Prep is coming up :/

[foreveryoung]

So I am due to have a colonoscopy December 2nd.. My first colonoscopy ever and I am so scared, I've been stressing about it every day and I wish I wasn't so worried.
I also am worried about the prep because I have to take 3 bottles of Magnesium citrate I think its called. My parents tell me it's going to make me run to the bathroom a lot and im scared of that. Do I really need to take 3 can't I just take 2? I'm just worried i'm going to feel really sick.

Today i'm feeling pretty bad, very tired, and I have been constipated lately but I just ran to the bathroom and had D and I could see blood at the bottom of the toilet :eek2: . I just want this all to be sorted out so I can get treatment and start to feel better :/ Being so worried about this upcoming test is making it all worse!!

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Hi, there's a good thread here about colonoscopy prep tips:
http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=44105

As for having to drink all 3 bottles - what I've always been told is, when I start going clear then I can stop drinking the prep. By clear, I have been told specifically that means no solids whatsoever - flecks are okay, liquid is okay and if the liquid is yellow/orange that's okay too - just no solids. Keep in mind that it's possible to go clear for a bit but then have chunks a little later on, too. Did they tell you to drink all 3 bottles at once, or are you allowed to space them out? If you can space them out, then see how you're doing after the first 2 bottles.

It should help you to get cleaned out sooner, if you eat very lightly for a few days before prep. The less stuff that's in your system when you prep, the easier it'll be to get cleaned out.

If you're worried about feeling sick, perhaps ask your doctor now if you could be prescribed something for nausea. I have a Zofran (ondansetron) prescription - it's an anti-nausea medication - and my doctor said it was fine to take a Zofran while I was prepping. I did the Prepopik prep (also known as Pico salax/Picolax), and that one did make me very nauseous, so I was glad that I was able to take medication for the nausea. Best to check with your doc and see what your options are as far as that goes.

Good luck with the prep and the scope, I hope it gets you some answers so you can get some treatment & relief. Hang in there! And let us know if you have other questions about the prep or the scope.

 

[UnXmas]

Everyone reacts to the prep a bit differently, but there may well be some running to the bathroom, unfortunately. It's unpleasant, but it's not unbearable. You might want to use a barrier cream - put some thick cream around the anus, as the diarrhoea can make it burn. When you do the prep, have a quiet day at home and ensure you have access to the bathroom.

You should follow the instructions you've been given for the prep, but it can be worth ringing the hospital to see if you can take a lower dose if you're worried about taking that much. I don't recall the prep making me feel sick. Have plenty of drinks (you should stick to clear liquids) to stop you getting dehydrated.

Getting your system cleaned out is necessary. You don't want the test to be compromised just because you didn't take enough prep. Colonoscopies can provide a lot of useful information, so going through the yucky prep day now might help you get a good step further forward in figuring out what's going on and what treatment you need.

 

[kh216]

Hi foreveryoung,
I am not a fan of magnesium citrate so can I suggest an alternative prep? Two nights before the prep, I take 4 Dulcolax tablets. (You can spread that out if taking 4 at a time is too much. On the day before the procedure, I drink clear liquids that don't contain any red, orange,purple or blue dyes. By the night before, I mix a large container of Miralax into 64 ounces of Lemon-Lime Gatorade. I drink 8 ounces every 20 minutes until the 64 ounces are finished. The best part of this prep is I don't taste the Miralax; I only taste the gatorade. You will need to use the bathroom alot but the whole purpose is to have a clear colon for the procedure. I actually start drinking the mixture around 3-3:30 p.m. so that I am done with it early and can have a good night's sleep the night before the procedure.

