Thanks everyone! I don’t have a doctor yet so I figured I’d call around if one prep was much better than another.
I didn’t have my first colonoscopy until I was 59 because I was never able to down the chalky prep (from back then). I tried two different times and gave up. Then, DH’s new doctor had him do the Dulcolax/Miralax combo and he found it so incredibly easy, so I made an appointment–and he was right. A tiny Dulcolax tab mid-afternoon and Miralax mixed with 64 ozs. of any non-red/purple liquid. I tried Gatorade the first time, but switched to decaf iced tea the second time. Totally tasteless. I just poured the solution into four empty 16 oz. bottles and sipped them constantly while watching a movie. All done by 10:30 and slept well all night. Both times.
As noted many times above, the key is eating light for at least two days prior. As long as you are clean for the procedure, my doc says it doesn’t matter which prep you use.
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My DH is a colon cancer survivor, so he has had many preps. His last several were suprep, a small volume liquid prep that doesn’t taste very good. But easy to get down if you just chug it. This last one a couple of weeks ago, he did the pill regimen. MANY pills chased with lots of water. He felt it was the best one he has done so far. That’s my $.02. for what it’s worth…
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momtogkc - Dulcolax/Miralax combo is not bad. I would just say it’s all not the most pleasant thing but not the worst thing in the world The key to me is finding a highly regarded GI doctor group and doctor within that group to do the procedure - vs. trying to find the best prep and going with that doctor.
You can get through anything for a few hours - you want the doctor to be the very best so they catch whatever is there - this is very important for your future health/well-being.
Thanks - I think my next step will be asking my friends with doctor they liked and hope for the best!
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I used SuTab pills at my last colonoscopy. I thought they would be so much easier because I really can’t stomach the awful salty/lemony taste of the other preps. All I had to do was take them with water.
Well, it was a LOT of pills and a LOT of water. It was so much water that it made me nauseated. I’m not sure I ever want to do that again! I think next time I’ll go with the Dulcolax/Miralax prep.
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I’m going to agree with the other posters who suggest finding a trusted doctor first, then addressing your concerns about the prep with them. I can’t remember what I had the first time, but for my recent one I had the miralax/ducolax prep, and some googling made it sound like that’s fairly common now. No problem with getting the liquid down, but unlike another recent commenter, I did not get a good nights sleep. Probably a combination of the timing and how my body “processes” stuff. But all in all not a big deal.
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In my opinion, wait until you meet the MD who will be doing it. Id ask him/her. Mine had definite ideas about how to have a good prep (otherwise the doc can’t see what a/he needs to see).
My GI had his set procedure and handed out a printed booklet with all the relevant info. I asked him about alternatives but he was pretty negative about the other options.
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I am on the 3-year plan, having had a fair number of polyps removed the last two times. My first colonoscopy used the dulcolax/miralax prep which wasn’t bad at all.
By the time I had the second, she had switched to using the large jug of golytely that I had to finish the night before. I had a very early appointment. She felt it cleaned people out better than the dulcolax/miralax blend. By the time I finished it, I was shivering from drinking so much cold liquid and threw up some of the last glass.
#3 is scheduled and it looks like her current protocol uses colyte which I think is the same as golytely and to drink half the night before and half the morning of. Appointment is not so early this time.
As much as I hate that prep, I trust her, so I will do it. She came recommended by my family doc who I have seen for many years.
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Just got my second ten year pass. Thank goodness that’s over. Used the golytely prep and was up all night. The dog was so confused. My children are very happy I did it.
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I had very few problems with my prep, which was a combination of magnesium citrate and Golytely. It didn’t keep me up at night, possibly because I was cleared out by then. The hardest part was drinking those last two glasses of Golytely in the morning, a few hours before the colonoscopy. I was so sick of drinking it by then.
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I had a colonoscopy last week. Three unsatisfactory things happened.
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Despite my asking when I first called if the HCWs would be masked during the procedure (response being yes), there were no masks worn. I was told, “CDC doesn’t require them.” When I said that when I called I was told there would be masks, the nurse said they would review the telephone tapes. At this point, I was already hooked up to the IV, so I said that I was making a patient request that the medical staff doing my procedure wear masks. So the nurse said she had to talk to the office manager. When she came back she was masked. She told me they couldn’t make other patients mask. When the anesthesiologist, procedure nurse (or some other title?), and the doctor were masked. None of them said a word about it.
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Despite following the Sutab instructions to the letter, apparently I wasn’t cleaned out well enough. The dr. said I had to come back in 3 years instead of 5 (family history), because she could have missed some very small polyps. I’ve had 2 previous colonoscopies; cleanout wasn’t an issue with either of them, and no polyps were discovered. I’m not at all happy that I have to get another one in 3 years. Maybe I will and maybe I won’t!
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I woke up during the procedure. I told them I was awake, and I was told that the doctor was almost finished. Regardless, I was given more sedation, and the next time I came to I was in the recovery area. When I came to during the procedure, I could feel it, but it wasn’t painful. Still, I’m not going to be one of those people who requests to watch their own colonoscopy!
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the procedure is no big deal and recovery is not either, it’s all about the prep. which really wouldn’t be so bad if they would schedule the procedures in the evening instead of the morning. I prepped in the evening as required, was up all night pooping, and then had my morning procedure after basically zero sleep.
If we could prep in the morning and have our procedure in the evening, we could then go home and eat and sleep like normal and not lose a night of sleep. would be a game changer.
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Do you have a long history with this doctor/office that you want to continue? If I had these issues with my colonoscopy I’d consider switching. None of them sound very fun or responsible.
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I’m so sorry you had that experience. I would be looking for another practice.
I’m especially surprised at the lack of masking. All providers here are required to wear masks… they even have to at my med-spa. Patients are no longer required to except in certain offices or hospital areas. For example, masks are required in the public areas at the hospital where I had my colonoscopy (they provide if you don’t have one), but once I was in the office it was optional for patients but not for the staff.
Masks are totally off everywhere in AZ and have been forever. We were required to wear them in the hospital and doctor’s offices until about two months ago. Now, not even our local hospital requires them. Occasionally you’ll see signs that say, “Please respect the masking choices of others.” That’s about it.
At my husband’s recent colonoscopy, masks were required by all and also in the waiting room. I was a bit surprised as I haven’t seen people in masks in my city for a long time.
I can’t believe there are medical facilities that aren’t masking. My DH was in the hospital for a week and masks were everywhere unless eating. My eye doctor still requires it and I’d say about 30% of people I see in the grocery, Target etc are masked.
It just shows how different places are. I’m not sure we ever had much more than 30% masking compliance in grocery stores even pre-vax when it was mandated. We haven’t had masks in doctors’ offices in a long long time.