Colonoscopy on Monday - what can I eat?

[sohangry]

I’m so, so bloody hungry .

Hospital have sent a twenty page booklet with dietary advice; the gist of which says I can eat

• eggs, cream, cheese, milk, natural yoghurt
• rich tea and ginger biscuits
• white bread and white flour
• clear jelly
• seedless/fruitless jam or marmalade
• potatoes without skins
• corn flakes and Rice Krispies
• stock soup
• fresh unprocessed meat

Form says everything else should be avoided .

Supposedly can drink tea, coffee, fizzy and diluting juice, and strained fruit juice if it’s not red or purple in colour . Said to avoid orange juice too but doesn’t say if that includes diluting/lucozade sport .

All I’ve eaten today is two slices of white bread, mash potatoes and poached fish, and four packets of polos . I’m absolutely starving and the mash has left me with cramps/upset stomach because of the dairy content .

I’m severely lactose intolerant - dairy in any form leaves me doubled over and I’m bloody miserable .

I’m at a loss of what to eat, I’ve to stop eating altogether at 9am on Sunday (but then have to travel for four hours - long story) and am already bloody miserable so god knows what I’ll be like by then …

Only thing I can think of having that might not upset my stomach is toast with syrup … is syrup allowed? Or thought about making pancake batter and having plain pancakes with sugar . I’m so, so bloody hungry .

The less you eat the less will be cleared out by the horrendous laxatives they give you. I was happier starving second time around. Boiled sweets was what I ate for the weekend beforehand. And jelly. It really made a difference IMHO.

Omelette? With or without cheese
Steak and chips? (not sure if you're allowed fried food though)
Jam sandwich
Marmalade on toast

I would have about 3 bowls of cornflakes with milk.

You don't need to be starving, it's just boring.

I think I had eggs on toast for breakfast

A chicken/turkey or egg sandwich for lunch.

And fish or chicken with mash for dinner

Rich tea in between. Just use margarine not butter and none of it is diary.

It'll be the 4 packets of polos giving you stomach ache surely!

4 packets of polo's is just stupid. Those things will upset your stomach.

What about scrambled egg? The more you suck it up now the less awful the prep will be and the better result you'll get.

If you continue that many polos you won’t need the prep!

All I’ve eaten today is two slices of white bread, mash potatoes and poached fish, and four packets of polos . I’m absolutely starving and the mash has left me with cramps/upset stomach because of the dairy content .

Ummm, are you sure it's not the FOUR packets of polos?

They're essentially laxatives! No wonder your stomach hurts.

That makes sense re the polos 🤦‍♀️ I think it’s just habit/boredom . And yes at present, I wouldn’t need a laxative !!!

Have ordered rich tea/ginger biscuits from Iceland for the morning, and probably make pancakes as well .

That’s true re prep, I’ve to start drinking that at 5 on Sunday night (moviprep) and finish at 11pm, so yes the less food the better perhaps!

Would've thought you could have the bread but not toast. Poached eggs bit not omelette nor fried. It's all about the residues in your intestines.

I've had 3, and 3 days before the last one had to take immodium, so it took 2 days to clear me out in hospital. Great fun!

I’ve had several colonoscopies and try to eat as little as possible for a couple of days beforehand. Sugary drinks are OK (lemonade etc)

Good luck with the moviprep, it’s like rocket fuel. It’s easier to drink with a straw that you put at the back of your mouth and it doesn’t taste quite as bad if it’s chilled. Sudocrem or Vaseline is good if your bum gets sore from the diarrhoea. I hope it goes well for you

DH had a colonoscopy a couple of weeks ago.
Breakfast: Yoghurt and apple puree, white toast, butter and strained marmalade. Lunch: Egg, cream cheese or smoked salmon sandwiches with white bread and butter.
Dinners: Salmon with cream, spaghetti and parmesan, poached fish with mash and light cheese sauce, poached chicken with buttery risotto. Vanilla ice-cream.
Seemed to work well.

Why on earth did you put dairy in your mash if you’re severely intolerant? Just make it with dairy free ingredients surely. If you don’t want to make your own mash, do jacket potato and just eat the insides

Sorry missed the lactose intolerance. Meat bouillon is also good with pasta or rice.

In answer to your Lucozade question, the hospital actually gave me Lucozade during a colonoscopy prep. I don’t like Lucozade and didn’t drink it, but you can if you want to.

Cook a chicken and have that with boiled rice (presumably that’s ok, it sounds like white foods fine?) or in a sandwich or boiled potatoes. Or cook white fish or turkey.

If you can’t eat dairy don’t put milk or butter in your mashed potatoes. Just mash them up without adding milk.

It doesn’t say to avoid plain potatoes crisps? If you can eat potatoes…?

You could have salad cream? It’s pale coloured with no dairy.

Sounds like the things you want to eat like syrup or pancakes with sugar are very sugary. Sounds like sugar cravings are kicking in. Perhaps someone wise will have some advice on how to deal with that.

I’d avoid the lucazade just in case it’s not suitable. Again it sounds like sugar craving, like the polos. Plus it will perhaps have caffeine which might be one of the reasons you’ve to avoid tea and coffee?

Good luck with the procedure. Hope all goes well.