Make the prep very cold in the fridge.
Yep, Suprep has a nasty taste. Iād add a LOT of ice in the solution and gulp it down, not let it passing through your tongueā¦
Easier said than done.
More often, itās not known that the patient isnāt cleaned out until they get into the procedure. They have to abort it and reschedule.
Just had my second colonoscopy, and this time I used Crystal Lite. It made a world of difference. Iād pour 16 ounces of refrigerated prep solution into a glass, dump in a packet of Crystal Lite, stir it in really well, and add 3-4 ice cubes. It took away a good 80% of the yuckiness.
Drink the prep cold and through a strawā¦makes a huge difference.
I had my second colonoscopy last week. Used Suprep which was hard enough to get down the first time but was successful. The morning one, though, I actually left about 15% and couldnāt get the second glass of water down. I felt bloated, nauseous and had the chills. I could tell that I was cleaned out though, based on the detailed instructions given by my provider.
The event itself was totally uneventful and the best part is that I donāt have to go back for 10 years! I had 2 small āpolypsā but the dr thought they were benign. Received the final report today that they were
Lymphoid aggregate: 2
- Lymphoid aggregates are collections of immune cells that are normal findings in the colon and can sometimes have the appearance of small polyps, but contain no polyp tissue. As such, these are not only benign, but completely harmless, and are associated with no increased risk of colon cancer.
I had 2 polyps removed my first time (age 50) but donāt recall receiving this level of detail. Very happy to know my polyps werenāt even pre-cancerous.
Yes, the prep can be pretty awful but, for a relatively short period of unpleasantness, knowing Iām all clear and donāt have to return for 10 years is TOTALLY worth it. And Iām hoping there are better prep options or maybe even alternatives to colonoscopy in 10 years!
I had a colonoscopy last Monday in a good private clinic in Romania. Total cost including deep sleep, procedure, removal, biopsy, and follow up appointment, $350.
I used CitraFleet for preparation, 150 ml of a citric tasting drink, wait 10 minutes, then drink 2 liters within 2 hours. Seeing no convincing reason not to, I drank half the requirement in beer, worked out fine
So my friend out of state is a GI specialist. He never uses Suprep due to its hard to take nature. He uses two duculax tablets with Miralax with any 64 ounce Gatorade that is not Red. Cleveland Clinic and University of Michigan use the same prep. He said he has done thousands of colonoscopies and never had someone not clean with this technique and itās easier to takeā¦ Just an FYI.
^Well, thatās the prep I used twice and I didnāt get cleaned out. So this time they had me take an extra laxative the day before and I started the prep diet a day early, also. That worked.
@MaineLonghorn. I thought I read that somewhere. He swears that his patients donāt need to do the day prior liquid diet. They just start the liquid diet after breakfast the morning prior. etc. My GI doc has the liquid diet at least a complete almost 2 days prior (have to check the sheet again).
I think I will do the liquid diet two days prior as recommended. Itās just not an issue for me anyway. Then do his prep. Would have to be clean if nothings in there to begin with. ?.
Some people make the mistake of taking the Ducolux stool softener and not the tablets. He said this could be an issue for some people.
Well May 9th canāt come fast enoughā¦ Lolā¦
So I had my upper and lower scope done May 9th. Glad itās over. Now I get to wait for the biopsy reports. They took like 8 biopsy. They used the blue dye and a white light thing looking for flat polyps. They had the report and which polyps they took with color pictures by the time I leftā¦ Kinda cool.
So people talking about being clean. It was reported that my scale was a 7/9. They measure it using this, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2951305/
Thought this was interesting since everyone was taking about what prep and if they were clean enough.
I ended up not eating dinner the night prior and had a very light breakfast and lunch and nothing the day of. The liquid diet was fine with me actually. Not hard to do.
I did the 2 ducolex tablets with 64 oz of gateraide with Miralex. I actually combined the orange and lime flavors and it was actually good. This was about 7:00 pm the night prior.
Now I wait for the biopsy report since they are looking to rule out Lynch.
Went to work the next day and felt fine.
Everyoneās insight was helpful.
I really hope you donāt have Lynch.
ETA: I just read that article about the āscaleā of cleanliness. Youād think that with the existence of such a scale, someone would do a study of which preps get you cleaner! All they need is a few hundred people to use Prep A, a few hundred to use Prep B, and forth. I was going to say, Now that they have this scale they can do this, but I see that this article is from 2010. Youād think someone would have wanted to do that study by now.
Hope you get good news, @Knowsstuff
Thanks. @VeryHappy and @Consolation.
There are things written about doing the split dosing that leads to being cleaner then the one dosage. My gi friend doesnāt believe in that after like 25 years of doing this. I am sure there are other studies that talk about that somewhere but it is strange that there are so many choices. Suprep would of been like $90.00 with insurance and the one I did was like under $10.00.
My theory is just go liquid diet earlier.
Well, I think some people have a harder time getting cleaned out. I have always āmovedā very slowly. I actually went to the doctor to see if there was something wrong with me, because I can go a long time with no action! It doesnāt seem to matter how much fiber I ingest. So I think when I begin prep, Iām more clogged up than almost anyone. I donāt think a study could address differences in people too well.
Thatās a good point. When reading about the different preps then looking at what other institutions do, each was a little different in their approach. Some no dairy, some you could have ice cream, some 2 ducolux some 3 and one 4.
If motility is an issue most likely more ducolux for you then meā¦
One of the preps that I was prescribed had me take either four or five Dulcolax tablets. The doc told me I was very well cleaned out, but the night before I was having chills and light-headedness. I think it was over the top.
@MaineLonghorn, for people with slow motility, eating too much fiber (especially if you are already plugged up) can be counterproductive. If you are feeling constipated, be wary of eating too much fiber. Sometimes the better tactic is to take stool softeners.
As to the question of why there seems to be no consensus among doctors about bowel preps, there cannot be only one approach for colonoscopy prep because everyone reacts differently to even the same exact regimen.This is one of those areas where I believe people really do know their own bodies better than anyone else, so donāt be hesitant to ask for alternatives if you already have had a less than stellar response to a given prep.
Wait, some doctors let you take MIRALAX? Thatās totally painless! No taste at all! If Iād known about this, I would have pushed back hard against that SuPrep business.