 

[2thFairy]

Hi foreveryoung,
I am not a fan of magnesium citrate so can I suggest an alternative prep? Two nights before the prep, I take 4 Dulcolax tablets. (You can spread that out if taking 4 at a time is too much. On the day before the procedure, I drink clear liquids that don't contain any red, orange,purple or blue dyes. By the night before, I mix a large container of Miralax into 64 ounces of Lemon-Lime Gatorade. I drink 8 ounces every 20 minutes until the 64 ounces are finished. The best part of this prep is I don't taste the Miralax; I only taste the gatorade. You will need to use the bathroom alot but the whole purpose is to have a clear colon for the procedure. I actually start drinking the mixture around 3-3:30 p.m. so that I am done with it early and can have a good night's sleep the night before the procedure.

While this is a good suggestion, you need to follow your doctor's instructions. Every doctor has a preference for a particular reason. You might ask your doctor about alternative preps, but you need to do whatever your doctor says.

 

[Ihurt]

I had a colonoscopy back in April. You are going to be running to the toilet, there is No way to avoid that one. I used a prep called suprep. It was not to bad. I mean I would chug a bunch down and drink some water right away to get the taste out of my mouth. I drank it very fast, like within 10 minutes. Then I drank a ton of water afterwards. I got pretty bloated ( which was from all the water I had to drink). I never got any pain or felt sick to my stomach though. I was so afraid it would put me in a lot of pain, but it did not. The worst part for me was the anal irritation it caused. I got a nasty inflamed hemorrhoid from it. Make sure you lube up that area before you even start drinking the stuff. This way you are ahead of the game. You will be ok, you will get through it. Honetly, My biggest concern was getting a UTI from all the diarrhea, but that I because I am so prone to getting them as it is.... Oh, also, I know with the suprep, it required me to drink one bottle at 5pm the day before the test, and 1 bottle 4 hours before the test. Thankfully I did NOT follow those instructions. I drank the first bottle at 3pm. and the second one at 10pm. Good thing I did too, because I was pooping until 5am in the morning! Had I drank it 4 hours before the test, I would have had an accident one the way to the hospital! Stupid people who made up those rules! Also, I found doing a liquid diet 2 days before the test really helped. Good luck, I am sure all will be ok. They are going to knock you out for the test right? You will not feel anything then.... They sedated me( twilight sedation). It works well, you wont remember a thing.

Oh, one last thing. Someone suggested that I buy some jolly rancher candies to suck on after each time I chugged the prep. I would chug the prep and stick the candy in my mouth and it got rid of that taste right away! Then I would drink the water. But sticking that candy in my mouth just to suck for a couple seconds really helped get that taste out of my mouth fast.. Just thought I would suggest it. It really helped me.

 

[foreveryoung]

Thank you all for the replys! It does make me feel better! I think I will stick with what my doctor wants me to do to be on the safe side. I will definitely go out and buy a bag of jolly ranchers to help with the taste!!

My doctor suggested to start preparing now, so I have been taking two caps of miralax a day.. However last night I had a huge turkey dinner which made me feel awful later and was taking pepto all night lol. This whole thing is a learning experience and I also really miss popcorn I love popcorn lol.

I'll be glad when the scope is over with. My boyfriend will be bringing me and he will be taking me out to the cheese cake factory afterwards which will be a real treat since I'll be so hungry lol!

Thanks everyone for the insight on your experience, it really helps!:ghug:

 

[UnXmas]

While this is a good suggestion, you need to follow your doctor's instructions. Every doctor has a preference for a particular reason. You might ask your doctor about alternative preps, but you need to do whatever your doctor says.

2thFairy makes a really important point here. There are many preps, for many different procedures. Different doctors have different preferences, but they sometimes also adjust prep instructions to tailor to the patient in question. Especially for your first prep, please do not switch or alter the one you've been given by the hospital for one recommended online (or one recommended to you by people you know). If you're worried about the prep or want to try something different - ask your doctor, or ring the hospital where you'll be having your procedure.

I'm glad that following your doctor's instructions is what you've decided to do, foreveryoung, but thought I'd reiterate this for anyone else who may be reading this thread, looking for advice. It's important. And if you do find any part of the prep difficult, whether it's drinking it, getting it to stay down, clearing you out enough, if you think the diarrhoea's too severe or have any other problems while doing it - again, ask your doctor, and, should you ever need to prep for another test in future, explain the problems you had and ask if there's anything you could do differently next time.

