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I am scheduled for a colonoscopy on Tuesday.

This is my third so I am prepared for what is coming. I have had a rough time with the prep in the past possibly due to having IBS-C. I know some people breeze right through with no pain or nausea. That has not been the case for me.

I have been doing a low residue diet and slightly increased my daily miralax dosage. Is there anything else I can do to make things go easier?

I am doing the miralx\dulcolax prep. I see most places have you take 2 dulcolax. This place has you take 4.

I also have a legitimate vomit phobia so I can't tell you how much dread and anxiety this is causing.

I also have a very hard time with getting an I.V. The last time I had one two nurses try with lots of digging. The nurse anesthetist had to eventually put it in. I always tell them ahead of time that I am a hard stick and I still got reprimanded for showing up and not informing them. My first colonoscopy the anesthesiologist told me not to show up so effing dehydrated that it was impossible to get access my veins, while he was throwing things.

Would love any suggestions or encouragement.

Thanks!!!

1. Never allow a nurse to dig for an IV, that is not OK. Ask for the CRNA, or Anesthetist to insert if they miss the first time, or the very best IV starter the endo lab has, there is always one. Trust me.

2. Drink lots of fluids after you are cleaned out, this will make getting an IV easier. Get some liquid IV or extra Gatorade, Propel, or Pedialyte to help too.

3. Doing the low res diet for a few days before will certainly help. Start early with your prep, and if you aren't clear make sure you have plenty of miralax on hand. I too have a slower gut and had to use 1.5 times the amount of miralax to get cleaned out. I also did the 4 ducolax on day of prep. If you are concerned about getting cleaned out getting nauseated because of the liquid volume, then start with a bottle of Magnesium citrate. This will definitely get you going.

4. You can do full liquids the day before the prep, as long as you can stand being hungry.

Following. I'm prepping for the procedure today. I have a terrible time with the prep liquid, I gag and loose half of it. I'm to take ducolax too. I've never had luck with miralax, it just jams me up.

I also get very shaky from the lack of protein and too much sugar. I'm going nowhere today, lol, as I fully expect to pass out at some point

Good luck, I'll be thinking of you. It's tough but certainly worth the peace of mind and early detection advantage.

Thanks Tush. I don't think I have ever had an I.V. started without digging. If I ask for the I.V. team to come they tell me they have to make 2-3 attempts. They dig and push and pull the needle around. It is not fun.

This prep doesn't have me starting the miralx until 5pm. The second dose is at 11:00pm. I'm not sure when I take the pills. Last time I started earlier.

Good luck with your prep Lionne. It is so hard to down all that liquid and not eat anything. I use the G2 because it has less sugar and tastes better. Drinking some warm, unsweetened tea and chicken broth also helps a little.

I had a colonoscopy last month. My dr had me take 4 dulcolax, drink Magnesium citrate, and drink Plenvu (gag, it was nasty).

1. Never allow a nurse to dig for an IV, that is not OK. Ask for the CRNA, or Anesthetist to insert if they miss the first time, or the very best IV starter the endo lab has, there is always one. Trust me.

I'll have to remember this. My nurse stuck me and then went digging and it hurt like a mofo. She'd stab and then ask "does this hurt?" Why yes, yes it does I have very good veins and they are easy to find, so I don't know why she had such difficulty. She eventually had to move to a different vein and got it on the first try.

I have a terrible time with the prep liquid, I gag and loose half of it.

Lionne, have you tried drinking it through a straw? I read a bunch of comments from people who said drinking through a straw made it much easier to drink.

As far as the actual colonoscopy, the only issue I had was waking up during the procedure. They were talking about the best shows to watch and I chimed in with "Mare of Easttown on HBO". The anesthesiologist said "oops, looks like somebody is awake" and then gave me a bit more sedation

Zebra, you've got this!

Thank you lieshurt. That I.V. digging really does hurt doesn't it!?

You woke up during the procedure?

Good suggestion about using a straw!!

Straw is a good recommendation. I'd start earlier especially if you are prone to being slow. That way you aren't up all night. Miserable.

Waking up during the procedure is not a big deal. For the most part the scope doesn't hurt, unless you have a very twisty colon or have a lot of abdominal scarring from surgeries.

Back in the day when I was still an Endo nurse we had probably on average 2-5 people in any given week do it without drugs. That way you can go to work, and not lose a day. There's 2 spots where if you are awake the nurses will work with you to breathe through where it can be uncomfortable.

I of course chose the drugs, because well, I didn't need to be awake. They were awesome.

The drugs are the best part.

Waking up during the procedure is not a big deal.

I love how medical peeps always say "it not a big deal". If I dealt with this stuff day in and day out, then I'd probably say the same thing....but I don't. The last thing I want is to be awake while somebody is sticking a probe up my ass.

The drugs are the best part

I agree!

I love how medical peeps always say "it not a big deal". If I dealt with this stuff day in and day out, then I'd probably say the same thing....but I don't. The last thing I want is to be awake while somebody is sticking a probe up my ass

The best part of the TV show ER was when Dr. Green got a catheter. He said he would now be more aware of how often he ordered them for patients lol. Docs dont get it until it happens to them.

