# Best colonoscopy prep tips



## Barnacle

It's that time again.  I have a colonoscopy next week and frankly, I'm scared of the prep.  The last time I prepped it didn't go well so I'd like to be a little proactive this time and see what I can do so that it is a smoother process.  Does anyone want to share any tips that made your prep a little easier?  What helps you avoid the hunger pains?  What do you mix with your prep?  Any and all tips are appreciated.  Thank you all.


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## archie

I had the fleet prep last time and although completely rancid and you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy (well maybe  ) it was a lot less fluid than some of the other preps so I found it easier to gulp down and then just drink water. Have it really really cold and put it in a nice glass!! 

My only advice is wear loose trousers have baby wipes and plenty of good reading material.  Don't plan to go anywhere and I'm afraid I just didn't eat anything as I couldn't work out what was allowed and what wasn't, oh and I started the prep after I'd already gone to the loo so there wasn't much to clear out, sorry if TMI!!! Good luck and hope all goes well


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## P D Irwin

*Best Prep Tips*

My best tips:

1.  do not eat meat for two or three days before the prep.
2.  prepare your favorite jello flavors in quantity, have popsicles, chicken and beef broth, white grape juice, sports drinks (not red flavors) on hand in large quantities.
3.  start the prep an hour or two earlier than suggested if you have a hard time drinking the large amounts of prep liquid, both the day before the morning of if the prep is split into two doses.   You'll lose a little sleep but have time to shower in the morning.
4.  keep the liquid prep well chilled, on ice even, use a straw to bypass the taste buds.
5.  drink as much water as possible
6.  buy extra soft toilet tissue and baby wipes without alcohol, and make sure they say "flushable".
7.  pat dry, do not rub.
9.  use A&D ointment or vaseline BEFORE and AFTER each bowel movement.
10.  consider taking some reading into the bathroom and staying a while instead of running back and forth.


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## vanilla_chai

*Prepping on Sunday*

I'm doing a prep for a pill cam on Sunday.  It doesn't seem to be as extreme as the colonoscopy preps I've done in the past, its just:

The Day BEFORE the procedureYou must follow a clear liquid diet starting at 6pm (see below)
2 bottles of Magnesium Citrate in the evening 
NOTHING to eat or drink after midnight​
*Has anyone done this prep? * I doesn't seem to be a full prep but its for a pill cam so maybe they don't need a full prep?  I'm a bit scared of the "fizzy laxative" 

Anyway, lovely timing that it is, I'll be prepping on Easter, fortunately, both families have rescheduled the dinners so I won't have stuffed myself that day

Other than that, I think I have everything ready to go.  
 - 2 bottles of mag cit are in the fridge, 
 - a box of beef broth (I can't stand chicken broth unless its homemade)
 - a variety of ginger ale and pale sodas and fizzy juices
 - flushable wipes
 - loads of mint gum
 - charged laptop with games and tv

I didn't go crazy with the supply gathering this time, mostly bc I don't have to start the liquids till 6pm.  I am wondering if I might have done well to get jello or popcicles for the day of the cam (can't eat till 12:30 but can have liquids at 11)

the 2 colonoscopy preps have both made me nauseous but I was able to get through them - the first time (don't remember the stuff, it might have been movi-prep) I had to chew a doz pieces of strong mint gum after each gulp to keep it down - last time was easier with the delcolax / miralax / pill combo and I did well just chugging a gingerale after each glass of prep.

I'm hoping the mag citrate will be way easier 

and btw, what a strange world we live in where making a prep plan is a part of life


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## tots

My heart rate went up just reading your post !

I did that in Feb. I hated it to say the least!!


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## vanilla_chai

tots said:


> My heart rate went up just reading your post !
> 
> I did that in Feb. I hated it to say the least!!


the prep or the test its self?


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## Spooky1

i eat boiled sweets of the clear sort as sugar does stave of some of the hunger.  Jelly, or Jello if you're american, is also good.  steer clear of red clear fluids!


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## Grant

I cant tolerate Fleet or Kleen Prep anymore, I just vomit it up. Picolax though I'm ok with. And it works for me.
Best of luck
Grant


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## KWalker

Hey check out my colonoscopy adventure thread! I just had a scope 2 weeks ago so I made a little "blog" of how it went


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## Footy

Best tip I have is don't take more of the prep than they say.  I'm a big guy (over 250lbs) so I figured that my dose would be higher than most.  I was wrong...


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## lisakuney

Put something on the bed under your hips so you don't shart the bed. Ask me how I know. I found that witch hazel wipes were more soothing than baby wipes. Also, it helps to refer to magnesium citrate as "liquid Satan in a bottle" ;-)


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## vanilla_chai

KWalker said:


> Hey check out my colonoscopy adventure thread! I just had a scope 2 weeks ago so I made a little "blog" of how it went


do you have a link?  I looked through your threads but you have an impressive list 



Footy said:


> Best tip I have is don't take more of the prep than they say.  I'm a big guy (over 250lbs) so I figured that my dose would be higher than most.  I was wrong...


ok - funny you should mention this - this morning I was starting to worry that I'd been constipated recently, normally I would have taken a delcolax on a Saturday to right myself but I had an extra bottle of the mag citrate that I'd bought before I'd pieced together cherry=red=bad so I took that this morning...  Yeah, totally overkill, and now I'm scared that if I wait till the evening to stop eating and start drinking I'll be spending my night in the john and not get to sleep at all



lisakuney said:


> Put something on the bed under your hips so you don't shart the bed. Ask me how I know. I found that witch hazel wipes were more soothing than baby wipes. Also, it helps to refer to magnesium citrate as "liquid Satan in a bottle" ;-)


ahh, good advice, because of my little trial this morning (15 hours ago!), I'm still awake, afraid to go to bed.  I thought I was good so I took an Epsom salt bath to make sure (warm relaxing bath is a good test) but, nope, I was totally not done and now I'm afraid to go to sleep.  I may have to add Depends to my list of prep supplies for next time...

liquid Satan, nice, I'm sure I will be using that name in a curse tomorrow.


