I just drank whatever icky stuff was given lukewarm! Because I could chug it really quickly at that temperature, unlike really cold stuff that needed to be sipped. I figured that by cooling it down I was just prolonging the agony. 
And unlike GI contrast, this stuff can be taken in a single gulp.
Happy to say my colonoscopy went well and Iām free for 10 years. Hopefully they come up with even better prep procedures by then. I used Miralax in Gatorade and Dulcolax. It was easy to get down until about the last 4 ounces. The next 2 hours were bad, but after that it got better. I just wish I couldāve slept through the night without having to get up to go to the bathroom.
My first colonoscopy is scheduled in October. I am already nervous. I have taken Dulcolax before and I was in agony. The cramping was so bad that it made me throw up. H had his a few months ago and he breezed through.I know it is going to be bad.
@ 2shellfel I hate Gatorade so thanks for the tip on white cranberry juice!
Yeah, well, it is what it is. Hopefully one day it wonāt be what it is, but it will be something different.
Ask about the Preopik. (sp?) It was not as much to drink and no cramping. Definitely do a low res diet the 2-3 days prior too.
Prepopik is 10 times more expensive than Dulcolax, but I think it is worth it if it can relief your symptom.
^^^Hmmmm I definitely donāt remember it costing me much. Perhaps that is covered under the ACA preventable coverage?
^That is market value, if you were covered under insurance, it might not show as much difference, but there will still be some. I had to pay $5 for Dulcolax with prescription, the doctor did not prescribe Prepopik because it might cost me $20.
Iād gladly pay the $20 for Prepopik!
Iām starting to mentally prepare for my colonoscopy next Tuesday. I had my first one 10 years ago, and it was a walk in the park compared to the comments on this thread. But even though I have the same doctor, my prep instructions are different this time.
Ten years ago I could drink a diet supplement (Slim Fast) the day before. Perhaps I could only drink it until 12 noon, but it was enough to keep me from getting hungry. Then miralax at 6pm. I donāt recall if I took dulcolax. But everything was taken care of before bedtime. Had a good nightās sleep and the procedure was first thing in the morning.
This time they tell me to eat (eggs, bread, milk and cheese) until 12 noon, dulcolax at 2 pm, and half the miralax at 6 pm, the other half at 2 am. Iām given a list of clear liquids, but a lot of them have sugar, and that will send me in a sugar high.
I anticipate the prep this time to be much more agonizing because the clear liquids wonāt sustain me. Iād rather have the Slim Fast than the eggs, bread, milk, and cheese.
Iām just annoyed they changed it.
Can you call them and ask if you can do the old prep?
I could. But then that might alert them to my plan to modify their directions. :))
There is no way Iād have eggs, break, milk, or slimfast that close to a colonoscopy. Iāve seen many patients sent home after the procedure was aborted shortly after starting because their colons werenāt empty. It wonāt kill me to have clear liquids. We have gotten to the point where we think we will starve if we donāt eat constantly. Our ancestors endured many periods of feast/fast with no ill effects. We have not changed genetically from those days. We are soft. Soft, I tell you! And before you jump on me, I complained loudly about how hungry I got eating only clear liquids for one day before my colonoscopy. Iāve changed my tune. Now that I am eating low carb for my insulin resistance, Iām not all that hungry in general. One day without solid food does not a horrible day make.
I agree @Nrdsb4 - I had my colonoscopy a month ago and had to adhere to the clear liquid diet the day before the procedure. Iām embarrassed to say I was kind of a baby about it - I whined, complained and was generally grumpy with H because he was eating regular food and I couldnāt. Oh, and coffee wasnāt allowed and that made me grumpierā¦but really when I look back it wasnāt that bad. And I did try and avoid the sugary liquids, drank mostly chicken broth and unsweetened green tea. It seemed to me afterwards, just the fact that I was told I couldnāt have food made me want it all the moreā¦
Much like my family acts on Yom Kippur; you would think none of us had eaten in weeks instead of 24 hours :">
Thanks @Nrdsb4, you just confirmed my resolve to not follow their instructions. I am NOT going to eat any solid food in the morning. It doesnāt even make sense to instruct patients to do that.
The liquid diet didnāt bother me at all. I was also allowed jello and popsicles, as long as they werenāt red. To DH the lack of solid food is the worst part of the procedure and he kept projecting his anticipated hunger on me, asking me if I wanted more jello or broth. I was fine.
@FlyMeToTheMoon, maybe there is a new protocol. It seems very strange they would be giving out those instructions if there was any harm to it or if they had not already seen decent results. You certainly wonāt hurt yourself by doing clear liquids, though. I think I will try to find out if there is some kind of new standard for pre-ops.
@Nrdsb4, the directions say you MAY have the solid foods for breakfast. Iām just going to start with the liquid diet first thing, as well as start to eat lightly several days before. They specifically state no dairy, which leaves out slim fast. I guess theyāve learned some negative effects of dairy since I did this 10 years ago.
But I have to drink 8 oz of clear liquid every hour, so that should take care of any hunger pangs. Iām glad Iām retired. I could have never taken in all those liquids while working, because what goes in, must come out. :))
So we went grocery shopping yesterday, and the soup aisle was in disarray because at least three store employees were rearranging the shelves. We were trying to locate the beef and chicken broth cans when one of the employees overheard us and grabbed a can of beef broth. Then she asked me what I was going to use it for. It seemed as though she was going to make a suggestion for another product depending on what my answer was. BUT, I fumbled and couldnāt quite get an answer out, and finally told her she didnāt want to know. She said, āColonoscopy.ā :))