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Colonoscopy Prep is pure torture!

M

Mashing

Member
I had a colonoscopy back in June. The prep wasn't a bad I was expecting. What I did was drink a 10oz bottle of Magnesium Sulfate (which tasted just like cherries, so this was easy to down). On the day before the procedure I drink the suprep liquid (which has been in the fridge for the past week) mixed with some crystal delight. It was sweet as a motherfucker, but I was able to get it down in about 45m - 1 hr. The next morning, the same thing but I was able to drink it faster. The WORST part is the fasting. I went 36 hours not eating any thing and it sucked. I was starving and I stopped for BBQ right after the procedure.

I had no residual pain or nausea from prep or the procedure. Woke up in the bed not even realizing the procedure was done (It seems like maybe 5 minutes to me). I had a lot of anxiety going into this thing because of the prep (I thought I'd end up having to use an enema, but thankfully I did not) but it turned out peachy.
 
H

HawksWinStanley

Member
Are you supposed to start these at 40? No family history that I know of but I just realized I have less than a decade before I have to face this same fate.
 
B

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
Had my first colonoscopy last month and found the prep not a big deal. I mean it gets messy for a little while, but it is hardly worth complaining about. (Then again I was dealing with unknown abdominal pain they were looking into which was FAR worse than drinking a liquid enema)

Procedure itself was nothing, but I was knocked out the entire time. Lasted about 1 hour total and when I woke it was as if nothing happened. Also solved all my abdominal pain issues.

HawksWinStanley said:
Are you supposed to start these at 40? No family history that I know of but I just realized I have less than a decade before I have to face this same fate.
Click to expand...

I think it's 50 where they recommend you start doing them every 5 years or so.
 
H

harriet the spy

Member
It's the worst. I'd rather drive a nail through my dick than drink this shit.
The drugs are pretty cool though (for someone that doesn't take recreational drugs)
 
L

low-G

Member
It was nowhere near as bad as I thought it'd be, personally. Getting sick or eating something that doesn't agree with you feels far worse.

(found a pre cancerous polyp so having it done so early for an unrelated reason may have saved my life)
 
N

NotSelf

Member
I had it done a couple of months ago at one point during the prep I just gave up and stayed in the bathroom. Ya it was bad I didn't mind the not eating just the getting up and going every minute.
 
N

Nordic4tKnight

Member
Brandon F said:
Had my first colonoscopy last month and found the prep not a big deal. I mean it gets messy for a little while, but it is hardly worth complaining about. (Then again I was dealing with unknown abdominal pain they were looking into which was FAR worse than drinking a liquid enema)

Procedure itself was nothing, but I was knocked out the entire time. Lasted about 1 hour total and when I woke it was as if nothing happened. Also solved all my abdominal pain issues.



I think it's 50 where they recommend you start doing them every 5 years or so.
Click to expand...

Yep 50 years you should start and the do it every 5 years
 
F

Freezasaurus

Member
I had one a few months ago. Prep was the worst part, and even then it's nothing really noteworthy if you've ever had liquid diarrhea before. I just loaded up my tablet with comics and read on the toilet most of the day.
 
Dr. Zoidberg

Dr. Zoidberg

Member
ryan13ts said:
Wouldn't an enema be unnecessary considering you're... you know, literally shitting your guts out already?
Click to expand...

I know. I guess they just wanted to be extra-sure they would have a nice, clean view of things. Maybe the enema was like that clear-coat add-on at the automated car wash. You don't really need it but you're already going through the rest so why not?
 
B

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
ryan13ts said:
Wouldn't an enema be unnecessary considering you're... you know, literally shitting your guts out already?
Click to expand...

You'd be surprised, but serious constipation can be tougher to clear than you think. There are situations when multiple flushes from both ends are necessary.
 
H

HOTDOG_GMF

Member
HawksWinStanley said:
Are you supposed to start these at 40? No family history that I know of but I just realized I have less than a decade before I have to face this same fate.
Click to expand...

No you don't. You take them when you are starting to have irregular toilet patterns (going 20-50 times per day to the toilet, wrong color, etc.) If you have a steady dump (twice-) daily don't worry about it. If you don't have any pains, same.

