used it. It was expensive $60 even with the coupon your doctor provides but you take it with water. What amounts to 64 ounces of water over the 24 hour prep period. It was much better but it didn't work all that great. I still have to do a couple of days of clear fluids and use a laxative a couple of days before I start the regimine to help clear my colon. I simply can't drink the 64 oz of goo and it hasn't worked all that well for me in the past.

I agree. You need to start clearing your colon long before the 24 or 36 hours they recommend. God I hate colonoscopies!!!! At least I am good to go for another 3 or 4 years.

I didn't know about that pill.

"You need to start clearing your colon long before the 24 or 36 hours they recommend" is very good advice.

I’m sorry you’ve gone through it enough times to become an expert on the subject.

My additional tips:

I bought several different flavors of Crystal Light (NOT RED), which I was told I could use. I flavored each “glass” of the prep fluid with a different flavor, so I could make a big deal of comparing flavors and deciding which I liked the best (or hated the least). That helped me to break the gallon down into more manageable doses.

The most important tip, though, was the one I got from the nurse ahead of time: CINNAMON GUM! In between doses, or even between sips, I’d nibble on a little piece of cinnamon gum to “cleanse my palate.” It was magical and helped to get the flavors of the prep liquid out of my mouth. Just don’t swallow it, because that wouldn’t look good on the imaging!

All the best to you and to everyone who is facing similar challenges.

Waiting until you feel sore guarantees burning.

your skin from getting raw from all that evacuation. And never flush your baby wipes. Never.

Like most things in life, fear of the future or unknown is usually worse than the actuality.

Just do it. Get it over with. Be relieved (in multiple senses).

Check your scales. You've just lost a couple of pounds! Now, how to keep them off.....

For some reason, the stuff I drank tasted much like lemonade, though a bit bitter.

Good luck with prep and the ultimate findings.

I actually liked the drink. It had a slightly saltiness to it. My problem was the amount. They tell a 5' woman to drink the same amount as a 6' man. I think it should be changed for the individual's weight. I bet a man came up with this ridiculous amount to drink.

The last time I did this I threw up most of the first 32 ozs of Gatorade/Miralax. I didn't replace it, I figured that wouldn't stay down anyway. I did manage the entire second 32 ozs. No problem at the hospital, so I figured the 64 ozs was major overkill.

If a joe shmoe like me could do the math then why can't the scientists/doctors?

Unfortunately, my last doc said no.

There is much written and studied. The connection is both a marvel and
can cause problems with mental health. You can cure your gut but your
brain doesn't know it so you still feel the same.

So accurate!

Thanks for sharing that. I laughed so hard, my cheeks hurt. The ones on my face, that is….

And I ain't done it and I ain't gonna do it.

That was 30 years ago.

Same with a recommendation for a radioactive, cardiac stress test. I ain't gonna do that one either. That recommendation was 5 years ago.

I ain't recommending you follow this advice. Just the reaction from an 80 year old guy. When I go to a new physician, I explain, " You tell me what to do and I'll tell you what I am going to do."

I said no.

I think there are heart stress teats that don't involve drinking radioactive substances

E.G....Electrocardiogram (EKG) after going on some type of stress machine?

They saved my life. I had a 75% blocked LAD and would have probably keeled over dead without the angiogram. So yay science.

Still haven't had a colonoscopy though. Nuclear stress test is way less invasive, you get an IV and they put the radioactive stuff into you and it's decayed to nothing by the end of the day anyway. One of those saved my Dad's life too.

And angiogram obviously saved my life. Proud owner of a little spiral of platinum in one of my arteries now. Thanks science!

But angiogram is by comparison extremely invasive. I do have a relative who died of colon cancer so I'm at risk at 58 years old. Have not quite been able to psych myself to go for it yet. And I do realize that might be a decision that kills me one day. Oddly, the angiogram seemed much less invasive because even though they go into your arteries with the roto-rooter thingie, you don't have to do the whole ass-cleansing ritual first. Would do another angiogram tomorrow, and might even have to depending on my next checkup.

where I need to start getting a colonoscopy. The whole ordeal sounds fucking dreadful. I'm thinking of just never getting one. If I end up with colon cancer, could it be as bad as a colonoscopy? Probably not.

Plus, you know they can check for colon cancer with a simple blood test. These doctors just love to humiliate us. That's why they insist on treating us like revolutionary war era muskets.

Of course, I have no facts or evidence to back up my claims, but we live in the 21st century. Why's it got to be so invasive?!

That said I haven't, it's a game of probabilities. There is apparently a non-invasive version of the scan using a CAT or PET scanner that doesn't involve the anal probe, but it's not quite as reliable and much more expensive. And if that scan does discover a polyp, they still have to do the anal thing to fix it.

The prep really is not that bad if you use baby wipes instead of TP. The drink is not great, but it's not terrible either.

As for the actual procedure, you're put out using propofol. You'll never feel a thing. You wake up and it's all over and then you get to have a huge meal to celebrate.

It's not a big deal at all.

It's also a lot easier if you slow down on the food intake way earlier than most recommendations.

The only time I've had problems was when I had food in my stomach that wouldn't mind out fast enough.

And I've prepped my 4 year old daughter for her first. At 32 she's now up to around 17. If she can manage it, so can grown-ups.

but I found that eating smaller meals for the next couple of days helps to ease my digestive tract. It looks like I have another colonoscopy soon since it has been 18 years and my symptoms align with colon cancer.

that the colonoscopy, which is over in a day, is WAY better than colon cancer is the main way I get through it.

my primary since I already have cancer, no way am I going to do chemo for 2 different ones. On the remote chance colon cancer is what takes me out, so be it. She talked me into the stool test though I don’t see the point. If it comes back with blood, I still won’t do a colonoscopy, but I tell her no on so many things (cholesterol tests cuz I won’t take statins, and cardiac anything) that it’s my compromise to stay on her good side

If I didn’t already have cancer, I’d welcome the blood test and then get a colonoscopy if it came back positive.

And it's not specific to colon cancer.

My daughter does have a CA19-9 test regularly, along with a colonoscopy, and imaging every 6 months. (She is at risk for a half - dozen cancers). Her initial hepatologist refused to run the CA19-9, for liability reasons:. It might be mildly elevated because of cancer - but not really enough to justify the really invasive next step. And then she would have to decide between a dangerous test that might turn out to be nothing at all, or skipping the test and missing an aggressive cancer.

Her current doctor does the test, but looks at it as marker to watch over time, and in conjunction with other markers.

Just take the damn test. It's not that bad. Not nearly as bad as dying from colon cancer. My daughter has been having colonoscopies since she was 4. At age 32, she's now up to 17, if I've counted correctly. (Her risk is so high, she has had one every year since she was 18.)

three of them myself and they never found anything. When I am due at 80, I will do the home test first and if it is negative, I will not have it done again.

Vomited it up, defeating the purpose entirely.

Then I had to drink something with gallons of water within a specific time frame. Same thing.

It's the "omg I have to drink 12 more ounces in the next four minutes!!" that makes it impossible. I like your idea MUCH better! My stomach can not take that much of anything in so few hours.

(I am late for my scheduled colonoscopy because of getting endometrial cancer.)

Edit: I can not stand gatorade to this day!!