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## KWalker

vanilla_chai: Here is the link, thanks for the kind words  I try to contribute as much as I can when I'm not too busy. 

http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=34253


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## rygon

for hunger pangs i kept to chicken broth and bovril (beef stock). pretty filling and comforting


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## vanilla_chai

well, following my fear of being up all night on the can, I decided to start the prep early.  I'm so glad I did!  While the cherry was not bad tasting at all, *the lemon mag citrate is the worst thing I have ever tasted!*  Maybe like dipping a lemon in salt and then sucking on it?  but worse!  Fortunately, I made some strong sweet tea yesterday (5 tea bags, 2 cups of water, 1/2 cup sugar) thinking it might not be bad to mix with the lemon flavor.  Using 3 parts tea 1 part mag citrate its bearable.  Still not something I'd drink by choice but I think I might get through it.  Of course,its now 4xs as much liquid, so glad I started early!  I figure if I can get 12 oz down every hour I'll be done by 10pm.  Not ideal still but hopefully I won't be up all night...

I think I def prefer the dulcolax/miralax/pill version of the prep better...

and thanks K_walker and rygon!  

I'm not hungry now that I'm force feeding myself the mag citrate but I'm sure I'll be loving the beef broth tomorrow @ 11 when I can start liquids again.

oh, and as if I'm in a sitcom, I just got a call from my MIL saying "Hi!  I'm outside your house!"


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## KWalker

I'm glad you're not feeling hungry yet.  That was the worst part for me was not eating.   Did you get a chance to read through that link I sent?   The citromag literally did nothong for me.  I went to the bathroom 3 times from the 4:30pm I drank it until my scope at 8:30am.    I had the cherry flavour but yes, nasty!   I mixed mine with lemonade and just started chugging lol


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## rygon

just make sure you keep your arse moisturised. It may not hurt now but it will do so its best to keep on top of it. I gave up on tissue paperand used the shower to wash my bum with .. so much gentler


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## vanilla_chai

KWalker said:


> I'm glad you're not feeling hungry yet.  That was the worst part for me was not eating.   Did you get a chance to read through that link I sent?   The citromag literally did nothong for me.  I went to the bathroom 3 times from the 4:30pm I drank it until my scope at 8:30am.    I had the cherry flavour but yes, nasty!   I mixed mine with lemonade and just started chugging lol



yeah, that's crazy it made you go less.  I drank the 10 oz (about 300 ml) cherry yesterday.  about an hour after I felt so gross and nauseous that I went out and filled my phenergan rx.  the nausea only lasted an hour then but I had managed to drink all 10 oz in 30 min or so.  then I went about feeling normal and only going once in the next 3 more hours, then BAM the next 3 hours were spent running to the can every 20 min or so and then was running off and on until about 16 hours after I'd drank it.

Today I decided not to eat since it lasted so incredibly long yesterday.  (instructions said I could eat normally till 6pm) Yesterday I just had a cup of quiona and a small steak and potatoes with half a brownie so I'm hoping it won't last quite so long tonight, if it does I'll still be running to the bathroom tomorrow morning

so I'm suppose to get through 20 oz (about 600ml) of the mag citrate tonight, I think I've finished maybe 5 oz so far (in about 2 hours...) and now I'm nauseous and have pains in my gut like a flair, guess its just gas but its really unpleasant.  I've taken a phenergan and I swear it was a sugar pill, so now I've switched over to a ginger beer to try to calm things down.  I'm not sure how I'm going to make it through all the prep if things keep up like this...


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## vanilla_chai

rygon said:


> just make sure you keep your arse moisturised. It may not hurt now but it will do so its best to keep on top of it. I gave up on tissue paperand used the shower to wash my bum with .. so much gentler


oh good idea thanks!


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## vanilla_chai

Well, its morning and I'm still not running clear.  I think I will request the dulcolax/miralax combo next time.  I did get some sleep, maybe 4 or 5 hours, getting up to go about every hour.  

regardless, I've survived
thanks all


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## KWalker

I wasn't even close to clear by the time I went in and they said their main concern is just that its not solid.  Good luck!


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## Dazzafarr

I just do the same thing before skulking the horrible liquid as I do having 

And alcohol shot. Just breathe deep, shot it and keep yourself occupied 
Have jelly ready In fridge,
Psyc yourself up for it! Have music playing etc and take it down.
As long as you have most of it, it's ok


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## vanilla_chai

Dazzafarr said:


> I just do the same thing before skulking the horrible liquid as I do having
> 
> And alcohol shot. Just breathe deep, shot it and keep yourself occupied
> Have jelly ready In fridge,
> Psyc yourself up for it! Have music playing etc and take it down.
> As long as you have most of it, it's ok


That's basically what I ended up doing, the tea concoction was decent but too much to drink.  I had just booked a camping trip with a friend, so I help my breath and chugged it through a straw while thinking about going on vacation


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## vanilla_chai

well, 36 hrs after finishing the prep my body still thinks its suppose to be prepping...

the Dr said the Mag Citrate is suppose to be easier on your system.  Either I'm in worse shape than I was 2 years ago or once again I'm the odd ball 

thanks again everyone


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