Wellness

[fortune]

What is the most tolerable preparation for a colonoscopy?  Is it the one with the pills or the one where you drink a bunch of liquid?

[sipp]

Well- that depends on your own body and it's usually your doctor's recommendation----My husband's doctor recommends a different concoction for him than mine does for me He has some gigundous bottle of something that he has to drink - I have the citrate of magnesia (lemon flavor)- and frankly he has no problem with clearing everything out in a short time- whereas I am still so sensitive to the prep that I wear an adult diaper (normally I do NOT wear adult diapers)to be able to make it to the procedure without messing all over the car! We both start early the previous day- follow instructions to the letter-- I've never heard of the "pills". but again- mostly it's your doctor who decides what they actually prefer since they know what works best to clear everything out. (I've never heard of "pills". Good luck though! It's not as awful a procedure as some people would have you believe!

[fortune]

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@sipp wrote:

Well- that depends on your own body and it's usually your doctor's recommendation----My husband's doctor recommends a different concoction for him than mine does for me He has some gigundous bottle of something that he has to drink - I have the citrate of magnesia (lemon flavor)- and frankly he has no problem with clearing everything out in a short time- whereas I am still so sensitive to the prep that I wear an adult diaper (normally I do NOT wear adult diapers)to be able to make it to the procedure without messing all over the car! We both start early the previous day- follow instructions to the letter-- I've never heard of the "pills". but again- mostly it's your doctor who decides what they actually prefer since they know what works best to clear everything out. (I've never heard of "pills". Good luck though! It's not as awful a procedure as some people would have you believe!

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I may have to forego the procedure because of the prep.  They need to change it up to be less intolerable.  I'm sure many people don't get it done because of the prep.  I  wonder if they would hospitalize me for the prep and procedure. . .

With your citrate of magnesia, do you have to consume large quantities of liquid?  That would be my problem, since I have had urethral cancer and they took out most of it.  I can't  tolerate lots of liquids.

[Kachina624]

Each doctor has his/her own preference for prepping.  I've never been given a choice; it's always been the gallon of liquid to drink.  While it's not fun I never found it to be intolerable.  It's better to do it thoroughly than have the doctor unable to do the procedure because the patient isn't adequately prepped.

I found the liquid to be quite tolerable when I chilled it and flavored it with some dry lemon essence.

[redhead65]

TABLETS

[VaBelle35]

I just got my orders and have not had my evaluation appointment yet, but from everything I've read on these very boards, you do not get a choice in prep.

One tip I read was to start eating lighter and cleaner several days before you start the prep so that the prep day goes smoothly (no pun intended).

When I was 5 or 6, I ate something on Halloween that was causing an allergic reaction.  The doctor's solution was to give me Milk of Magnesia every hour for most of the day so that I could help it move out of me.  

So basically, I've gone through this before on a smaller scale ;o)

[jackthebear]

2 laxatives

then using miralax in some kind of juice not red, much easier

Citrate of Magnesia is contraindicated now

[zelda girl]

My doctor always made my choice which was the liquid.

[Peaches McPhee]

Fortune, given your added medical issues with drinking large amounts of liquid, you really need to discuss with your doctor.  Your needs seem very specific -- and what is best for you will be different from someone without your needs.

[little miss sunshine]

I'm having a colonoscopy and an endoscopy on Thursday. My doctor gave me a 2 pac--1 I begin at 4 pm and takes 1 hour to consume; another I take at 10 pm. Clear liquids all day before the procedure. I've never had this prep; I did have 4 other colonoscopies and drank the gallon. It's all unpleasant, but having colon cancer is even more unpleasant! You do what you gotta do!