunch. I did not take the first small bottle prep until about 4 or 5pm. It tasted bad but only small bottle that was mixed with clear Gatorade. It works pretty quick and then 8 hours prior you take the other bottle so I took my other bottle at 4am and it also worked if there was anything left in the digestive track though I had nothing left

 

[starry_solo]

I took a gallon or 1.5 gallons of something dry that I mixed with water (Kaiser provided the bottle and the mixture, which i poured into the empty bottle and then added water). It actually didn't taste too bad.

 

[MrsPete]

Yes, I know some will say the risks outweigh the complications, but my research on the matter shows different.

And those people who say the benefits outweigh the risks are right -- science says so. Over and over and over. It's your life and your choice, but you owe it to yourself to read and understand the real statistics and real risks.

I recently had my first colonoscopy. While it wasn't exactly pleasant, it was in no way awful. It was more like inconvenient than painful, and I certainly wasn't worried about dying. I had a better chance of dying in a car wreck on the way to my appointment!

Routine colonoscopies - no. I will never do one of those. Not sure if I had a reason to think they need to go up there and look around maybe but without any type of symptom I would not.

I didn't have any symptoms either, but they found a bunch of polyps inside me. If I hadn't had the colonoscopy, I could be happily and ignorantly heading towards colon cancer. I'm on the three-year plan now, and I will absolutely follow the doctors' instructions on keeping these appointments!

I took a gallon or 1.5 gallons of something dry that I mixed with water (Kaiser provided the bottle and the mixture, which i poured into the empty bottle and then added water). It actually didn't taste too bad.

To anyone who's dreading drinking the prep liquid:

- Be sure they give you the SuPrep (instead of the older version). The quantity you drink is smaller by about half, making it easier to finish. The only negative: SuPrep's co-pay is something like $50.
- Chill the SuPrep liquid and add it to a chilled liquid. Cold goes down better than room temperature.
- If your doctor allows, add the SuPrep to something other than water. I used white grape juice.
- Chill a pretty glass, and -- after you've measured the liquids -- transfer the drink to that glass. Sure, the pretty glass is emotional rather than medical, but I thought it made the drink go faster.
- Drink it through a big fat straw, and it'll go down faster. I drank mine down in less than two minutes through the straw, and then I turned up the glass to finish the last bit -- I was amazed at how much worse that last bit tasted.

 

[mom2rtk]

And those people who say the benefits outweigh the risks are right -- science says so. Over and over and over. It's your life and your choice, but you owe it to yourself to read and understand the real statistics and real risks.

I recently had my first colonoscopy. While it wasn't exactly pleasant, it was in no way awful. It was more like inconvenient than painful, and I certainly wasn't worried about dying. I had a better chance of dying in a car wreck on the way to my appointment!

I didn't have any symptoms either, but they found a bunch of polyps inside me. If I hadn't had the colonoscopy, I could be happily and ignorantly heading towards colon cancer. I'm on the three-year plan now, and I will absolutely follow the doctors' instructions on keeping these appointments!

So glad you went!

The whole point behind going when you have no symptoms is that by the time you are having symptoms, the odds of beating it are far lower.

 

[MrsPete]

So glad you went!

The whole point behind going when you have no symptoms is that by the time you are having symptoms, the odds of beating it are far lower.

Exactly right!

 

[longboard55]

The point is it is not just to detect cancer, it is to prevent cancer because they remove the polyups, my grandfather died of colon cancer and I have had many removed so I am sure if I never went that is how I would die

 

[anniemae]

And those people who say the benefits outweigh the risks are right -- science says so. Over and over and over. It's your life and your choice, but you owe it to yourself to read and understand the real statistics and real risks.

