I have been booked in for a colonoscopy on 20/8/14 - have heard BAD stories about the Prep - apparently its worse than the procedure !! - Also do you get offered sedation as i think that i will lose the plot without it !!
I've had several and I've never had a problem with the prep. There seem to be two kinds in use and I've had both. A lot depends on the specialist's choice and what time of day you are due to have the procedure since you (obviously) can't eat after you're prepped. It doesn't hurt and as long as you are reasonably close to a lavatory that you have exclusive use of (that IS important) you'll be fine, I think. I think everyone is given sedation and most have pethedine - a very strong pain killer like morphine.
Hi Tom Thx for your reply - booked in for 11.10
I started the prep 4pm it took until 11pm to empty my bowel not nice then was ok ready for the procedure the following morning at 8.30 they asked me if I wanted to be sedated i took the sedation . The prep I think is the worse although I had this done on the 3rd July have felt really unwell since then terrible pain and dreadful diarreah .
I had my procedure in Tampa, Fl. and it was scheduled for a Monday because one does spend the entire day in the bathroom the day before! The drug that the doctor utilized was Proponal for the procedure, and it was the best sleep I ever have had. They even removed a polyp (benign), when I awoke I had no idea that anything had transpired! Would highly recommend that you ask for this.
Hi brains. I have had both types of prep, thefirst being four sachets making up four litres of liquid which iIfound very hard to take as it was too much quantity and tasted awful . The second time there was just three small sachets that made up three cups and wasn'ttoo bad as for the prep being worse than the procedure ddefinitelywwasn'tthe case for me but eeveryone's experience is different. Take whatever meds they offer. Good luck,let us know how you get on.
Most people sail through the procedure.
A lot seems to depend on the Prep that you are given. All hospitals seem to have their own favourites and presumably what suits one does not suit another.
They wll offer you sedation. I felt that I could have done without it as I only had three sharp pains that made me say B****r:-)
There again we are all different. I asked people I knew who had previously had the procedure and they all said nothing to worry about. Obviously on a Forum like his you get more bad stories than good. Good news is nothing to write about.
The logic is the guide. The less fibre you eat.. hard to digest food.. the less that must be softened to fully empty the bowel. Movicol, MoviPrep, Picolax... they all do much the same thing. If you rehydrate using water and sports drinks (to replace electrolytes) its hard to over dose on sachets of prep. But doctors are trained to advise, not amateurs like most net forums! I'm having 3rd colonoscopy tomorrow morning in 4 years, given that a polyp was removed 1st time. Hopefully an all clear puts me back to a once in 5 year cycle. Re Prep: start being very diet conscious 4 and 3 days before, all the food DOs and Don'ts are on the web. 2 days before I use 4-8 sachets and today it should total 4 sachets. Stopped solid food yesterday after lunchtime, then its just warm chicken stock I made boiling a roast chicken remains, with teaspoons of Bovril chicken stock to improve flavour. No solid food of any kind. 7up provides water, sugar and hence energy, obviously lots of water too. It ends with a feeling of actually having cleansed oneself thoroughly! Satisfying really. And the procedure is routine - zero to be concerned about. The paper knickers make me giggle a bit :-)
I had the moviprep mix it with flavoured water,
Started drinking it at 8:15
9:45 still not been to the loo
10:30 and still not been to the loo
10:45 I'm on the loo
11:40 got off the loo
12:00 back on the loo
12:10 off
1:45 on
1:55 off
Then the following morning.
Started drinking 6:45
6:30 on the loo
6:40 of
6:55 on
7:10 off
8:10 on
8:25 off
8:40 on
8:55 off
9:50 on
10:05 of
10:45 on
10:55 of,
The toilet part is the worst part off it,
Pat your bum dry,don't wipe as it will make your bum sore.
I hope it goes well for you .