Does everyone do clear liquids the entire day before colonoscopy

[joanna2012]

I am just wondering if I can have a light breakfast and then do clear liquids the rest of the day. I know it is always best to follow dr. orders but I already eat very little, weight 115 pounds (5'6), and have daily diarrhea. Did anyone else do this and what was the outcome? I am very nervous and anxious. I am trying to calm myself down.
Thanks!

 

[chrisnsteph1022]

I always do clear liquids all day.

 

[handle]

As someone on a low residue diet and with diarrhea, I've drunk several cans of Ensure plus during the day before with no problems at all. I read a study showing up to 4 cans made no difference to the scope. (I've also had an early morning piece of toast and cheese - almost no residue there - and no problems.)
Good luck!

 

[rygon]

I'd rather do clear liquids and have a good scope.

You could try a breakfast but not only are they going to be displeased if they find you arent clear enough, they will make you go through it all again so they can see properly.

Not eating for a few hours isnt going to cause any problems for you

 

[CLynn]

I can't say everyone should do this, but once I knew with certainty how fast my metabolism was (based on how fast barium went thru me, and other things), I have eaten up till lunch on the day before the scope, then did clear liquids for the rest of it.

 

[Robert747]

I am finishing an 8 week liquid diet this week (YEH - not sure how to celebrate though!) - had a colonoscopy two weeks ago and the prep was really easy - so when I have another I will bear this in mind regarding diet before hand.

Good luck

 

[Desiree49]

I would just do clear liquids all day. Once I ate breakfast the day before thinking it would not show and it did. It is not fun doing it all over again.

 

[joanna2012]

You guys are right. I am going to stick to clear fluids. I eat so little as it is I don't think it will be a big deal. I just know when I don't eat at all the nausea is worse. But, I do not to do it over again so I will try to take some Zofran and suck it up and get it over with. Getting up at 2 AM for the second round of Suprep should be lovely I'm sure!

 

[FruitLoop]

Well UK prep sheet says on the day before to have a good breakfast taken from white bread, butter, cheese, eggs and rich tea biscuits.

So i always have cheese on toast or egg on toast.

Then you can have clear broth, jelly but not red, vanilla ice cream and fizzy pop (not red) and tea and coffee with small amounts of milk.

My gastric transit is fast though and im always low res so nothings ever just hanging around in there!

 

[Donna1]

I have always found that the less you eat the less that has to pass when you start drinking your prep. Its so much better when you have really prepared for at least the time they request. My last Colonoscopy I really cut back for a few days on what I ate and only had Sprite the day before and the day of and my prep was so easy. I did not even drink all the prep because I was clear after drinking about two thirds of it. good luck with your scope!

 

[rygon]

Bovril (beef) or chicken broth helps keep the hunger at bay when just on clear liquids. I drank quite a bit of lucozade as well for energy

 

[GrumpyGuts]

I just recently had a EGD/Colonoscopy and as I have an ileostomy I eat a light breakfast(egg and toast) the day of prep and then broth/jello rest of the day. Started prep about 5pm and was done pretty quickly. Only had to drink 32 oz of the prep which was a blessing(nasty stuff). Good Luck on your tests! Sounds like low residue is most common for those who still have their colons so that is what I would do if it were me.

 

[Bld]

My last Colonoscopy was late afternoon and I found the prep much easier as I didn't have to go a full 'day' without eating. I could have a normal breakfast on day 1 (I had a full English!) then a low residue lunch then no solids after. I took the first Fleet at about 7pm and the second at 7am and went in for the procedure at 6.30pm. I was awake and eating a sandwich by 7.30pm.

For a morning scope I had to stop eating the evening of the day before the prep day which I found a lot harder even though the time was the same!

 

[x_jj_x]

I went the full day of clear liquid before..& two days before that I only had rice milk protein shakes,eggs,lactose-free yoghurt & pumpkin soup....it's really worth doing prep properly for yourself& the endoscopist...it was hard but imagine having to do it all again...yukkkkk

 

[joanna2012]

Just a quick update for others who are about to go through colonoscopy. I did clear fluids the entire day before, then did the Suprep at 6PM then 1AM, and had colonoscopy at 8AM. The prep really wasn't that bad. The only bad parts were I got the chills after I took it pretty bad. And just being up most of the night from taking it at 1AM. I had minor cramping, nothing like what I expected. Next time I will get a colonoscopy time where I do not have to prep in the middle of the night. I value my sleep too much and that was the worst part by far.

 

[Rebecca85]

When I had a 9 am appointment, the instructions were daybefore- low res breakfast then clear fluids, prep at 5pm and 8pm, and nil by mouth from 7am of the day.

If you are supposed to take prep at 1 am or some other stupid time, I would be tempted to move the whole prep forward a few hours. I will do that myself next time, rather than take the prep at 5 and 8pm, I will miss breakfast and take them maybe at 2pm and 5pm so that I will have finished going and can go to bed at a decent hour.