I hope your scope goes smoothly, foreveryoung. Good luck!

 

[Goddess]

You can read my post, "Fun With Colonoscopy Prep". It's got some hints on keeping yourself cheerful! And a couple of other things that aren't in there, like keeping the stuff ice-cold and using a straw.

If you have any questions at all, get on the phone to the doctor's office. My doctor and the nurses were MORE than happy to field my questions (even the dumb ones) and give advice.

I did hear tell that sugar can cloud the scope, so sugar-free candies are better. I know that sorbitol can cause loose stools, so what an ideal time to try some!

As everyone's saying (and I say in the post), follow your doctor's instructions, but I find that the key, if at all possible, is to keep yourself entertained.

I mean, how ridiculous is it for people with bathroom problems to purposely give themselves diarrhea so that a doctor can look in their bottoms?

You can't make that stuff up.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I agree with Goddess about keeping yourself entertained. For my last prep, which was in August, I bought myself a bunch of nice-smelling candles. I made a nice, calming playlist for my ipod and kept it playing in a loop on an ipod dock in my bathroom. Loaded up my Netflix playlist with comedies and charged all my portable devices (kindle, DS, portable DVD player, etc). I basically made things as nice for myself as possible. Keep yourself comfortable, too. Personally I got myself some nice wet flushable wipes and calming booty cream too (Calmoseptine is great). I had my electric blanket in case of chills, I had my comfiest sweat pants and my fuzziest slippers. For me it was about 50% keeping entertained and 50% keeping as comfortable as possible.

Oh, and you mentioned going out for cheesecake afterwards - you may be really loopy or you may be very tired after the procedure, and you may not have much of an appetite. I never have much appetite after a scope, and I tend to just want to take a long nap after I get home. So be prepared for that possibility too.

 

[foreveryoung]

Thanks for the reply's! Cat-a-tonic, great idea of setting up the ipod doc- i'm definitely going to do that!! & i'll have my kindle nice and ready for me I honestly just wish I could start now and get the test over with!!

 

[foreveryoung]

Goddess- I loved your post "fun with colonoscopy prep" Gave me some laughs Thanks for the advice!

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I wrote a semi-humorous post about colonoscopy prep, too. Here's the link if you're interested:
http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=54660

 

[Goddess]

That's not semi-humorous, that's brilliant! I'll never forget the paparazzi!

 

[michelle222]

I was worried about the prep too, but I have done it 5 times in the past 3 years and while it's not pleasant it really isn't as horrible as you think. Just follow everyone's advice, get a book or download some movies on a tablet and prepare to spend some time in the bathroom. After the prep, the actual procedure is easy peasy.

I would definitely error on the side of drinking all 3 of the bottles. Once I followed the prep instructions very closely but I apparently wasn't totally cleansed and they weren't able to complete the colonoscopy. TRUST ME, nothing is more frustrating than doing all that prep and then not getting the procedure done. So, I'd probably drink all 3 of the bottles just in case. Plus the magnesium citrate doesn't even taste that bad...just has a weird after taste.

Good luck!

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

That's not semi-humorous, that's brilliant! I'll never forget the paparazzi!

I guess I meant that it was semi-humorous and semi-autobiographical. Part humor and part true! Those darn paparazzi and their scopes, er, zoom lenses.

 

[foreveryoung]

Cat a tonic I sure got a laugh out of your celebrity colonoscopy thread! I am now looking at having a colonoscopy done in a whole new light . I will go in there on "game day" all the while being viewed by the paparazzi thank you for the laughs, it brightened my night!!

Also, thank you Michelle on your insight. After reading your post I most definitely will be taking all three bottles. I don't want to do all that work with prep and then not even be able to complete the procedure. It will be over before I even know it, and I will try my best to make myself most comfortable .