# Colonoscopy Prep Tips



## SarahBear

*Colonoscopy Prep Tips*​

Suggestions:

 There are multiple different preps - if you have done one that was hard on your stomach or difficult to get down, try requesting another
 Using a straw, holding your nose, and drinking the prep extremely cold all help lessen the bad taste
 If possible, eat light for a day or two before the prep - or try juicing for a few meals
Stay close to your bathroom - do everything you'll need to do the day before or in the morning before you start your prep
Keep a book, magazine, laptop computer, etc. in the bathroom to entertain yourself
 Wear pants with a stretchy, elastic waistband (easier to take off quickly)
 Baby wipes may soothe your skin better than normal toilet paper
 Hydrocortisone cream or aloe lotion can relieve the discomfort and rash from frequent BMs and wiping
 Try a heating pad or hot bath to alleviate any stomach pains (medicines are typically not allowed during a prep, and would most likely go through you too quickly to help anyway)
 Drink a lot of water to keep hydrated and help flush out your system


Allowed Foods & Drinks:

 Gatorade (no red flavor) - usually drank with the Miralax prep
 Coffee (with no cream)
 Chicken broth (contains more nutrients and helps you feel less hungry)
 Jell-o (lemon or lime flavors)
 Hard candies (no red or purple)
 Ginger ale (helps soothe stomach pain and nausea) 
 Tea (ginger or peppermint tea might also help soothe pain and nausea) 
 Popsicles (no red or purple)
 Apple juice / other clear juices
Prep instructions should specify no red foods or liquids and some also ask that you avoid purple dyes (and possibly other colors) as well.  If you're not sure whether or not something is allowed, give your doctor's office a call.  _Put the instructions you receive from your doctor's office before anything you read here._


Dehydration may occur during a colonoscopy prep.  Signs of dehydration include:

 Dry / sticky feeling in mouth
 Increased thirst
 Fever
 Dark yellow urine; infrequent or no urination
 Fatigue
 Dizziness / lightheadedness
 Dry skin
 Headache
 Increased heart rate / heart palpitations 
 Lack of tears / sweat
 Nausea / vomiting
To minimize the risk of dehydration, drink plenty of fluids.  Water and Gatorade are best for this.  If you experience symptoms of dehydration, seek immediate medical attention.

Feel free to add your own tips; I'll edit them into this post!


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## David

This is wonderful Sarah, thank you so much for doing this!  I've stickied the thread as I think many will benefit.

To others out there, please respond to the thread with your own tips as Sarah is happy to edit them in


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## PVail

This is really useful, wish i had seen this before . Especially backing off the food from a couple of days before, I have found this to be much on the mind as well as the body . Its not such a panic and rush then. Basically you feel in more control.
Thanks Sarah good post

Peter


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## CrohnsChicago

Great post sarahbear! 

I would like to add a few things as well:

water, water, water water and water! lol

Ginger tea (for those who can't handle the carbonation of ginger ale)

Sometimes big gulps while pinching your nose helps when drinking the prep, you get it over with faster.

hydrocortosone cream to ease any discomfort/rash feeling from your bum after relieving yourself and wiping constantly.

juicing one or two of your meals for a few days prior to the prep would probably help clear out your system a little better as well.


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## SarahBear

Thanks, everyone!  Chicago, I'll edit yours in now!


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## Cat-a-Tonic

Nice thread!  Just one thought from me, you might want to add in signs of dehydration - it seems that us IBD'ers are more prone to dehydration, and doing prep can sometimes cause severe dehydration.  Personally I've done prep twice and have gotten severely dehydrated both times and had to go get IV fluids.  I would have gone in sooner the first time had I known the signs of dehydration better.  I didn't go in for fluids until my vision went blurry and my hands & feet went numb - it was scary!


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## SarahBear

I'll add that in as soon as I get a chance!


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## teresamichele

This is SO helpful - but just FYI, my prep paperwork said no red OR purple Gatorade, Jello, etc. Not just the red.

I actually have an iron infusion the day before my colonoscopy 12/28 - I may ask the doctor to add in a bag of saline to the script. I'll already have the IV in my arm...might as well make use of it!


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## Dukeis

Great post! Useful information for those who are new to this whole prep thing. I like the first thing about asking for a different prep. Don't be afraid to ask for something different you are the one that has to drink the stuff and if you can't get down what good is it.


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## acheallova

Very useful info Sarah! Great idea. I think you got it all covered, but i would say the aloe lotion ( alone or hydricortisone) soothes a little better. My pre prep also said no blue, orange,  red or purple. If you he the gallon to drink, a lot add kool aid for masking the uck. Again, light meals to clear liquid before are great- mine listed one egg, or piece of toast, bullion with saltines ok and lots of fluids.
thanks!  -hugs-


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## SarahBear

Thanks, everyone!