Check this out for a bit of guidance:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_stool_scale

And FYI - I am the only one in my (known) family with IBD/IBS ("what a shitty guy!" - coping with it since 2004 does help for me :D)
 
F

Freezasaurus

Member
Psychotic_Mantis said:
Prep work with the drink was awful...but nothing compared to what came after.
Click to expand...

For mine I was able to mix a solution into whatever clear liquid I wanted. I chose white grape juice.... Now I have an aversion to white grape juice because by the end, it still smelled like white grape juice after it came out of me.
 
L

LayLa

Member
I've had 3 of these so far, the first time I mixed the prep with one of my fav drinks to take the edge off the taste. Bad idea, haven't drank that juice since. UK and have never been put asleep either, first couple of times were OK but last time I was squealing like a pig haha. The stern lady doing the procedure gave me such a withering look after. I let her down!
 
C

Cerun

Member
The drink was the worst part of the whole process to me I drank apple juice after each sip to get the taste out
 
G

Goofalo

Member
Welcome to the Butthole Jacuzzi Jet club!

I have to get colonoscopies on the regular now, along with endoscopies and CAT scans.

This is the life.
 
W

WordAssassin

Member
I don't have a sense of smell so my sense of taste is pretty weak, but I am really worried about the air part. As long as they put me out I don't give a fuck what they put up my ass but I simply cannot be awake for that. I already have so much anxiety as it is and I hate butt stuff, the thought of them shoving cables up my ass and telling me to watch a fucking screen as they do it AND pump air into me? Fuck that. FUCK that. Knock me out.

I've been having some lower back pains lately (might be nothing more than a pulled muscle while moving, might be gut stuff) but if it doesn't go away in the next week I'm gonna go see a doctor so I'm worried a colonoscopy might be in my future. I'm getting so fucking anxious just imagining it, I'm squirming in my chair. Argh. Fuck!

Good luck OP!!
 
D

DonShula

Member
The prep sucks but not being able to eat is worse IMO.

On the bright side, the anesthesia twilight is amazing. Put me on that stuff any day. And so is the first meal post procedure. Almost makes it worth it.
 
W

WordAssassin

Member
DonShula said:
The prep sucks but not being able to eat is worse IMO.

On the bright side, the anesthesia twilight is amazing. Put me on that stuff any day. And so is the first meal post procedure. Almost makes it worth it.
Click to expand...

Do you have to be super careful about what you eat for a while afterwards since you've totally flushed your whole system and had a bunch of tubes shoved up there? I always assumed so but your post makes me think you can have a normal meal after?
 
D

DonShula

Member
WordAssassin said:
Do you have to be super careful about what you eat for a while afterwards since you've totally flushed your whole system and had a bunch of tubes shoved up there? I always assumed so but your post makes me think you can have a normal meal after?
Click to expand...

I can't recall what changed in the procedure in the past few years but it used to be you'd have all these awful gassy feelings and need to prove you could pass gas before they'd let you leave. Now you just shake off the anesthesia and jet with basically no discomfort unless they also did an upper scope (then maybe a slightly sore throat, if even that). You are totally free to eat afterward and it feels great.
 
WorriedCitizen

WorriedCitizen

Member
I had to do this twice. First time i had to drink like 6 liters of what tasted like dish water. It was torture and even made me puke at some point. The second time i got a different brand of prep where i only had to drink two small bottles. That was a lot more convenient.

Not being allowed to eat beforehand sucks but i was allowed to consume dextrose as much as i wanted so i didn't feel too weak.
 
D

Diablos

Member
I had to get one many years ago. The prep is the worst part. It's a living hell. The procedure I don't even recall since the propofol kicked in before I could even experience anything. I made small talk with medical personnel with my eyes closed to help calm my nerves and remember saying to myself "please pass out." After that I opened my eyes and IT WAS OVER and I was in the recovery room. Absolutely surreal experience.
 
B

Bronetta

Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
Its a pretty shitty situation but dont be anal about it.
 
