Colonoscopy - worried about the prep 🥺

[Belle82]

I have a colonoscopy booked in for Thursday and although I probably should be, I’m not concerned about the procedure.

But a little worried about the prep 🥺
Does anyone have any tips they would be kind enough to share

Thank you so much for all your tips. I will be following all of them.
Along with the moviprep i have 10 senna tablets to take (i think maybe incase i couldn't keep the liquid down.

Really not looking forward to tomorrow night but thank you all :)

Honestly the prep was no big deal. I made it really cold and used a straw and I slept in the spare room with en suite just for ease of getting to the toilet.

The procedure itself, even with sedation, was not pleasant. 😬 But the prep was fine, so I wouldn’t worry.

Currently doing my prep now for tomorrow morning 🤢 it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. I am starving though!! Not eaten since 1pm.

i can’t manage the last 300 mls of the the drink but waste is clear now so think I’m fine. Sore bum! Have been doing sudocrem so I imagine it would be a lot without it.

it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Kind is lemon flavoured and kept it cold and had a straw it’s like dioralyte.

im now nervous about tomorrow! I have never been sedated and don’t like the idea of being out of control 😞

This definitely, less wiping the better or use very soft or the wet toilet wipes.

for me I set my iPad up on a chair just out side my ensuite and watched a couple of movies.

I didn’t think the prep was too bad, no pains like you get with tummy bug or food poisoning. Once done I had a nice shower and felt fine afterwards.

Wet the loo roll with water before you wipe. Also as pp said, use a jug to pour water over yourself, gives a lot if relief if you are sore. Try not to worry about the prep, it’s not that bad and is manageable. Hope it all goes well.

I had a second flexible sigmoidoscopy as the first bowel prep (administered by a nurse) didn't work properly until after the procedure.

I had a second one, with six nights of senna and five days of white (aka low residue) diet. I did the movicol thing, split between one litre at night and the second one in the morning as my procedure was booked for the afternoon.

It wasn't nearly as bad as I feared (maybe because I have a sluggish gut). I didn't have any severe stomach cramps and the need 'to go' was manageable. The bowel prep worked and I was told my prep was 'good'. The doctor doing the sigmoidoscopy was able to view my descending and transverse colon, so 2/3 of what it are having done. I had sedation but it was still painful so they gave me fentanyl as well, which really helped.

I wish you well @Belle82. Hopefully you will find it's nowhere near as dramatic as you've been led to believe.

Either way, as long as you have managed to clear your gut so they can see what they need to, it will be worth it.
I had my procedure to look for cancer as a possible cause for my symptoms. Luckily, nothing was found. I hope you have the same experience too.

'so 2/3 of what you're having done'...

I added lime juice and used a straw which helped. As a pp said having it chilled made it slightly better. I didn't get cramps or anything so that was good, but I stayed on the toilet and didn't wipe till felt really finished which helped with soreness. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Be careful what you eat the day or two after, I kept to light food so it didn't overload my system.

Hope it all went well.

Started the 10 senna tablets… nothing
Took the citramag 1 hr ago, still nothing 😒
I do feel like I’ve won the lottery having citramag, it’s only 200ml to drink.
But little nervous about what’s coming…

@Belle82, don't worry. I have a very sluggish gut. Senna has no effect on me, but the prep did - but it took longer than the time frames given. Mine was moviprep and the information said it would act within two hours. I was like you, wondering if it would work. It did, eventually.
Don't lose hope just yet. It might just take a bit longer for you, and that doesn't mean it will be terrible. My experience was that it wasn't a case of running to the loo, just an 'oh, I need to go' kind of thing. My bum got a bit sore, but nothing that nappy cream couldn't sort (I already had it for my new tattoo).
All the best to you for tonight and tomorrow. Hopefully by this time tomorrow it will all be over (and without anything dramatic happening) and you will be feeling a lot more relaxed.

Drink lots of water

I was the same! Looking back, it honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My only bit of advice would be to have some vaseline or a cream handy, because your bum will get sore from the wiping! Wet toilet tissue wipes will help too.

Honestly it's fine. Like obviously it's not how you want to spend your time in an ideal world but nowhere near as bad as you imagine. It's not like being poorly with somach cramps etc, it just south of passes through you so as long as you're close to a loo it's fine, it just happens.