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## kh216

For me, this was the easiest prep:
Two nights before the procedure, take two Dulcolax tablets.
The day before the prep, no solid foods, nothing with red, orange, purple, brown dyes. I would mostly drink chicken broth, tea and a juice with no dye. ( Last prep, I was able to find white cranberry juice to drink. If I can't find it next time, I will drink white grape juice) During late afternoon, I would mix a container of Miralax with 64 ounces of Lemon-Lime Gatorade and drink 8 ounces every 15-20  minutes until the 64 ounces was gone. I only tasted the Gatorade, so the taste was not bad.


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## SarahBear

kh216, I've used white cranberry peach juice.  You might want to try that, too.


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## agirlwithadisease

thank you Sarah that helps me alot 
having prep tomorrow and colonoscopy monday and nerves about it
thank you again


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## scoutfinch

Just chiming in to say that the Miralax prep is by far the "best" and I would recommend you ask your doctor if that prep might work for you.  Yes, you still need to drink an ocean of liquid, but taste-wise it is not unpleasant (as opposed to preps like Moviprep or Suprep that taste salty-lemony and make you want to vomit).  

Also, with Miralax, you can mix it with liquids other than Gatorade for variety (although Gatorade is recommended since it contains electrolytes.)  For my last colonscopy, I mixed Miralax with 4 cups of orange Gatorade, 2 cups of apple juice and 2 cups of white grape juice.  The Miralax imparted no other taste to the liquids and the variety kept me from feeling nauseated by one taste.  Plus, I only needed to drink 6 cups before I started running clear.  Though I did continue to drink water afterward to ensure a clean colon.

* Coming back to add that with the Miralax prep, you need to take 4 Dulcolax stool-softening pills a few hours prior to starting the prep.  They're very small pills though and go down easy.


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## Franceshop

wish i had seen this last week before my first colonoscopy, it was vile, first liter wasnt cold and took ages to go down, i chilled the secont liter and put some ice in it and oranfe cordial and it went down no bother, i took the ice out jst before i drank it!


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## SRTCrohny

Thanks for the tips! I had my 3rd colonoscopy a week ago and this prep was the worst I've ever had. It was Supraprep and the Dr's office said it was gentle. I didn't have any problem getting it down and the taste was not to bad it was the "getting to the going" that was awful. I had severe cramping for almost 4 hours before I finally went. It was so painful. My husband said it reminded him of when I was in labor. I felt better once I started evacuating but even that was never ending, I had to sleep on a towel! It also was not covered by my insurance... Bought $80 dollars worth of misery


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## shelikescats

I want to chime in about one of the newer preps, that I recently used. It is called Prepopik in the United States, in Canada it goes by a different name. If you cannot tolerate the taste or volume of the other preps, this one may be perfect for you. Depending on your insurance, the cost may not be feasable for some. I drank a split dose of Prepopik (5 oz at a time), followed by a certain amount of water. It tastes like orange soda and Capri Sun. I would regularly drink it for the flavor if it didn't have the laxative effect, the taste was pretty good to be honest. (Almost Cactus Cooler type taste.... Best soda ever!). For me, it started working in fifteen minutes. I hope this may help others who cannot stand the other preps.

Thank you for this thread, the vaseline tip saved me from discomfort!


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## SarahBear

Thanks, shelikescats!  Can you give us an idea of the cost?


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## shelikescats

With my insurance (Cigna) I paid $50. I have heard others that have paid $80 + dollars. Just depends on your deductible, insurance, etc.


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## SarahBear

shelikescats said:


> With my insurance (Cigna) I paid $50. I have heard others that have paid $80 + dollars. Just depends on your deductible, insurance, etc.


Thank you!  Even a rough idea is helpful.  I looked it up and couldn't find anything.


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## kimeric

I've been given so many tips as to how I should drink the laxative...my favorite is "Best chilled" Yes because that will make all the difference in the world.  BUT actually it isn't  too far from the truth.  I find that by sucking on an ice cube for a couple minutes immediately before drinking the laxative it helps with that salty aftertaste.


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## Pam48

Colonoscopy tomorrow I am glad I found this list.  I also was given the prepopik as prep and if you google it I found a $10 coupon at prepopik.com  It was new at my drug store the pharmacist hadn't given it out before. 

I've been having colonoscopies for over 30 years and I hope this prep is better than what I've had in the past.


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## kh216

During my prep day, I enjoyed another liquid. It is Gatorade's new Frost Flavor. It has no dye in it, looks clear and tastes like cherry. Anyway, I am glad that my colonscopy is done and over with.


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## Pam48

LOL I tried the frost flavor too.  It was great.

I must say this was the easiest colonoscopy I've ever had.


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## Jon R

GREAT TIPS!  You may have to ask for Prepopik specifically.  Seems like not everyone knows about it.  It sounds like I might be a test case for this doc.

It costs about $100 if not covered by insurance in our area (Oregon).  I had to push insurance to look it up because they had not heard of it and they found it on the list.

If your insurance doesn't cover it ask the doc if they have any samples.  My doc did, but my insurance covers it so I left the sample for people who can't afford it.


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## abkeyser

I too had the clear frost gatorade.  It was still nasty, but could have been worse. Just had my first colonoscopy this past Tuesday.  Yuck.


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## 723crossroads

The lemonade flavor was great! I didn't have any trouble getting it down last time.


