Is this what they call a two day prep? My doctor did mention that they might want me to do a two day prep the next time to get better cleaned out. I have wondered what this would be like.
I do not think that I would mind going longer without eating. I do think that I would not want to take any more of the stuff that makes you explode downward (whether liquid or pills + water).
I just didnāt eat all day and night the night before the colonoscopy. It really was ok for me.
All of it makes you explode downward. All of it.
Have you had genetic testing for lynch syndrome and familial polyposis? Sounds like youāre covered with colon screening but there are other possible cancer risks.
I love there is a colonoscopy thread here. Cracks me up. I gotta run. But Iāll be back.
Any thoughts on Sutab prep as opposed to other? NOT looking foward to having to stay up all night doing the prep - I seem to recall that 10 years ago, I was able to catch most of a nightās sleep.
I did the Sutab prep when I had my colonoscopy at the very end of March. Itās still a lot of liquid (water) to drink! What made it easier was the 16-oz container that was provided. 16 oz. at a time is more manageable than having to see the 48 oz. container. I also did the low-residue diet for (3?4?) days beforehand, which I was not required to do.
This was the first out of three colonoscopies Iāve had done where I was told it was a subpar cleanout. 
So now I have to go back in 3 years instead of 5 (Iām on the 5-year plan because my father had colon cancer when he was almost 89 years old. Iāve not had any polyps.).
I may or may not go back in 3 years because of the subpar cleanout. Even when i was on the 5-year plan, I stretched it out to 6 years. Also different with this colonoscopy was that I woke up before it was over. I said I was awake, and I was told the doctor was finishing up. They gave me some more sedation, because the next time I woke up I was in the recovery area. BTW, I felt it but it didnāt hurt when I was aware of what was going on.
Supposedly, the next time Iām going to have to take something in addition to the Sutab to make sure Iām cleaned out.
Iām feeling a little salty about it all because H always has a subpar cleanout, yet HE doesnāt have to come back in 3 years (same practice, different doctor). Heās had polyps at all of his procedures, too (which is why heās on the 5-year plan)!
Iāve never been told a I had a subpar clean out so imagine it was fine. They said no polyps and I can return in 10 years.
With the movi-Prep, they give you the small container and instructions. You pour in 2 envelopes add cold water, drink it down in 15 minutes (about 16 oz), drink a glass of water and repeat in an hour. Started this about 6 or 7pm, per instructions of my GI.
After a few hours I was able to go to sleep around my normal bedtime and sleep pretty well. The evening before the prep, I used the 1 envelope of Miralax provided by my GIās office. This prep method was much less intimidating than using the 1 gallon bottle of prep we used over a decade earlier.
I think if the other method cleaned you out well enough/easily enough, youāll PROBABLY be OK with the Sutab. I had my first last fall. Thereās no way I could use the methods with Miralax/etc. Laxatives never work on my digestive woes AT ALL. They just give me gas. Honestly, the only thing that works for me is consistent running. So I was really concerned about having a good prep. FWIW, our doctor wonāt do the Miralax type methods because they donāt do as good of a job in general. I was offered both the suprep (liquid kind) or Sutab. The nurse brushed off my concerns and said the pills were just as good.
I normally drink 1-1.5 gallons of liquid a day, so drinking doesnāt bother me at all. I had a harder time drinking it slowly like the directions said. Taking pills doesnāt bother me. I could have taken them a lot faster, but rule follower me wanted to do it EXACTLY as prescribed. That part was easy peasy.
long story short - it didnāt work. I was just gassy and SUPER bloated. I drank so much extra water/Gatorade trying to help. Nada. I also wound up adding Dulcolax (also didnāt do much) and then later an enema. It finally started to work, but I was running out of time. I think I did a second enema and then the doctor did another before the test.
He said I was properly cleaned out and no zero issues doing the test. But next time I will do the liquid! It not working was by far the most stressful part of the experience for me. But I know my body is weird. It was found that my colon is redundant, and I also have hormonal PMS issues that slow things down, and I think that also contributed as well. And I also didnāt run prep day which also probably contributed.