I would freak right out if i was supposed to be unconscious for a procedure and ended up waking up.

As far as the actual colonoscopy, the only issue I had was waking up during the procedure. They were talking about the best shows to watch and I chimed in with "Mare of Easttown on HBO". The anesthesiologist said "oops, looks like somebody is awake" and then gave me a bit more sedation

To busy chatting to do their damn job. Makes my blood boil.

My point in saying not a big deal waking up during a scope is that is nothing like surgery, and not something that would be scarring.

Remember a decade ago we didn't give the good drugs, all you got was some low level pain meds and a squirt of I don't care juice, and many people remembered the entire thing.

Tush, no offense intended.

Wh was treated like a pin cushion when he was in the hospital. Lets have the student try putting in an IV ten damn times before the nurse then tried another 5 times. His hands were purple!

Damn come on!

Then the ER doc trying 3 times to do the spinal tap sticking the same needle in and out and in and out while moving it around...

My ex had an endoscope? Down the throat one. He went in and said that all the medical staff WERE EATING IN THE ROOM ...not professional at all.

Shoukd have stayed out of the thread. Its very triggering for me. Lol

Waking up during the procedure is not a big deal. For the most part the scope doesn't hurt. There's 2 spots where if you are awake the nurses will work with you to breathe through where it can be uncomfortable.

My first scope was done totally awake because they 'forgot' to give me the drugs. At my appt time, my doctor was delayed at his doctor's office and there was an issue with the scope equipment so they moved me out to get at it to fix it. When he arrived I was back in and he was ready to start.

He started and I moved a bit when I felt something. He asked what was going on. I told them they never gave me any of the drugs because of the technical problem. He said too late now and it wouldn't be too bad if I just did what they told me - when to "breathe through the 'corners'". It was fine. I watched on the screen. Just a bit of discomfort. I tend to react strongly to any drugs, so that was fine with me not to get them.

Since then, I have gotten the Propofol (but NOT "the forget drug") because of a family history of polyps, so they want me out if they need to cut any out. Last time, I had related my first experience to the doctor and anesthesiologist before the procedure, so when I woke up and the doctor was asked if I needed more, he told her I would be fine. So I watched the rest of it.

Good thoughts to zebras and Lionne for your procedures.

My point in saying not a big deal waking up during a scope is that is nothing like surgery, and not something that would be scarring.

Remember a decade ago we didn't give the good drugs, all you got was some low level pain meds and a squirt of I don't care juice, and many people remembered the entire thing.

Oh, I know. Like I said, it was mainly about the embarassment for me.

Passed out twice, momentary blackness. Unfortunately, one of the times was when I was vomiting up the small amount of liquid plevu. It just doesn't work for me. I also was told to take ducolax, that seems to be doing the job.

I told this doctor that the pills work better for me, she insisted that they would aggravate my IC. Guess what? Pooping aggravates my IC. This much pooping aggravates my IC big time.

As for IVs, ugh. I have to have regular MRIs with contrast. They used to have an RN (bless you folks) on hand to start the IV. Switched to having technicians do it. I had two people working on both my arms to see if either could get it working. They didn't. I called a halt to it and walked out. I found a facility that still uses RNs.

I was also notified that I have 7 stress fractures in my back, 3 cervical, 2 thoracic, 2 lumbar. I knew there was a reason my back hurt!

It will all be fine.

Thanks for the good thoughts thebighurt.

Lionne, I'm sorry you are having such a hard time. You are probably half way done? It will be over soon. Good luck with your I.V. I also have to have an MRI with contrast at least once a year. Sometimes it's awful and other times not too bad because they are able to use a tiny needle.

Wow, I bet you do have back pain.

I know there are way worse things than this. I have very bad anxiety and a horrible vomit phobia so these types of things are challenging for me.

Even with those issues I still have it done and anybody reading this should too. Don't put it off!!!

Right. I'm doing it and will do it as needed. Too important to skip.

My last one was 9 years ago. I'm having issues so went to see the doctor. Turns out, they found an adenoma last time, put me on the 5 year plan without letting me know. Helpful, right?

I have no family history so I'm not too concerned.

I'm headachy (had to stop my magnesium which helps fend off migraines, shaky due to lack of protein and too much sugar, but the blessing is I wake from the anesthesia feeling like I've had a perfect night's sleep.

Not to tredjack this discussion, but the best piece of advice I got when I had mine 6 odd years ago was to mix whatever it was with 64 ounces of green or yellow Gatorade. Then, when you had to drink it, throw in a shot of vodka each time you had to drink a glass. I chose the yellow Gatorade.

And the best advice ever on a colonoscopy is from the writer Dave Barry. Just google Dave Barry colonoscopy (believe the original was in the Miami Herald) and read the article. Very informative. The seat belt was good advice.

[This message edited by Tred at 9:55 PM, July 22nd (Thursday)]

If you do the magnesium citrate, make sure to refrigerate it or pour over ice. Nobody told me, so I drank it at room temperature and it was gross. Chilled, it tastes like 7Up or Sprite.

All done! Home and craving a cheese steak! And Italian ice. Can you tell I'm from Jersey?

Just a few biopsies must likely nothing.

I understand why Michael Jackson liked prophenol.