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## David

Gatorade should stop spending millions on celebrity sports endorsements and instead put Crohnies on their commercials.  "I survived 5 hours on the toilet prepping for my colonoscopy thanks to Frost gatorade."

Hmm.  I probably shouldn't go into marketing.


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## abkeyser

HAH Thanks for the David.  I agree, it's a great idea...Would be nice if their spend that money on Crohn's research instead.


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## Jon R

David....actually, you SHOULD go into marketing. I've met a lot of marketeers in my career and the ones with ideas like that make the company (and themselves) a boat load of money. If I were you, I'd actually contact Gatorade about this baby boomer based marketing opportunity. Maybe get them to sponsor the forum a bit in return.  It's a whole new market sector for them to explore.


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## Cat-a-Tonic

After reading this thread and doing a bit of googling, I've decided to try this Prepopik stuff for my upcoming scope.  I'll be prepping in one week so I'll post in here how it goes!  My GI's office hadn't heard of it, but he agreed to let me try it anyway, so I'll be a bit of a guinea pig.  Oh, and if anyone is wondering, I believe Prepopik is called Pico Salax in Canada, and Picolax in the UK.  Not sure why it has different names in different countries.

I suppose I should add why I want to try Prepopik - I've done the Gatorade & Miralax prep twice in the past, and both times I got too dehydrated and needed IV fluids.  It was pretty miserable and I didn't want to repeat that situation.  I also didn't want to go for something nasty like Golytely as I've heard it's just foul.  Prepopik sounds like it's easy to get down, you don't have to drink much of it (you do have to drink other clear liquids to stay hydrated), and it hopefully won't dehydrate me to the extent that the Miralax did.


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## kh216

Cat a Tonic,

Whatever prep you use, please remember that you need to drink lots of clear fluids throughout your prep day. Try to choose your favorite fluids that don't have red, orange, or purple dye in them. During my prep day, I ordered a large green Juicy Pear water ice from Rita's Water Ice (my favorite flavor) and I also bought two big containers of chicken broth from my local Chinese Take Out place. I also drank White Cranberry Juice (no dyes and tastes great) and had hot tea with no milk in it. I also stayed home and rested. My prep was in two parts and I had taken Dulcolax pills the night before, so I wanted to be near my bathroom.


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## Cat-a-Tonic

kh216, yes, absolutely.  The Prepopik instructions say that I need to drink at least 64 ounces of clear fluids along with the 2 cups of prep itself, and I'll drink probably a lot more than that as I really don't want to get dehydrated this time around.  I have bought myself 4 big bottles of gatorade, 2 bottles of pedialyte, some crystal lite lemonade, 4 kinds of jell-o (they make mango flavor now!  I also got peach, pineapple, and apricot), and I'll be making homemade chicken broth in my crock pot on prep day as well.  I will have more than enough clear fluids to drink along with my prep, so no worries there.    My instructions from my doctor say no red, purple, or blue, so I of course avoided buying anything in those colors.  I've taken 3 days off of work next week (one day for prep, one for the scope itself, and one day to recover afterwards) and I'm going to pamper myself and relax as much as I possibly can.  Scented candles, relaxing music, fuzzy slippers, my electric blanket (I tend to get chills during prep), lovely bubble bath, etc.  This weekend I'm going to clean my bathroom and get out everything I need and set up my music playlist, etc.  Going to do everything I can so that hopefully prep will go as smoothly and nicely as possible.


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## SarahBear

Cat-a-Tonic said:


> ...4 kinds of jell-o (they make mango flavor now!  I also got peach, pineapple, and apricot)...


Kind of related, but still kind of on-topic… Kool-Aid now comes in Peach Mango and Cherry Limeade flavors.  I thought about that when I saw your mango Jell-O excitement.   They're both really good, too!


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## DonnaM383

Lollipops to suck in between drinks!
Have to 7up or sprite to take the taste of the prep away.


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## Cat-a-Tonic

Bear, I didn't even think about koolaid, I haven't had it in years, but those flavors do sound good!  Is the cherry limeade one red or green?  (I'm presuming green as you mentioned it in the prep thread, but just making sure - I'm also presuming the mango peach is an orangeish color?)  Green is okay and orange is too for me, I was just told no red, blue, or purple.  I know I had peach jello last time and that was okay.  

And honestly, I'm a bit relieved that purple is on the no-no list.  My favorite flavor of gatorade is called "rain berry" (I always forget though and call it Purple Rain, ha ha).  It's light purple in color and it tastes really good, but I don't want to associate it with prep because then I might not like it, so I purposely avoid it on prep day.    For this prep, I bought some sort of "frost" flavor (I think it supposedly tastes like cherry but it's white in color) and also lemonade flavor gatorade.  Apparently the lemonade flavor is different from the usual lemon or lemon-lime, so it'll be interesting to see if it actually tastes anything like real lemonade or not (I'm guessing not).  Anyway, that's my plan.  I have a pile of bottles of clear liquids and jello boxes on my kitchen counter, ready to go.  T minus 6 days and counting to prep day!