I recently had my first colonoscopy. While it wasn't exactly pleasant, it was in no way awful. It was more like inconvenient than painful, and I certainly wasn't worried about dying. I had a better chance of dying in a car wreck on the way to my appointment!
I didn't have any symptoms either, but they found a bunch of polyps inside me. If I hadn't had the colonoscopy, I could be happily and ignorantly heading towards colon cancer. I'm on the three-year plan now, and I will absolutely follow the doctors' instructions on keeping these appointments!
To anyone who's dreading drinking the prep liquid:

- Be sure they give you the SuPrep (instead of the older version). The quantity you drink is smaller by about half, making it easier to finish. The only negative: SuPrep's co-pay is something like $50.
- Chill the SuPrep liquid and add it to a chilled liquid. Cold goes down better than room temperature.
- If your doctor allows, add the SuPrep to something other than water. I used white grape juice.
- Chill a pretty glass, and -- after you've measured the liquids -- transfer the drink to that glass. Sure, the pretty glass is emotional rather than medical, but I thought it made the drink go faster.
- Drink it through a big fat straw, and it'll go down faster. I drank mine down in less than two minutes through the straw, and then I turned up the glass to finish the last bit -- I was amazed at how much worse that last bit tasted.

I used suprep years ago and it was a very good prep. I threw up in the past using the golytley. I did fine with suprep. My dr. now does the miralax prep which is OTC. They told me many insurance companies will no longer pay for RX prep since miralax is now available for prep. It was very easy and miralax is odorless, colorless and tasteless. So all you do is pour a bottle into some gatorade and drink up.

 

[MrsPete]

I used suprep years ago and it was a very good prep. I threw up in the past using the golytley. I did fine with suprep. My dr. now does the miralax prep which is OTC. They told me many insurance companies will no longer pay for RX prep since miralax is now available for prep. It was very easy and miralax is odorless, colorless and tasteless. So all you do is pour a bottle into some gatorade and drink up.

I have only had one colonoscopy and have only used SuPrep -- I just know it's a smaller quantity, and common sense says that's better.

I had my colonoscopy in 2018, so this insurance thing must be VERY new. I know nothing about Miralax. Must it be used in Gatorade? I hate Gatorade.

Oh, one more thing: I asked my doctor about using the pill instead of the drink. She said she won't prescribe it because it's too hard on the kidneys. Now that I've done it and found the SuPrep do-able, I would not opt for anything that's hard on the body.

 

[Cubbiecakes]

I have done some research since it seems strange that that many people can have serious complications.
Yes, I know some will say the risks outweigh the complications, but my research on the matter shows different.

Once you research how this industry works you really stop being so gullible and trusting of the system.

 

[goofyernmost]

I am due for one next year as well. I have a question to ask them though. I have always had the no food and 64 oz of go-go juice the night before. I will not have it done unless I get in there the first thing in the morning. I want to get in and get it done.

Now my question... a couple years ago I had a kidney stone problem. I had to have it surgically removed. They kept me over night. I had another problem I had been constipated for 5 days previous to the KS discovery. So after the surgery I asked if they could do anything about that problem. They gave me a 7 oz bottle of stuff that was actually decent tasting. About an hour after I drank it all hell broke loose. I passed things that I had eaten in First grade. It went on all evening and well into the night. I want to know why they can't use that. It is easier and I can't believe it didn't work as well as the heavy stuff. I must remember to ask next time.

 

[anniemae]

I have only had one colonoscopy and have only used SuPrep -- I just know it's a smaller quantity, and common sense says that's better.

I had my colonoscopy in 2018, so this insurance thing must be VERY new. I know nothing about Miralax. Must it be used in Gatorade? I hate Gatorade.

Oh, one more thing: I asked my doctor about using the pill instead of the drink. She said she won't prescribe it because it's too hard on the kidneys. Now that I've done it and found the SuPrep do-able, I would not opt for anything that's hard on the body.

Miralax is an otc laxative. My dd's pediatrician suggested it for dd when she was a toddler. You mix a little bit, like a tablespoon in juice and it helps with constipation.

Recently they started using it for colonoscopy prep. You use a bigger quantity and mix it with gatorade. I asked my dr. office for suprep instead of golytley since golytely made me vomit and that was when she said insurances would not cover rx prep's since miralax works just as good and it otc. Not sure if it is something that will become more common or not. I thought the suprep was the best since it was so much less quantity.