Yes I have no fear of the procedure. It’s the prep. I remember my mom passing out on the toilet one time and I guess that stuck with me. I will have to make sure to stay as hydrated as possible I guess.
My husband just did this a few days ago with the PrepoPik, and it was SOOOOO much easier for him than drinking the massive quantity of GoLytely. I’d heard the GoLytely is like drinking a massive amount of lemon flavored sweat, and that accurately describes it. It is challenging to get down, but I do have a good method, should you need one. He only had to drink 5 oz, then maybe 4 oz of the PrepoPik that tasted like 7up. Had to request the doctor give him that, they hesitated only because it was more expensive. It cost $55 with insurance, the GoLytely cost $7.50. SO worth it.
What worked great was having that 12:30pm colonoscopy appointment. Got to eat a light breakfast the day prior until noon. Then clear liquids (broth, Gatorade, husband loved the popsicles, lemon drops and jello). Started prep at 6pm, then didn’t have to do the next prep until 6am. The only thing was, the PrepoPik took about 4 hours to work the first night (only 1 hour for the GoLytely), but he probably should have walked around a bit. Next day it worked for him pretty quick. Then no liquids after 9:30am. Was great that we both got a decent night of sleep. You just have to make sure and hydrate a lot with things other than water, so you don’t get weak. I kept lecturing him and bringing him stuff. However, he really should have drunk plenty of broth/Gatorade right before 9:30am, right before he had to stop, as he got a major headache. The doctor said the prep worked fine.
I’ve had worse.
Ask for the Prepopik! I had that and a 11 am appt, it wasn’t bad at all. Only having to drink 5 ounces is SO much easier. Good luck!
Maybe in ten years a prep only has to take a pill, keep on wishing. I received a ten year ticket, thank god.
But how hard is it on you financially? I just got my reminder letter - I am on a 5 year schedule due to polyps found., and after much talking to Blue Cross/Blue Shield customer service reps, it appears that my ACA compliant bronze plan will cover 100% of the cost. (It will be coded as a diagnostic procedure) I couldn’t believe it, so I called back a couple of times. First time I was processing the “100% of covered services” and thought maybe that phrase actually means they pay 100% after I first meet my deductible which happens to be $5500. No, the next time I called they assured me it was 100% of the cost, with the exception of lab fee for polyp biopsy should they need to do that. 5 years ago there was only 1 facility that qualified as an “office visit” and therefore my out of pocket was limited to my doctor’s office co-pay. This time they said I could go anywhere and apparently no co-pay. We will see how it plays out. Oh, and the procedure itself, I have been through before, and the whole thing is highly over-angsted.
I also have Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and I just got a bill for $50 for a copay for something or another, but that’s it.
It was 100% free to me, we have Kaiser Permanente
BCBS here, too. 100% covered. The prep is EXTREMELY uncomfortable for me, but I am thankful I am done. I was so good about my prep diet, drinking lots of water leading up to the prep, and downing the GoLytely. This time I added Crystal Lite Lemonade powder to the mixture (by the glass) and it made it so much easier to drink. I also made sure it was very cold. I scheduled a 10:30 AM time, so I could drink half of the mixture the evening before and the other half the morning of the procedure. This helped. Last time, I had an early morning appointment, so I had to drink the entire 64 ounces the night before. Ugh! I, unfortunately, only have a five year ticket, so I will go back in 2020. I will be retired by then, so that will make the prep easier.
Moviprep was fine for me, but be careful - you likely will need to have a clear liquid diet for 24 hours even if you start the prep much later.
Very cold is good. I had five years due to my family history, might switch to three years or who knows…
I agree the upper GI left me more groggy than the colonoscopy, they have to put you under more (but at least the prep is much less).
@rhanco, are you referring to an upper endoscopy? The only prep we require prior to this is nothing by mouth after whatever time designated by your physician.
An upper GI usually refers to an x-ray where you are wide awake, drinking a chalky liquid while you are being scanned.
The upper GI barium drink is awful! Ugh, gag me! Moviprep is my favorite colonoscopy prep although I paid out of pocket for it the last time I used it and my current gastro won’t give it to me because there are potential kidney complications from it. Y’all just reminded me it’s time for me to schedule a gastro appointment and he’s doing to schedule another colonoscopy to see how things are since my October surgery. That will be 4 preps in a year’s time. Ack.
I have no idea why the filter nixed the word chalk y.
@NJres – Under the Affordable Care Act, preventive care is covered 100%, which is supposed to mean no co-pay or other out-of-pocket, regardless of whether or not you’ve met your deductible. But because colonoscopy is among the most expensive of the routine screenings, the ever-creative insurance industry is trying in some cases to find ways to subvert the clear intent of the law. Check with your insurance company to be sure.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Gastroenterology/GeneralGastroenterology/42779
^^So I guess he can’t eat beef and chicken broth, bummer, those are so filling. I had heard that you can eat lemon drops, because it turns into a clear liquid when it hits your stomach. Soda, seven up, clear sodas. One thing my husband just loved were the popsicles (no red or blue, no fruit chunks), he said they filled him up nicely. Almost any juice without fiber in it, that isn’t blue or red, like sparkling apple cider.
The fiberless diet lasts only a few days, not three weeks. I think maybe squash wont have fibers, but I don’t know. I remember the jello, soda, gatorade and broth diet only lasts for one day prior to the actual procedure. You may substitute Jello with Popsicle.
Marylandfour - Wishing your son all the best. I think you can get this at Whole Foods and Amazon.com: Unflavored Vegan Jel by Natural Desserts, which is made of vegetable gum. I have no idea how it would taste. Ever since I was a little girl and my aunts would put things in jello (fruit, shredded carrots) I can’t eat it.
@Marylandfour, I really liked Italian ices; lemon of course (looks white).
All the broths I saw had vegetables in them too, apparently in the stock, so I had no broth.
NFN, I take fiber supplements and only stopped them the last day of regular eating, and then of course not on the day of clear liquids only.
My youngest went to town on the left over Italian ices.
The way I did it was clear liquids, including water and half and half water and diet soda. Then when I ate dinner with my husband, he had a normal meal and I had jello (very little of it, I HATE lemon jello apparently) and an Italian ice.
I’d say a bunch of lemon Italian ices might be a good idea. I also like diet ginger ale and water as the rinse of the Moviprep bottle you take after drinking the nasty stuff (also recommend the two part prep, not the one part prep).
I’d ask the doctor about allowing clear vegetable-based broth - a few places like Trader Joe’s might have it. But I did fine without the broth.
Oh, also tea and coffee but I didn’t go for those.
Popsicles are a great idea, thanks.
I hope your son will be able to get the Moviprep. and not have to suffer with that Golytely stuff. I’m sorry he has to have a colonoscopy at this young age, but hopefully they’ll find nothing and all will be good. There is a possibility that my youngest will have to do this at some point, but things are looking better now.