topic Re: Question about colonoscopy prep in Wellness

Question about colonoscopy prep

Love my grandkids — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 03:20:58 GMT

I have all my instructions, food list, etc. (I've done this before) but a question I keep forgetting to ask my doctor:

Why in the low fiber diet is white bread only allowed and not wheat?

Couldn't find the answer on the 'net. If anyone knows for sure, I'd appreciate knowing. Thanks!

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

sunshine45 — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 03:29:02 GMT

one slice of white bread has about .8 grams of fiber.

one slice of wheat bread has about 1.9 grams of fiber.....so more than double.

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

Love my grandkids — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 03:38:21 GMT

Thanks!

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

qualitygal — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 09:29:47 GMT

My guess is it's the wheat vs white flour used to make the bread. More roughage in the wheat.

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

Imaoldhippie — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 09:42:39 GMT

The wheat bread will leave tiny pieces of grain and seeds in your colon and will imped the colonoscopy also they may cause minute bleeding just as popcorn and other ruffage would.

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

PINKdogWOOD — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 12:30:05 GMT

@Love my grandkids I think wheat is too grainy for this particular instance. Your Dr wants/needs you to be as clean as possible without residue of this nature hiding in nooks & crannies. This I think falls in the same as lessening and lightening up your diet 2-3 days prior to, certainly lessens the load to clean out.

The best to you in your results and GOOD for you for taking care of YOU!

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

Financialgrl — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 12:39:02 GMT

@PINKdogWOOD wrote:
@Love my grandkids I think wheat is too grainy for this particular instance. Your Dr wants/needs you to be as clean as possible without residue of this nature hiding in nooks & crannies. This I think falls in the same as lessening and lightening up your diet 2-3 days prior to, certainly lessens the load to clean out.

The best to you in your results and GOOD for you for taking care of YOU!

That is the answer. I've just had my 3rd colonoscopy and the reason given. The gastroenterologist gives us a prepared sheet with list of what to eat and another of specifically what NOT to eat a few days before. Told to try and avoid any berries with seeds, nuts, rice, breads with grains/seeds a few days before and answer above is the reason given.

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

Lipstickdiva — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 14:32:51 GMT

This has nothing to do with the OPs issue exactly but I cannot figure out why they don't tailor the prep to a person's size.

A friend of mine just had to have this done. She is a very small person and a light eater. She finished half of the prep drink plus about another cup. That was all she could manage to get down and she was getting physically ill from it. She had the test done and they said it was fine. She was "cleaned out."

Doesn't make any sense to me that she would need to drink the same amount of prep as a larger, heavier person.

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

Fifi1 — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 15:50:14 GMT

@Lipstickdiva wrote:
This has nothing to do with the OPs issue exactly but I cannot figure out why they don't tailor the prep to a person's size.

A friend of mine just had to have this done. She is a very small person and a light eater. She finished half of the prep drink plus about another cup. That was all she could manage to get down and she was getting physically ill from it. She had the test done and they said it was fine. She was "cleaned out."

Doesn't make any sense to me that she would need to drink the same amount of prep as a larger, heavier person.

I totally agree! My DH and I had ours almost 10 years ago (due later in year now) and he's 180 and I 110 and prescribed same amount. We ate VERY lightly three days prior, diet ready for scope and I was cleaned out very quickly - I got about 1/2 half of prep down too, and was fine!

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

Scooby Doo — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 16:02:13 GMT

@PINKdogWOOD wrote:
@Love my grandkids I think wheat is too grainy for this particular instance. Your Dr wants/needs you to be as clean as possible without residue of this nature hiding in nooks & crannies. This I think falls in the same as lessening and lightening up your diet 2-3 days prior to, certainly lessens the load to clean out.

The best to you in your results and GOOD for you for taking care of YOU!

Especially if you have diverticulosis. That can make it a little more difficult to get clean.

I hope your procedure goes well. It might not be fun but it's something we need to do. I had the procedure done last week and I just got the pathology results. I had two polyps removed, and one of them was precancerous. It's such a relief to know that's gone.

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

RedTop — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 17:39:06 GMT

@Lipstickdiva,

I agree that not everyone needs the same amount of laxative.

My husband had to do a 2 day prep for his 2 previous colonoscopies at the VA. As a diabetic, a 2 day prep is just too much. With his last one, he ate lighter prior to the prep, did a one day prep, and no one ever knew the difference.

I prefer to prep using Miralax and Gatorade, and clean out quickly. My doctor says I can stop drinking the laxative once I reach a certain point.

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

hckynut — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 19:39:37 GMT

I have never heard of a 2 day prep for a colonoscopy. What exactly is used to induce the colon cleaning that takes 2 days?

My experiences are known to those that have read this forum, and my posts, for some time. My list includes 15 colonoscopies and 5 Double Balloon Enteroscopies, since 2008. That equals 20 gallons of the prep Go or NuLytely, over a different number of hours for some of them, but never over a 2 day period.

Most of them I wasn't concerned about what I ate or drank, mainly because most of them were as an in-patient on a "Clear Liquid Diet(their word not mine)", which for me was Apple Juice and Orange Jello. Was on this regimen for 17 days on my month/plus hospital stay.

If their is a stomach(colon) that needs or than 1 gallon of Go/NuLytely to clean it? For comparison, my colon is 3' longer than most of those several of my Gastroenterologist's have seen, and 1 gallon never was too little, with 1 exception. There was 1 Double Balloon Enteroscopy he could not finish, not because of food or it's remnants, but because of "dried blood" from the source of my bleed, which was the Right Colon.

