My Story/Colonoscopy Prep Advice?

[speoples28]

Well where to start...I was diagnosed with IBD when I was 4 years old and had a rough time with that. Then my symptoms got worse and when I was 14 I was diagnosed with Crohn's. That was four years ago and boy, has it been rough. After a brief hospitalization in 2010, I was put on Remicade and I've been getting monthly treatments ever since. Lately, however, I've been getting serious flare-ups, so my GI doctor scheduled me for my 4th colonoscopy on Wednesday. This time I'm doing the Miralax with 64 oz of Gatorade along with the 3 tablets of Dulcolax, which I've never done before. With my previous colonoscopy, I took one of the liquid laxatives and couldn't keep any of it down. I'm hoping that this will be more tolerable. Although I've had colonoscopies before, I can't help but get a little nervous. Any tips on how to make the prep process easier?

I'm glad I found this forum to share my experiences as well as hear from all of you

 

[LonghornGirl]

Hi, there! I did 2 colonoscopies with those exact prep ingredients and I found it helpful to drink through a straw instead of just sipping from the glass. I could down the liquid faster without swallowing air to get burps. Also, the first time I used all orange Gatorade and was sick & nauseous from it towards the end. The second time I started off with 32 oz bottle of Gatorade then switched to apple juice for the other 32 oz w/ miralax. It sort of helped not get sick of the same flavor while trying to guzzle it down.

Lastly, since you know mostly what happens you may already know to use flushable wet wipes instead of TP to help ease things and keep it from drying out.

Good luck, hope the results are positive and show improvement!

 

[stevej54]

I've had a few preps and the miralax and gatorade was my favorite option. The last one they had me take was called golytely. It was horrible. Had to drink much more than the gatorade mix and it was very difficult. It didnt help that I had an afternoon appointment which was a pain. Good luck with the prep. It is worth it if you get the right diagnosis.

 

[sawdust]

I've done a number of preps as well and find the Miralax prep preferable to all others I've tried. It's definitely alot of liquid to drink, but I recommend a gatorade flavor that isn't your favorite, a kitchen timer, very cold liquid, and something to keep you distracted.

I use cold gatorade, mix it in a pitcher, and keep it in the fridge. I keep a glass I know is the right size on the kitchen counter and set the kitchen timer. When it goes off, I get up, pour a glass, drink it down quickly, put the pitcher back in the fridge, set the timer, and then go do something that takes my mind off it until the timer goes off again.

Some folks here sip, others use a straw, but I'm from the "chug" philosophy, because it gets it over with as quickly as possible for me. I hope you find which of those works best for you.

It's not thick or very strong-tasting compared to other preps, but it is alot to drink. I used orange gatorade the first time I did this prep, and it has forever been "the" flavor for prep. I can't say I really desire an orange gatorade that isn't prep. But it sure tastes much better than alternatives!