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## SarahBear

It's red! I was mentioning the peach mango and decided to throw that one out there too. The peach mango is a yellowish orange, so it should be fine for a prep!


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## my little penguin

they make invisible "clear" koolaid in lemonade  and cherry versions
plus grape

http://www.amazon.com/Kool-Aid-Invisible-Drink-19-Ounce-Container/dp/B001EQ4S6G


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## Dragonfly72

Has anyone done the golytly (?sp) prep?   If so, any advise?   I am nervous I won't be able to keep it down as I heard this is the worst tasting,   I am very impacted and this is just to try and get things moving after last week when I did 8 fleet enemas and mag citrate and I had minimal results. I am in so much discomfort and so scared....

I would appreciate any advise!! Thank you all!!!
X
Michele


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## Cat-a-Tonic

It's prep day for me - I just drank my first cup of Prepopik about 30 mins ago.  Haven't had the liquid poos yet, but I'm SO nauseous.  So far this is not something I would recommend!

Edited to add:  The initial nausea lasted about 20 minutes, then ebbed as soon as I had my first bathroom trip.  I was really dizzy for a short time as well, but that also seems to have eased up.  Not a bad prep once you get past the nausea & dizziness.

Edit #2:  I drank the second cup a short time ago.  No nausea this time around fortunately, but I am dizzy again.  I'm going mostly clear and feel okay.  Not dehydrated or anything, not hungry either.  Now that I know what to expect, I think I would do this prep again.  Dizziness I can deal with, and now that I know to expect nausea I can take Zofran pre-emptively.  This is better in my opinion than Gatorade & Miralax, which made me horribly dehydrated.


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## Cat-a-Tonic

Now that it's over with, I can give a full synopsis of how Prepopik went.  I already mentioned the dizziness & nausea - I wasn't expecting side effects, but I definitely got them.  The dizziness stuck around for the remainder of the evening, although it lessened a lot.  The nausea was awful for about 20 minutes, then gradually went away.  I did take a couple Zofrans for the nausea, so I'm sure that helped the nausea go away.

The taste of Prepopik wasn't bad, it was fizzy like soda and tasted vaguely orangey.  However, the instructions on the box state to mix the water and the Prepopik packet for "2 to 3 minutes".  No, definitely do not wait that long!  Use very cold water, mix quickly and drink right away.  For my first cup, I obeyed the instructions and mixed for awhile.  But it seems that the longer you mix, the warmer it gets - some sort of weird chemical reaction.  It did not taste good warm, it was disgusting!  For the second cup, I mixed quickly and drank fast, and it was still cool and much more palatable.

I don't think it was very strong though.  I went to the bathroom maybe 5 or 6 times after the first cup, then I seemed to stop going.  I took 2 Dulcolax tablets just to get things moving again, as you have to wait 6 hours between the two cups of Prepopik.  After the 2nd cup, I only went about 3 more times, then seemed to stop again.  I panicked and took 4 more Dulcolax.  That didn't seem to have enough of an impact, so I took 4 more.  That waas probably reckless, to take 10 total Dulcolax in one day, but I felt like I needed to do what I had to do to be cleaned out properly for my scope.  The Dulcolax got me going, but I wasn't yet going clear!

If I did this prep again, I'd eat very lightly the day before prep, and I'd take Dulcolax beforehand.  Taking the Dulcolax so late in the evening meant I was up all night going to the bathroom, and I was still going when I checked myself into the GI clinic.  And I still wasn't going clear!  I had lots of dark "flecks" of poo coming out of me.  It turned out that was okay, flecks are not problematic (solids are a problem but flecks are okay, is what I was told).  So I was able to have my scope, but I was definitely worried that I wasn't clear enough.  

All in all, it was an easy prep to get down, but too gentle.  I'm not sure if I would do this prep again, since I needed to take a lot of Dulcolax with it to keep things moving.  I would only recommend this to others if they understood that they may get side effects and they may not get cleaned out properly and might have to take other laxatives with it.


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## Josephine

Tomorrow get instructions for pre for 10th I used 'Picax' what Cat just use. I have being told that because I suffer with constipation that it would not be advise to eat at all not even lighter. I have mocivol


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## angrytumtum

My first colonoscopy/ Upper Endoscopy is scheduled for tomorrow AM. So that means today is my prep day woohoo ha! I'm (luckily) doing the miralx/gatorade prep along with 3 dulcolax tablets 3 hours prior.  Any additional tips would be great because I am new to this!


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## SarahBear

angrytumtum said:


> My first colonoscopy/ Upper Endoscopy is scheduled for tomorrow AM. So that means today is my prep day woohoo ha! I'm (luckily) doing the miralx/gatorade prep along with 3 dulcolax tablets 3 hours prior.  Any additional tips would be great because I am new to this!


So far, all of our tips have been combined into the first post of this thread.  Let us know how the scopes go!  The miralax / dulcolax prep is the one I always request, as it's fairly easy on my stomach and doesn't have an unpleasant taste. I hope you have good luck with it, too!