Go/NuLytely, for me works quickly enough, but it requires more than 1 or 2 visits to the throne. Then again, when a person has had nothing but Apple Juice and Orange Jello for over a few days/a week, or almost 3 weeks, can't be much to move out of even an exceptionally long colon.

My story of, just the facts, nothing but the facts, and I am sticking with it, because unfortunately I lived it. Have a great day everyone, if you made it this far. =^..^=

hckynut(john)

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

x Hedge — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 19:35:27 GMT

@Lipstickdiva wrote:
This has nothing to do with the OPs issue exactly but I cannot figure out why they don't tailor the prep to a person's size.

A friend of mine just had to have this done. She is a very small person and a light eater. She finished half of the prep drink plus about another cup. That was all she could manage to get down and she was getting physically ill from it. She had the test done and they said it was fine. She was "cleaned out."

Doesn't make any sense to me that she would need to drink the same amount of prep as a larger, heavier person.

It's not so much our size, as what we eat. They have to assume we all eat the typical All America Diet, and the prep is needed to clear that mess out.

I've avoided the American Diet for decades, and I swear that prep nearly turned me inside out.

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

hckynut — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 19:53:50 GMT

@x Hedge

My post a couple minutes before yours, does mention sizes of a colon. But that, as you say, is not the only criteria involved in what is required to completely prepare the colon for a Colonoscopy, or in my cases, a Double Balloon Enteroscopy.

I was on Orange Jello and Apple Juice for more days than I care to remember, not because of the length of my colon. Add the presence of my colon bleeding, which was the reason for so many of these 2 procedures, thus a very different than usual complication.

I don't use the word "diet", because too many associate that word with "weight loss".

hckynut(john)

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

Scooby Doo — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 21:08:04 GMT

We're not all built the same, and not everyone's system works the same. There actually are people who do a two day cleanse. My DD is one of them. We were talking about it with the assistant while at the hospital. She said that some people still need an enema after a cleanse. Not everyone has the same "output". My DD's colon moves very slowly and she takes medicine every day to be able to "go". Has nothing to do with diet. My gastro even had a medical term for it: sticky poo.

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

RedTop — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 23:11:16 GMT

@hckynut,

A 2 day prep thru the VA is always with GoLytely.

According to my husbands former PA, many colonoscopies at the VA had to be rescheduled because a one day prep was not resulting in clean colons for many veterans. Their approach to reducing the rescheduling was to insist on a 2 day cleanse on every patient; but every veteran doesn’t have a slow system from their medication.

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

PINKdogWOOD — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 12:45:05 GMT

I believe we each know ourselves. If we begin to eat lighter 2-3 days ahead hopefully it's natural to be lighter the day before with whatever prep one chooses. As well along this line it probably would make sense that a full 64oz of prep may not be needed for everyone.

Dr's rule of thumb they tell you is that when everything runs clear you're done, ready for your exam. I agree w/you @RedTop on this.

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

hckynut — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 14:49:24 GMT

@PINKdogWOOD

I agree with most of your post. With me, the "all runs clear did not apply". Was doing just that, but since my colon bleed is at the farthest end of my extra 3' long colon, all was "running clear", and the presence of the "dried blood" was not visible.

Was 2 extra days in the hospital, and a repeat Lower Double Balloon Enteroscopy, on the 3rd day. And of course 1 more gallon of NuLytely. My Gastroenterologists will not do either a Colonoscopy or a Double Balloon Enteroscopy on 2 consecutive days.

As far as 2 days of actual drinking of NuLytely? While I have done that, mine went like this. Drink half of the gallon late in the evening prior to the procedure(either of the 2 mentioned), and finish the other half gallon of NuLytely minutes prior to the procedure.

My doctors wanted me actually bleeding, during the procedure. That was the only way they were able to find the source of my bleeding. That was after 6 Colonoscopy's and "during" my 1st Lower Double Balloon Enteroscopy.

Was still only a total of 1 gallon, and while it was on 2 different days, I did not consider it a 2 day "cleaning out period" since it was only several hours apart. I had just never heard of drinking 1 gallon times 2 Consecutive days days of what, to me, equals 2 gallons of NuLytely. That was why I said "I have never heard of a 2-day prep".

hckynut(john)

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

Lipstickdiva — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 16:48:13 GMT

@RedTop wrote:
@Lipstickdiva,
I agree that not everyone needs the same amount of laxative.

My husband had to do a 2 day prep for his 2 previous colonoscopies at the VA. As a diabetic, a 2 day prep is just too much. With his last one, he ate lighter prior to the prep, did a one day prep, and no one ever knew the difference.

I prefer to prep using Miralax and Gatorade, and clean out quickly. My doctor says I can stop drinking the laxative once I reach a certain point.

@RedTop, my best friend was prescriped the Miralax/Gatorade combo but she said she doesn't think it was any better. She had to start off taking Dulcolax earlier in the week. Then she had to mix liquid Miralax with Gatorade. She said she had to drink 6 of the 32oz bottles of Gatorade and she was gagging that down as well. Neither flavor could be red or purple and that's what she likes. LOL

This is another instance where she probably weighs about 115 pounds max.

Re: Question about colonoscopy prep

Evie2004 — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 00:11:17 GMT

A little late, but my husband had a colonoscopy this am & it was a breeze! He had no dietary prep restrictions, just CLEAR LIQUIDS all day yesterday..

2 step prep with Suprep, #1 at 6pm, #2 @3am today..nothing by mouth after 5am..very small volume of prep (no horrendous golightly) he was taken back & was in recovery, drinking ginger ale & passing gas, ready to go home less than 90minutes later. The anesthetist used Propofol for sedation.

He has had 2 bowel surgeries due to diverticulosis, so this was not his first scope, but by far, the easiest..I hope this may calm someone’s fear of the prep or the procedure.