My doctor wanted to know if I wanted light sedation or general. I said light but I don’t want it to be pain. Versed here I come…
@vonlost, what was the better prep that you used and what did it consist of? The prep is horrible to me and I’d be willing to pay out of pocket to make it easier…
Am making my appointment this week. Pancreas doc wants me to have another upper endoscopy since I had esophageal irritation in November and I wasn’t symptomatic, but now I am. He thinks I might have an ulcer. Have tried to schedule this three times and some other medical issue intervenes. I’ve had polyps twice before and just want to get it over with and make sure things are ok. I see the oncocardiologist Tuesday to get cardiac clearance for the colonoscopy.
Last time I prepped I had bone broth and DH made me lots of jello (no red or orange, though). Believe I had GoLitely – I think that’s the one that’s a bit more potassium/magnesium sparing, which I have to pay attention to. Last time wasn’t bad at all. I backed off the fiber, nuts, etc. three days prior, which helped a lot. I did wake up during the procedure and told the anethestist I wanted to go back under. Not painful, but I didn’t want to be present for the festivities.
I have lots of visible veins that puff up nicely but It’s still hard to get an IV in me. Took three different nurses over an hour to get one in for my appendectomy two years ago. Blood draws are easy, though.
My doctors use Propofol. Fast acting, but I feel a burning pain as it enters my veins. This time, they ran some lidocaine first and it wasn’t so bad. You come out of Propofol fast, so no wooziness later. I was just driving yesterday and saw a “Hygiaacare” storefront… I’m curious about if any of you have done that instead of the oral prep? I do HATE the prep, and don’t want to do this again 5 years from now!
So my doc asked me what type prep I wanted. I said Chocolate and we laughed. Because of you all I said the best one to clean out that you have and she suggested Suprep. For me it’s $90.00.(in deductible phase) but even with Goodrx it’s more).
I know my pharmacist well and she said Golytley is like $5.00 with my insurance.
I am so willing to pay for the better prep but just curious with people using these preps. I have till May to decide.
Miralax is OTC and tasteless. I don’t know why anyone would use anything else. For me, Miralax in Gatorade was as easy as sipping the prescribed amount over a two hour period while watching a favorite movie. I was hardly aware of the prep at all. My brother’s doc prescribed Suprep but, after my experience, he decided to use the Dulcolax/Miralax combo and reported the same thing - easy and tasteless. His procedure went fine and he never told his doc he used another prep method.
DH just had his last week. His (and was same for me last year) doc’s practice mailed the stuff to the house, (the latitudes and the stuff to mix with the water), some chicken broth packs, a box of jello and soft bottom wipes (like baby wipes). All included in their fee.
@collage1 My wife says I had Suprep (liquid); she had partially-covered Moviprep which she hated. But I have the gene that likes broccoli, so maybe I can stand anything. 
So my instructions are to the the suprep twice. One at 6pm the night prior then once like 3 hrs or so prior to the procedure. That’s with a 3 day diet as you all are saying (don’t have the instructions with me.
So did you all do the preps twice before your procedure. I can’t remember what I did last time.
Thx
@Knowsstuff, I would guess that most people are doing the split dose prep like you are describing. I read that doing it that way is much more effective. But you (as most of us were) seem very focused on what kind of prep to use. I would argue that the type of prep you use is not that important, but what you do before you even START the prep is more important.
Think of it this way…the less that is in your body before you start the prep, the less that needs to go out. Less in your body makes the prep day not as miserable, the hemorrhoids not as bad, and more chance that you will be clean for the procedure.
So how do you do that? For me (after doing it exactly as ordered, with grotesque Golytely the first time) and being unsuccessful and miserable, it was following the advice on this thread. I stayed away from all fiber, nuts and seeds for about a week prior (hard, and maybe overkill). I started the clear liquids and drank magnesium citrate the night PRIOR to the prep, which cleaned me out early. So when I started the prep (with Prepopik, which was painless), there wasn’t even much left in my body. The prep was easy, I drank tons of electrolyte drinks, I felt fine before and after the procedure.
To reiterate, I really think that what you do before the prep is far more important than what prep solution you choose.
Well, I did nothing whatsoever in terms of diet beforehand, just followed the normal liquid diet the day before. Suprep did what it’s supposed to do, there’s no avoiding it, and it completely did the job, doc very happy with outcome (ouch, bad pun).
^^I’d imagine everyone is different, as far as how they eat and what their body retains. I eat a lot of fiber and nuts, and I suspect my body was full of things that needed to be violently expelled. If Golytely couldn’t do the job, it’s not like something else could have.
@busdriver11. I agree. My doctor has a three day start as I assume most do. Low residue diet which is fine then day prior a liquid one. Everything looks fine with it and painless to do.
I just find the name Golytely kinda funny for a bowel prep. It should be Go-massively or something like that.
@vonlost, you were lucky! I have a much tougher time. Very happy I don’t have to do it again for five years!
I agree that the Dulcolax/Miralax prep was relatively easy and did the job. Next time I would probably start a little earlier than the instructions said since it took awhile to start working.
What many people object to with regard to the preps is the volume. Some people just cannot get that much liquid down,and they start throwing up, which interferes with absorption of the prep. That’s why many prefer Prepopik (5 oz. times 2 doses). Suprep doesn’t have a lot of volume either (I think 10 oz. times two doses), but it tastes so horrible that some people either can’t get it down or throw it right back up, which just totally defeats the purpose. We got more than a few calls from panicked patients who couldn’t keep the Suprep down. In that case, the docs usually told them to start with the Miralax and Gatorade, plus a Dulcolax for good measure.
Also, as far as needing to do low residue diet beforehand: Some people just have slower intestinal motility. Those folks can’t count on a one day clear liquid diet/bowel prep to do the job. Those usually are the people who will report that the doc said they weren’t very cleaned out, yet they had followed the instructions to a T.
Thanks for the response, @vonlost. For me, while unpleasant, it’s not the…output that was hard (I’ve only had one colonoscopy thus far). Rather, I don’t tend to drink a ton of fluid and I’m very picky about taste and what I do drink. So, for me, having to either consume a huge amount of liquid and/or a liquid that tastes terrible is what I find challenging.
I’m pretty sure I used suprep last time and found it manageable. I would take three big sips and then a bite of a fruit only (non red or purple) popcicle. I think the suprep was maybe 5 or 6 ounces? So, while it tasted terrible, the volume was something I could get through. Until I read this thread, not being cleaned out sufficiently wasn’t something I realized could happen.
I’ve heard of people being sent home because they weren’t cleaned out enough. They had to go through the prep again! I have a lot of colonoscopies and if I’m not cleaned out more than enough they give me a tougher prep the next time around.
@ams5796 ^^ Just curious, what is a tougher prep entails?
@artloversplus I had to start the prep and the fasting a day earlier than I normally would. My hospital uses miralax and gatorade with dulcolax tablets. This time I got Suprep. When I called and told them I was having a hard time getting it down they informed me that the CR surgeon requested this prep for me since I wasn’t as “clean” as he would have liked last time.