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## angrytumtum

Hi everyone! I just got done with my scopes. Everything went great and ate a big lunch! Haha! Colon looks good and is not thinking crohns. My esophagus looks like I may have Barrett's syndrome and got some biopsies. So far he is thinking that and ibs. Will know more in about a week. Thank you all again!


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## scl

I have had several colonoscopies and here is what works for me.  

I prefer the Miralax/Gatorade prep.  I skip the stool softeners (really? with chronic diarrhea I need stool softeners?).  

I eat a low residue breakfast the day before my scope. (Learned this at Virginia Mason in Seattle, the #2 ranked Gastroenterology center in the US) I have always been "pristine" according to docs. There are studies out that show no difference in prep when eating a light lunch as well.  Haven't tested it though. 

Drink clear liquids throughout the day.

I mix half of the Miralax in one 32 jug of Gatorade.  Start drinking it around 6 pm.  Spend some time in the bathroom catching up on some reading. Once I start pooping water I'm done. I rarely get through 32 ounces but continue on clear liquids up until midnight or a little later if I feel dehydrated. 

Get a good night's sleep.  Scope in early morning. 

I think the medical community is overly cautious about drinking before surgery and cutting off solid foods prior to bowel prep.  

I once had meniscus surgery and was told nothing by mouth after midnight.  My surgery took place the  next day at 4 p.m.  That's a whopping 16 hours without water and I developed a splitting dehydration headache (I live in Hawaii where I struggle to stay hydrated with Crohns and warm temps.)  I asked the anesthesiologist how long I should go without liquids prior to surgery and he said 4 hours.  No solids after midnight and clear liquids up to four hours prior to surgery. 

The docs at Virginia Mason also told me they are not fans of getting up in the middle of the night to continue prep as they would rather have their patients well rested for scopes or intestinal surgery. 

Now here is the shady part.  I always tell the docs I followed the prep they prescribed (I HATE lying, but this one I gotta go with) and ask them afterwards how was my prep.  I am always told it was perfect.


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## red2007

Every time I prep they give me go lightly. I get so viloetly sick. I've asked for another option and they still give it to me. I can't stand lemonade now. Would the frost help?


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## scl

Hate that stuff too.  I gag, am horrifically nauseous, and finally vomit.  Won't do it again.


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## scl

Hate that stuff too.  I gag, am horrifically nauseous, and finally vomit.  Won't do it again.


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## red2007

I usually only drink one to two glasses and poor the rest out


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## Cosmojo

So I have a scope in the morning and I am doing the Moviprep, normally I barf most of it up but tonight it went well, and I am suppose to do a whole other dose in the morning. I did liquids for a day before so my output is clear now...is it terrible if I just skip the morning dose- I think its a small miracle I didn't get ill tonight and I don't wanna push my luck if I'm clean


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## StarGirrrrl

It's your call- I did two doses of Klean Prep before bed last time, and took half the last dose in the morning. I was running fairly clear but when I had the last dose a whole load more dark brown came out. Glad I did that. I had been eating solids though.

I only took half because I couldn't take another sip lol.


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## StarGirrrrl

Just did another colonoscopy today. Picolax prep instead of Klean Prep which gave me hell last time. Picolax was much more mild and worked just as well. 0.5l instead of 3l to drink! I did with the second and final dose wash it down with several cups of water to flush everything through, because I was worried it wouldn't work, was that mild.

I soon abandoned wiping, even with wet wipes, because it was so painful. When I was done each time, I just jumped into the bath and used the shower head or a jug of cold water to rinse myself off. So soothing, cooled everything down, cleaned it and best of all nothing came into contact with the skin! I would gently pat dry then put my underwear on again, in case of accidents, but i soon skipped that part and simply wrapped myself in a big towel after rinsing. It was much gentler on the skin and not so painful when I needed to go again.

I would highly recommend this approach if the pain gets too bad! And all you need to do the next day is throw some disinfectant/ anti bacterial cleaner in the bathing area.


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## Lisa

I'm getting ready for my annual scope on Friday, my tip of the day is of you are doing the Mira Lax prep, the night before prep day take the 64 oz bottle and remove about 10-12 ounces, then added the powder to the bottle.  This allows enough room for the powder and you want it to dissolve all the way.  Shake well and let sit in fridge overnight to get nice and cool.  

I don't always get all the liquid down, but as long as I'm running clear I am good.


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## Crohns Queen

I've had 18 colonoscopies now and done the range of preps - some more miserable than others. Oral "Fleet" used to be prescribed in the early 2000s - drink one and enema the other until electrolyte imbalances started occurring. Then came Colyte - the 4 litre jug with powder in it you mix with water - OMG!  I don't know anyone who can drink 4L of any beverage they like much less a horrible "fruit punch" flavoured one!!  Finally, I was prescribed Pico Salax paired with Dulcolax. The Pico Salax comes in orange or cranberry flavours. I always opt for the orange as it pairs best with FLAT Fresca pop. Then, it's bottoms up and the cocktail is down without a horrible taste. That's my secret - orange Pico Salax (chilled 48 hrs prior with the lid off for maximum chugging potential). Then, let the poopin' begin - wish me luck!  Number 19 is in 3 days.


