Howdy folks… Back to colonoscopy preps: my doc prescribed “Plenvu” - which you mix with 16 oz of water and chug, followed by 16 oz of clear water, then the same the following morning. Have any of you used this liquid? I can’t tell if it is flavored or not, and wanted some input. Thank you in advance. Groan - hate the prep.
@MamaBear16 See my post #1460. Overall the prep was tolerable. My husband had a different prep in the past, and he said he is never going back to it after seeing how much easier my doctor’s version worked.
It’s 2019! You’d think they could come up with some not-so-awful prep.
Still better than colon cancer, I guess.
I recently had lunch with a few of my old high school friends. One of them – an otherwise intelligent woman – said that neither she nor her husband has never had a colonoscopy and they have no plans to ever have one. Her husband is a urologist! What are they thinking?!!
They are thinking colon cancer is something that happens to other people.
Still waiting to hear when my colonoscopy will be scheduled. I guess it takes awhile.
Are they doing yearly FIT (with colonoscopy if FIT finds blood in the stool)?
For low to average risk individuals, stats show that annual FIT testing is highly effective. Also inexpensive, noninvasive, no concern about prep, and zero risk when results are negative. So perhaps the urologist husband is familiar with the research… and may have a heightened awareness of potential risks of routine colonoscopy.
FIT is the easiest and least expensive option, but it’s also quite possible that intelligent adults will choose the more sensitive cologuard testing, which only needs to be done once every 3 years. I think it has a somewhat higher false positive rate than FIT…but also a lower rate of false negatives.
The CDC recommends routine screening, not a particular type of screening. I assume that many intelligent people will do their research and find very good reasons to go with a noninvasive option.
In my experience and regardless of which disgusting prep one is prescribed, I find that drinking it cold through a straw minimizes the yucky taste in my mouth.
As far as I know, neither my friend nor her husband is doing any sort of testing. My friend has decided that she’s lived long enough and right now any additional time is gravy. She’s 70; he’s 72.
That’s certainly not my attitude.
Hmmm, as a urologist, what is his take on PSA screening for prostate cancer, which is generally regarded has having a much lower value than colon cancer screening?
PSA prostate cancer screening: C grade for men age 55-69, D grade for men age 70 and over:
https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/prostate-cancer-screening1
Colon cancer screening: A grade for age 50-75, C grade for age 76-85:
https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/colorectal-cancer-screening2
https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/colorectal-cancer-screening2 has a table at the bottom comparing various methods of colon cancer screening in terms of life-years gained, deaths averted, and complications from screening.
@ucbalumnus: I have no idea. I met him once, at my HS reunion, and haven’t spoken to him since. I’m friends with his wife, my HS friend, and during our conversation I was just trying not to scream at her about how stupid I thought she was being.
I am going to follow up with her, though.
Is there a particular reason you assumed or believe that her statement about colonoscopies meant that she hadn’t opted for an alternative screening approach?
As for “disgusting” preps, I don’t know why people don’t opt for the completely tasteless Dulcuolax/Miralax prep. There’s absolutely nothing to it. A teeny tiny Dulcolax tab around 3PM and then completely tasteless/undetectable Miralax dissolved in whichever flavor 32 oz. Gatorade you want sipped absently while watching a two-hour movie around 7PM. I put off having a colonoscopy for ten years because I threw up the first sips of Moviprep (or whatever that chalky stuff was back in the day) I tried on two occasions. DH’s doctor prescribed the Dulcolax/Miralax prep for him a few years ago, and when I saw how “nothing” it was, I scheduled mine. Honestly, I tasted nothing at all beyond the Gatorade and, after a few trips to the bathroom in the evening, went to bed at 10PM, slept like a baby, and had the procedure the next morning (same as DH’s experience). There was zero unpleasantness at all. Just find a doctor who does the Dulcolax/Miralax prep and don’t give another thought to having a colonoscopy. I’ve had worse reactions to one too many martinis.
There is no point in doing the alternative forms of screening if you are set against colonoscopy. If you test positive for blood or cancer markers, colonoscopy is the logical next step.
Did your friends say they were doing other forms of testing?
I did this for my first colonoscopy, except instead of 32oz of gatorade, you were supposed to drink a gallon of it.
That was awful.
@Nrdsb4 There is value in alternative colorectal screening. For the vast majority of people, the test will be negative and no colonoscopy will be necessary. Also, many people are opposed to routine screening colonoscopies but would have one if specifically medically called for.
Pretty much the whole rest of the world relies on stool tests not colonoscopies.
Hence my question.
I agree the Dulcuolax/Miralax/Gatorade prep was relatively easy. But I did have a mental block thinking I might gag or throw up so it did take some self-calming. Part of it is that an empty stomach is just sometimes distressing for me personally.
I don’t believe my friend and her husband have done an alternative screening method but I’m going to ask her.