Took on board the tips really Icy water through a straw, held my nose and chewed on mint gum for a minute to remove taste

I have a colonoscopy every three years for the last 12 years (I do have issues, loafs of lottos femived, diverticular disease etc) . I have had various prep (both private and nhs). I have found I like the Waitrose peach squash and mix some in my prep. Helps it go down better. I do also start cutting down on foods a few days prior to the prep, so there is far less to come out.

the wet wipes are a good tip Stay home and close a good toilet paper. Invest in some good quilted TP. Just drink lots and lots of fluids in addition to the prep.

somehow I’m very awake and watch the screen, ask questions during the procedure.

usially I order a special meal for myself for the night after I’ve had the procedure. Something to look forward too (usually Cornish fishmonger website).

I couldn’t finish it.
I was very much awake and it was horrific and too painful so they had to stop.
They will be booking me back in for heavy sedation.
I’m so upset that i couldn’t finish it, I just want to cry 😔

Oh no, I’m sorry about your experience. I’ve had 4 colonoscopies and was asleep for all of them so the prep was by far the worse. Im having another soon and will definitely be asleep as they’ll be cutting out some things.

Oh no - you poor thing :( I've had three without sedation - the first two were fine but the most recent was much more uncomfortable. The nurse was very enthusiastic about inflating me and the doctor seemed to think he was from DynoRod, so I really wished I'd had the sedation. I nearly had to ask them to stop a couple of times. Hopefully you'll find it easier with sedation next time.

Nooooo don't drink Coke. It's got phosphoric acid in it. Hurtling out of m'y arse at 37C is not an experience I'm going to repeat. It burns like hell. It could be that the prep in France is more vicious.

I was dreading it and found it quite easy and far more pleasant than I'd been expecting! Not saying it was pleasant of course lol, but it was fine. Weirdly I was told absolutely no plain water and nothing carbonated, don't know why. I did prep with elderflower cordial though and will never be able to drink it again as I now only associate it with colonoscopies now and it makes my stomach turn! Sports drinks helped a lot.

Oh you poor thing

what a horrible experience

sorry to ask but is it really necessary? I've lost count of the number of unnecessary procedures going on.

@Belle82, oh that's rubbish for you. I didn't mention it, but I also had a failed flexible sigmoidoscopy before the second one. The bowel prep hadn't worked properly and it was soooo painful. (And the leaflet said they don't routinely offer sedation so I thought I couldn't ask for it.)
I was advised to ask for sedation for my second, so I did - but also asked what secondary pain relief I could have if I needed it - I was told I could have gas and air. As it turned out, I ended up being given fentanyl on top (because they realised gas and air wasn't going to cut it) and that really helped.
I'm sorry you have to go through it again. Tell them you are feeling anxious and that you want everything they can give you. When I said it was really hurting, they stopped and didn't carry on again until I was comfortable - it made all the difference.
To give you an idea, on my first flexi sig they could only view my descending colon (and the view was poor), on the second they also went across my transverse colon as well.
@EmmaH2022, what a ridiculous question. No-one undertakes something like this for the lols.

Sorry to hear you had a lousy experience. I've had a few colonoscopies and the first couple were uncomfortable but the last was quite painful. Maybe they had to use more air , anyway I managed to make it through. Might ask for more sedation the next time.

For me the whole prep drinking thing (not even the pooping) is the worst, i was gagging, holding my nose and trying to drink it the first time, but learnt as time went on and was better prepared. (But then my anything vanilla flavoured hatred is a bit extreme) Obviously for people with inflammatory bowel issues it must be worse, for pain and discomfort. Just take all the sedation they're prepared to give you the next time. Maybe have a chat with the unit nurses beforehand to allay your fears. Just say you had a bad experience the last time and they will be on the ball about that.

I had the lemon Moviprep and it was absolutely nowhere near as bad as I’d been lead to believe - Gastrografin, on the other hand, is in fact the work of the devil, but I digress.
Just be ready for your arse to become a tap, because it really will. Other than that, I found it ok. I have Crohns though, so I don’t know if it was just a welcome relief at the time!
I do hope, whatever your circumstances, that everything turns out well.