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## teeny5

Do your doctor's give any instructions about general medications or supplements you need to stop prior to the colonoscopy? I have heard no iron, no aspirin, no fiber supplements. 

I haven't gotten my instructions yet so still have to find out about my meds. My last colonoscopy was prior to being put on meds.


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## Crohns Queen

I know that blood thinners such as Warfarin need to be stopped prior to the colonoscopy, however, Meds many of us take (Remicade, Aza etc) are all fine.   One thing to note if you are a colonoscopy virgin - the prep can take as long as 6 hrs to start working for some people and for others starts right away. Good luck!

QUOTE=teeny5;870473]Do your doctor's give any instructions about general medications or supplements you need to stop prior to the colonoscopy? I have heard no iron, no aspirin, no fiber supplements. 

I haven't gotten my instructions yet so still have to find out about my meds. My last colonoscopy was prior to being put on meds.[/QUOTE]


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## Hayz

Eeeek, let the prep begin......... One litre of colonlytely tonight (salty goodness!!) followed by two sachets of picoprep in the morning. Hoping I can keep it all going in the right direction!!!!!! Fingers crossed I can get some answers and a diagnosis tomorrow.


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## Hayz

Quite relieved (pun intended!!) the prep hasn't been nearly as bad as I had been anticipating. Downing the stuff was the worst part but I got a bit of a system going with block nose-inhale- swallow-exhale repeat then rinse with clear Gatorade. That was from the colonlytely. Nothing really hides the acidity of the pico prep, but the smaller amount is a bit easier,and downing some maxalon helped with the nausea. 
I was waiting for the pain and explosion but it was ok, I think being on a light diet of chicken broth and jelly for the 3 days prior helped. 
I really feel for those of you who have had to go through this and are going to have to go through this repeatedly, I know some have had over 10!!


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## CR123

I am having a colonoscopy this afternoon....the prep wasn't too bad, I managed it quite well this time. I don't really have any tips, except drink loads of water and keep busy!  The worse thing now is the waiting and of course the not eating!!! I am STARVING!! Rock on 4pm when it will be all over and done with


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## ladysybil

My method. Eat lightly before prep begins. You will only regret a big breakfast later.

Choose a position. You need somewhere comfy, within dashing distance of the loo. Not isolated or you will be lonely. 

As others in the house to respect your loo needs that day. No doubt they are used to it anyway but particularly so.

In the loo have ready many baby wipes and a big tub of sudocrem.

At your camp site have multiple clear fluids, as strong flavour as you can get, your klenprep, a jug, stirer and cups or glasses. Have books, laptop and box sets or Netflix ready. 

Make up the solution as directed and drink as much as you can alternating as needed with clear fluids. Watch Netflix. Wait.

When the first bout hits go, go, go. Do not believe you can hold it. 

Use baby wipes. It is going to get rough. 

Continue drinking, watching, running till you drink all of the prep. Eventually it will stop.

The colonoscopy itself is fine if properly sedated. Just breathe slowly and calmly and you will be fine.


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## scottsma

I found chilling the prep. first before drinking, and using a drinking straw, easier than drinking directly from the glass......also it took over 12 hours for the "clear out" to finish.(for me)oo:oo:oo:

    The colonoscopy was easy peasy.:dusty::dusty::dusty:


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## Bunty

I'm the opposite to Scottsma, and ladysybil.
I ate a hearty breakfast of the foods allowed...poached egg on white toast I think...which sustained me through the fasting phase. I'm not normally a breakfast eater so perhaps that made the difference.
I drank the prep stuff at room temperature and glugged it down as quickly as possible directly from the glass. I tried a straw first but to be honest it was too slow and I just wanted to get it down. I don't enjoy chilled drinks...apart from a nice Sauvignon blanc or G&T ...so that's why I didn't chill the prep, too cold a drink tends to give me a headache.
The prep worked it's magic very efficiently on me, it's certainly an experience isn't it??
Bunty x


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## kiltubrid

I have had tons of colonoscopies and my doctor always uses the Golightly prep. I hate the taste of it so much that I had a terrible time getting (and keeping) it down. Finally after about my fifth procedure, I figured out a method that works for me. I'm sharing it in case any of you have the same problem. 

You need one of those giant bottles of Listerine. (I like Cool Mint) And you need to be standing over a sink.

1) Chill it. (Everyone seems to know that.)
2) Pour a big old glassful of the awful stuff
3) Uncap the Listerine.
4) Take a big breath and then chug the Golightly without stopping to breathe. (This is key!)
5) Whiile still holding your breath, take a big swig of Listerine, and then spit it into the sink. You won't get that awful Golightly aftertaste that can make you gag.

When I do this, I set the timer for every 15-20 minutes so I can chug it down and get it over with ASAP. 

Good luck with your procedures, all. Re


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## teeny5

For mine I had Gavilyte with a lemon flavor packet. 6 hours prior to starting that they had me take 4 Dulcolax tablets. The box of Dulcolax said it would work in 6-10 hours...for me I had diarrhea with in 2 hours. 

