Absolutely! The only tiny reason I am even concerned is that my mom passed out once during her prep and I have an irrational fear of doing the same. I have to drink so much fluid I can’t imagine I will become dehydrated but still . . .
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This happened to me the last time. It seemed it was a different prep, and I had to drink more liquid than the time before. This is one reason my 5-year plan has stretched to 6 years.
Just finished a gallon jug of the solution. It was as awful-tasting as I remember. I have a colonoscopy once every 5 years.
This round, it is the first time the hospital sent me a 6 page instruction on what to eat, what not, starting 7 days before the appt date. For me, it meant I should have toned down my food consumption starting on Thanksgiving Day.
No way that was going to happen. I started following the diet guidelines the day after Thanksgiving. I have always chosen an early morning schedule including this one (8 am). After a whole day of not eating, I don’t think I could last much longer tomorrow.
Hope it goes well. The worst is behind you now that you have finished the prep. 
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WHat prep is that? I used unflavored Miralax in Gatorade, so the Gatorade was all I tasted. The quantity was not fun, but the taste was okay
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This was it. Technically, it was Miralax, per se.
It came with a small packet of lemon flavor powder.
I don’t like Gaterade so that would not help me, either.
@2VU0609 - thank you. I always tell people new to colonoscopy that drinking this thing is the toughest part of the procedure.
The rest is a piece of cake.
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It went well. The medical team was very nice. After getting general anesthesia, I slept through the whole procedure.
(about 1.5 hours). Woke up to good news, no issue, no polyp. Yeah!! Return in 5 years.
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Why 5 years rather than the common 10 years if no polyps? Or do you have other indications of high risk?
As I understand it, 5 years is the standard for those with family history of colon cancer. I have 2 maternal uncles who had colon cancer and my mother had a significant polyp that required surgery and was deemed pre-cancerous, so I am on the 5 year plan for the duration.
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Your situation would be a high risk one.
You may want to additionally do FIT in years that are not the regularly scheduled colonoscopy years.
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I’ve had 6 colonoscopies now and had 2 tiny polyps in #4. Had to go back in 3 years for next test after that one. I wouldn’t be opposed to Cologuard for in between testing if doc recommends.
My first colonoscopy found some adematous polyps, so my next one was three years later. They found a polyp then too. So I’m now (even 20 years after those events) on the five-year plan. That doesn’t make me happy, but I assume that if I had never had those polyps removed, I’d have colon cancer now. Or be dead. So, I’ll deal with it. I’m up again in 2023.
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They found precancerous polyps when I was in mid 30’s. Got to go back every 3 years for a couple of times after that. After no polyp was found, it has been every 5 years since then.
I honestly do not mind a 5 years interval. I would rather have a doctor catch it sooner than later. No family history as far as I know.
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Cologuard (FIT+DNA) is rather expensive, so it is not usually recommended for yearly screening like the much less expensive FIT often is.
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I wonder at what age can you actually not have to worry about another colonoscopy. I thought at 70, but my husband did one and the doctor told him to come back in 3 years. Now if the next one they find nothing then maybe that’s it for him. He would be 78 by then.
They recently told my mom 75 is the limit. Whether that’s universal I don’t know
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The doctor was pushing my 90 yr old father to get a colonoscopy - I nixed that. So not sure there is a limit.
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When your remaining life expectancy is less than the length of time that it would take for a newly discovered colon cancer to kill you, or when treatment to attempt to cure colon cancer would be medically too difficult to go through.
Usually, this is suggested around ages 76+, but can vary individually.
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Well I no longer like lemon-lime Gatorade, that;s for sure. That was a lot of fluid to get down, and it didn’t all stay down. But I was clean enough for a good scope. Even with a tortuous colon, the doc said he got a good look and no polyps!
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Got my 3 year coming up. Not happy.
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