M

muteki

Member
HOTDOG said:
It's worse to wake up during the procedure and notice the Sony Trinitron monitors. It's even more worse when a next time you notice they don't have the same monitors any more. And yes, starting to talk about fucking monitors during the procedure.
Click to expand...

I woke up during both of mine. Wasn't a huge pain as I was quite out of it but was pretty weird.

And yeah, the night before is the worst part.
 
C

celebi23

Member
I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy when I was 17. Yeah, the prep for the colonoscopy was hell. My advice? Just chug it and get it over with. Also, just camp out next to your bathroom for the rest of the evening and part of the night.
 
A

Alastor3

Member
been here, done that, had an ostomy bag since 2004 (crohn). Now depression is my biggest battle.

Keep the fight OP, yeah that stuff is nightmare to drink
 
D

DrGoldie

Neo Member
Don't chug dude. I did this with my colonoscopy 5 years ago and because my stomach was empty the chugging caused a lot of gas buildup. I ended up throwing up constantly while waiting for my turn at the hospital - I was last on the list so the nurses had to put me in a bed and on a drip because of the severity of my dehydration.
I just had my 5 year follow up last week and sipped that shit. Also ate a heap of jelly so there was something in my stomach (didn't realise you were allowed jelly the first time around). Smooth sailing.
 
WoolyNinja

WoolyNinja

Member
This is timely! I just had my first one and my prep was easy!

12p - 4 ducolax tablets -- that really got it started by about 1:30p
5p - 64oz of lemon-lime gatorade mixed with 8.3oz of miralax - 8oz at a time in 10 minute intervals

And that's it - the gatorade was fucking delicous and I was cleaned out by bed time.

The hardest part was no food or water for a long time after as my appointment wasnt until 1:45p the next day so I got a bad headache. EDIT: And yeah the post procedure was hilarious as the drugs really affected me more than my wife knew so she was having conversations with me that I don't remember at all!
 
M

Mr_Moogle

Member
I had to do this and it really wasn't that bad. I didn't really feel any discomfort aside from getting really hungry. It's weird shitting out a bunch of water but I've endured worse.
 
W

WordAssassin

Member
DonShula said:
I can't recall what changed in the procedure in the past few years but it used to be you'd have all these awful gassy feelings and need to prove you could pass gas before they'd let you leave. Now you just shake off the anesthesia and jet with basically no discomfort unless they also did an upper scope (then maybe a slightly sore throat, if even that). You are totally free to eat afterward and it feels great.
Click to expand...

Huh, interesting!

This thread is actually helping alleviate my anxiety and fears of having to do this at some point in my life, it seems like it's pretty much unanimous that people say the worst part is the drink prep and the procedure itself, weather awake or asleep, is mostly harmless. I still want to be asleep though. Even if I couldn't feel it the thought of seeing my insides on a TV scares the shit out of me. Uh.. no pun intended. Seeing a GIF of what lungs look like when they inflate and deflate still haunts me, knowing that shit is inside my chest... fuck I need therapy.

Why do they not let you drink any water, though? Is it because they don't want your bladder to be full when they pump you full of air or something? And if you're asleep during the procedure does the air part still hurt when you wake up or is it more like just really uncomfortable gas pains that you have to fart out?
 
H

Hugstable

Banned
To those who haven't done it yet and are scared of drinking the big ass gallons of solution, there is actually something that works and is much smaller portion, though I do believe it costs a bit more. I couldn't handle the big jugs, everytime I tried I got halfway through and just said fuck it.
 
P

Psychoward

Banned
Yep, I've tried a shitton (haha) of stuff bc I have crohn's disease so I have to get one every few years or so.

Luckily this last time I had 64 ounces of Gatorade mixed with miralax and I couldn't taste a thing. Gonna do that for all of them from here on out.
 
R

robotzombie

Member
Well if you think just doing the prep in general is bad, when I had a colonoscopy a year ago I spent the entire day doing the prep, and by 10 at night, I still didn't go to the bathroom. I called the doctor and he cancelled the procedure and I had to reschedule a week later and do TWO STRAIGHT DAYS OF PREP
 
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