Here is what I did for the liquid:

1) Mixed it the morning of the prep and put in the fridge. 

2) once it was almost time filled 12 cups with about 8oz of it (some were a little over I think) and put those in the fridge (I was to do 3 liters that night and the rest in the morning). Took 2 hours for the 12 cups.  The remaining in the morning was only about 4 1/2 cups. 

3) Every 10 minutes I grabbed a cup and drank it as fast as possible...this gave me a few minutes to go to the bathroom in between.  I literally had to go nearly every 10 minutes. So much easier to have them pre filled! No time wasted pouring. 

4) I wrote numbers 1-12 big on a piece of paper and crossed them off as I drank each cup...I'm a list maker so this made me feel like I was getting somewhere. 

5) When I started to get full or nauseous I walked around a bit, seemed to help. 

6) Drinking it made me spur cold so I wore a sweatshirt and had a blanket...lol

7) Drank water and Gatorade all day and up until bed to keep hydrated. Tried a cup of coffee (black) but that felt like acid on my insides. 

8) Had chicken stock for "lunch" and "dinner" - ate it like soup so I kind of felt like I was eating  I also ate some Jell-O 

For the week leading up to the colonoscopy I tried to eat lighter...Ensure drinks at lunch most days and soup with crackers or small amount of chicken for dinner. This helped to not have so much in there, but also so I didn't feel so deprived since I was already eating lighter. 

I also had lots of toilet paper on hand, wet wipes in the bathroom, books and video games ready, Netflix lined up.  Had a fluffy blanket and a bed pillow on the couch. Cleaned my house before starting the prep to keep my mind off food and so I had nice clean bathrooms ready. 

For the procedure I wore slip on shoes, no jewelry, easy clothes to get on and off.


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## Cross-stitch gal

I was looking at websites as to remind myself what clothing to wear for a colonoscopy.  Sometime in the new year I will be needing to do one again and thought now might be a good time to start looking around in case I need to buy some for the wonderful date.  While looking, I found this website.  It has some good stuff and is also kinda funny.  Thought you guys might enjoy.

https://kerryon.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/what-to-wear-to-your-colonoscopy


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## Willdog

I swish and spit (like tasting wine) with a good apple juice after using a big milkshake straw to suck down some...kills the aftertaste dead and I'm a chef so my palate is super sensitive. Easy clothes to get on and off, slip on shoes, ect...


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## rcmacdo

This would have been handy before my colonoscopy back in June. (I think it was June or mid July.) I had that nasty Gavilyte stuff. I had 3 days in between them telling me to make an appointment for it, and the procedure itself. Since they were so worried. I didn't have very much time beforehand. They told me to eat lightly, and then the day before go on an all liquid diet. I had a lot of chicken broth. They told me that the lemon flavor pack might make it easier, and to try a little bit in a glass of that stuff before adding it to the jug. (Just in case it didn't help.) I chilled it like they said, too. The first glassful wasn't a problem, but as soon as I got to the 2nd one, I threw it all up. I had to get an anti-nausea pill. (This helped a great deal.) When I went back to it, I tried using a straw and holding my nose like some people suggest. Did not work. Might have made it more difficult for me. Having a huge swig of Gatorade (I think it was lemon) between sips helped quite a bit. I occasionally had chicken broth with it, too. I barely made it to halfway through the jug, and had to call it off since I couldn't stay up any longer. (It was 3:30am.) Plus, it was an early appointment. I apparently was pretty clear to begin with. I was put completely under, and they told me they didn't have any problems. I actually woke up in the middle of it. Didn't feel pain, and they knocked me out again pretty quickly once they realized. 

So, I guess Gatorade, the anti-nausea pill, taking as big of sips as I can, some chicken broth, and pacing myself helped me. If I have to do it again soon, I'd ask for a different type of laxative, though.


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## jwfoise

Cat-a-Tonic said:


> <snip>
> The taste of Prepopik wasn't bad, it was fizzy like soda and tasted vaguely orangey.  However, the instructions on the box state to mix the water and the Prepopik packet for "2 to 3 minutes".  No, definitely do not wait that long!  Use very cold water, mix quickly and drink right away.  For my first cup, I obeyed the instructions and mixed for awhile.  But it seems that the longer you mix, the warmer it gets - some sort of weird chemical reaction.  It did not taste good warm, it was disgusting!  For the second cup, I mixed quickly and drank fast, and it was still cool and much more palatable.


I just had a colonoscopy yesterday (it went well) and I used Prepopik for the first time.  I think I had a better experience then you did Cat-a-Tonic; I have to say it was the best prep I ever had.

I did note the same thing about getting warmer the longer you stirred it; I suspect it is the "heat of solution" of the stuff as it dissolves (sorry, I'm a chemist).  I followed their instructions both times (stirred for 2 minutes) and drank it warm, and even warm I thought it was the least horrible tasting prep I ever took.  And it was only 5 ounces, so I could down it pretty fast.