The office said next time, I should do a 2 day fast. I probably will try that as well. For some reason, fasting didnāt bother me at all. I made sure to take in just as many calories as a regular day, just via gatorade, sprite, and jello.
But if youāre a normal person, itās probably fine. My H is due for his 4th now. Iām sure heāll choose the Sutab. They didnāt offer it for his first 3. he did fine with the others, but taking pills is just easier for us. And his bathroom habits rival Sheldon Coopers.
I did the sutab. Worked very well for me. I did the low fiber for 3-4 days prior and took a spoonful of milk of magnesia the night before the prep to get things started. Each session lasted about three hours.
100% will choose Sutab next time as well. I was very nervous about it because of the reports here, but so glad I didnāt listen. All of our bodies are different and I guess the only way to know for sure is to try it yourself.
CTTC - I guess I donāt understand why if you had a āsubpar cleanoutā they are making you come back in three years. If they couldnāt see all that they needed (such that they shortened your return time from five years) - why arenāt they doing the whole thing over? (not a fun idea I know).
I personally wouldnāt like to think that a test that was supposed to check for what could be a life-threatening/life-ending condition was done part-way or inadequately. Shortening your return seems like an insufficient response.
If it were me Iād find a new doc and do a different prep. Iād also not drag it out, honestly. The prep is rough but cancer is rougher.
Sitting in recovery with Hās 4th (in 5 years). He did well! Only 2 tiny polyps. Come back in 5 years. Much better than his 6 month plan! And after his CLL (chronic leukemia) diagnosis this summer, it is a huge relief.
He did the Sutab pills. Everything worked wonderfully for him. Not surprised. He is a fan vs the liquid
My husband got that dreadful āgallon of swillā prep BUT (!!!) the āflavorā packet that has the artificial sweetener was not mixed in with the electrolytes! Hallelujah! I tossed the packet, and Mr. drank the solution āunflavored.āā We agreed it tasted like mineral water (I had a small sip). Husband is good for 10 years.
Be sure to ask if you are getting the āAI.ā Artificial intelligence being built into these systems to help doc look for polyps. some places have it, and some places donāt install it in every room. Data says its more effective than the doc themselfā¦ doesnāt cost you any more. My doc said it helped him find a very subtle one that was pre-cancerous.
Sutab pills? Sounds intriguing. How much water do they want you to drink after you take the pills?
I did the SuPrep liquid a couple of weeks ago. It was less awful than other things Iāve used, but still ā yech.
It is a lot of water. 16 oz while you take the pills. Mine had me take the 12 pills spaced every 1-2 min. Hās instructions said every 3-5 min but wanted them gone in 30-40 min which didnāt make much sense. 3 min it was.
Then you drink 16 more ounces 1 hour after the last pill and another 16 ounces 30 min after that.
Repeat the process a few hours before the visit.
We drink tons of water in our house so this wasnāt a problem. My only issue is I drink 16 oz in roughly 60 sec if not less. They want you to sip it over 20-30 min. I thought it was a pain.
Well, at least youāre only tasting water, then, instead of some god-awful concoction.
I agree. It was still a lot of water! This last colonoscopy (w/Sutab prep) was the first time I was told I wasnāt cleaned out enough. (On my own, I did the low-residue diet beforehand, also.) Although no polyps were found, I have to come back in 3 years instead of the 5 it had been (father had colon cancer when he was in his late 80ās). Well, weāll see if I actually go back in 3 years. As it is, I stretched the 5-year schedule to 6 years.
H was perfectly clean, though I wouldnāt have expected otherwise for him. He would make Sheldon Cooper proud.
Iām 5-7 years, but Iām going back in 5 (in 4 more years). I am planning to retire and move away in 4.5 years. Iāll still work, but I donāt know what the insurance situation will be like, so Iād prefer to get the next one done while I know itās covered. Iām not sure what Iāll do with H. Work a few extra months, continue the coverage on our own a few months? We both REALLY like this place and doctor, and I donāt want to switch for the next one.
āStretchingā a test for an added year can mean the difference between surviving cancer and not. Iāve know of several people in my area who died from colon cancer in their 50s.
Itās a treatable/survivable cancer if detected early enough. And colonoscopies are the gold standard for detection.