I did feel a little nauseous, but it wasn't too bad, and I can't say it was the prep, or the empty stomach, or all the liquid.

The only downside was I had to get up at 3 a.m. to take the second dose, and I didn't dare go back to sleep after that.  

Actually, there was a second downside, it seemed kind of expensive.  I had a $10 off coupon the doctor gave me, but it was still $71 out-of-pocket (I'm still in the part of the insurance cycle where I'm paying up to my minimum out-of-pocket).  I can get the money back with my FSA money, and I haven't shopped around (maybe the others are that expensive), but it seemed pricey.

It also seemed pretty "mild" to me, but it apparently it did the job without adding Dulcolax or anything like that.  My GI is quick to tell me if I'm not cleaned out well, and he didn't say a thing; I was producing clear output by the end.

I know we all respond differently to these things, but this will be my prep of choice in the future (which means it will probably be off the market in two years).


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## Cat-a-Tonic

I do kind of wonder if it didn't work as well for me in terms of cleaning me out because I didn't stir it for the full 2 minutes.  The warmth put me off enough that I only stirred it minimally before drinking it.  I'm thinking that, for my next prep, I will try it again and will follow the instructions when it comes to stirring, even with the disgusting warmth that comes with that.  I wonder if that also contributed to my nausea - maybe things just weren't mixed properly and that caused me some issues?

As for the cost, it's been a couple years but I think it was something like $30 or $35 out of pocket after insurance.  So not as pricey for me, and well worth the cost considering how much more palatable and easy of a prep it was to do.


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## JaimeM

The prep for my fecal transplant was awful. They did Golytle which is terrible and had to drink the entire thing (last time I had this for a colonoscopy prep they just said whenever it turns clear) I also couldn't eat solid food two days beforehand. 

I've learned using vaseline on my bum when things start getting a little sore helps a ton.


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## Cross-stitch gal

As I'm preparing for my upcoming Colonoscopy, I decided to see what I could find as far as what I can eat for the next week once I'm cut off.  Here's a website I found.  It's going to be a bit of a challenge packing my lunch for 5 days!

https://www.ghc.org/html/public/specialties/gastroenterology/colon-diet


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## Lisa

Cross-stitch gal said:


> As I'm preparing for my upcoming Colonoscopy, I decided to see what I could find as far as what I can eat for the next week once I'm cut off.  Here's a website I found.  It's going to be a bit of a challenge packing my lunch for 5 days!
> 
> https://www.ghc.org/html/public/specialties/gastroenterology/colon-diet


Only 3 days.....

And as an FYI - I've never adjusted my diet aside from the day before/clear liquids.....no issues with scopes. 

I would caution though, if someone has issues with constipation, a light diet a few days before would be a good idea.....


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## Lynda Lynda

Whoa, no one here since 2017 !   Well, my colonoscopy prep has changed a lot over the years. Used to drink that nasty stuff and had dry heaves. Having colonoscopy / endoscopy next week and my prep instructions are very explanatory and easy. Using Miralax / Gatorade the day before plus Dulcolax laxative pills. I have only been able to eat liquid food for over two weeks now and have been having at least 6 watery bowel movements a day. My thoughts are that my colon will be cleaned out just by taking the four Dulcolax laxative pills !  I always dread the prep more than the colonoscopy / endoscopy. They use Propofol as my anesthesia. Take Care.


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## Tbhorbach

I was just informed by my PCP that he got the results from my annual physical that my B.I P test came back positive and he wants me to have a colonoscopy ASAP. Im scheduled on 11/12/18.
Prep.has began.  Ive been involved in the Medical field for over 3 decades but i had a question as far as the clear Liquid thing, i wanted to know if slurpees or slushie to some were concidered to be clear liquid concidering its just ice with coloring. The nurse at first had no idea what I was talking about so i said like Italian water ice, she said no cause of the sugar,i was compuzzled because they said that coke and mt. Dew were ok. Well they have sugar in it.. if you lQQk it up thr FDA does say slurpee/slushies are considered clear liquids just FYI


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## Tbhorbach

Well i drank a 10oz bottle of Magnesia Citrate around 9pm and at 10Am on Sunday at 10am im suppose to drink a gallon of  GaviLyle-G then water, gatoraid, propell, jello all day Sunday and my procedure is @7am


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## t-bone

.... it's _that time _again

One thing that I've found usefull is to use Bayer A and D ointment (it's meant for a babies diaper rash)

It "waterproofs" things a little better than the other things I've tried in the past

The hydorcortisone creams helps quite a bit  after the skin is irritated, but using A & D in the entire area around the bunghole that will be in contact with the liquid lava that comes out during the emptyinmg proccess will _really minimise _the skin irritation, as nothing will actually touch the skin

It helps to slather it on an hour or so _before_ begining the prep proccess, so it has a chance to be absorbed/make a waterproof layer

As an added bonus, the petrolateum jelly they use as a base will also soften the skin so it stretches a little better without cracking/tearing


This procedure is just no fun, but since it's just gotta be done to get the docs the data they need, an ounce of prep _before _the prep will really pay off


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