# colonoscopy prep - not bad at all!



## bates (Feb 26, 2004)

Just thought i would report back - it might help someone else, because my prep was so mild I had to call the doctor to be sure it was really working!My prep was supposed to be a bottle of mag citrate plus 3 dulcolax at 1 pm and again at 5 p.m. HOwever, because I have a really spastic colon anyway, the doctor said I could just forget the dulcolax if I wanted, but to start as early in the day as I could. I drank my first bottle of mag citrate at 9:30. Here's the secret - I ate very lightly for the 2 days prior to the prep. I mean real lightly. Rice Krispies and bananas and chicken broth. I'm telling you, there was so little in me to flush out that the prep was almost nonexistant. I had to go about 3 or 4 times an hour at most, with maybe half a cup of watery stuff. No cramps, no explosive diarrhea - heck I was clear by the third hour, and took the second bottle of mag citrate just be sure. Now, I did drink a lot of broth and gatorade to stay hydrated and flush out as much as possible, so my kidneys got quite a workout. But honestly, I was stunned at how easy and non-disgusting it was. I highly recommend the partial fast thing for few days. It stand to reason, if it ain't in you to begin with, it can't come out.As far as taste, since everybody seems to get nuts about the taste of the prep solution - mag citrate has a very mild, kind of stale taste, like flat lemon soda or lemon alka seltzer. You don't have to hold your nose. Drink it very well chilled and it doesn't taste bad at all. HOWEVER, I found that it did that weird citrus thing in the back of my throat - like if you eat a lot of sweet-tarts. It makes you salivate a lot and you get some phlegm or mucous or whatever it is in your throat and it can make you gag if you're not careful. So I didn't chug it, I drank it at a moderate pace and when the saliva started to get heavy, I drank a sip of ROOM TEMPERATURE water, and that seemed to cut it. I hope this helps. I don't know if mag citrate is better or worse than the phospho, but it sure has to beat the heck out of the gallon garbage. Doctors arent' going to get rid of that golightly #### until the patients refuse to take it anymore.


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

For my barium enema my doctor has me prepping with fleet Phospho-soda . 2 >1 and 1.2 oz. bottles at seperate times of the day.I will eat litely till July 1st when the test is.I hope I am not on the toilet all day and night before hand.


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## Janice 54 (Jul 25, 2002)

Glenda,I drank my first glass at 7 pm and was completely finished by 10:30 pm. Because we live a distance from the hospital I took the second glass at 4 am and was ready to leave the house at 7:45. I drank lots of ice water because the Phospho made me thirsty. Good luck.bates, I agree with you about the gallon of colyte or golightly. I had to do that twice and it was absolutely horrible. Maybe there will be some new and better method before we need to do this again. Janice


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## gutsgonewild (Jun 27, 2004)

Well you got lucky my friend. LOL I had to go thru two days of phospho and reglan prep and I was in constant pain and bloating and had some real nice rectal bleeding to make it complete.







I can't go too long without food because I get extremely weak and shakey, so eating very lightly doesn't work for folks like me, I have to graze throughout the day or I can become a wreck!


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## Janice 54 (Jul 25, 2002)

I am so sorry you had such a hard time. My first two tests were more like your experience. This time wasn't fun and I did have nausea (the doctor says some people do) but it did stop after the 3 1/2 hrs. I also get light headed and shakey if I don't eat so can relate to that feeling.I didn't have bleeding but was certainly feeling raw. Figured I'd use one of my grandkids wipes to soothe the area. What a mistake! It burned like heck. No wonder the grandbabies cry when we wipe their diaper rash. We just thought it was cold for them. Poor babies.Janice


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## Guest (Jun 28, 2004)

I have always had to have the gallon of nasty stuff. My doctor says it cleans us out the best. Wonder if that's really true. I doubt it.


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## Janice 54 (Jul 25, 2002)

It only cleans you out if you can manage to swallow and not gag up the entire gallon.Janice


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## zectasy (Jun 12, 2004)

i drank the pshorsoda or whatever before my colonoscopy and i think that was the worse part...that stuff is nasty! made me wanna throw up. after talking to another doc in chicago he said they have pills that they give people to do the same thing....wonder if the pills and drink do the same thing?


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## jools41 (Jan 8, 2004)

i drank phospho-soda which was disgusting ( a bit like drinking out of the sea) it made me feel sick right up to the time i went to get the colonoscopy but then i guess we have to suffer a wee bit in order for the docs to do the appropriate tests


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## gottogo (Aug 14, 2000)

I had to drink the golightly stuff. Horrible tasting stuff. However after each glass full I rinsed my mouth out with mouthwash. Believe me that helped alot. Also my GI doc had me fast for a few days prior to this. I had to fast then 2 nights before I took a laxative. Then the next afternoon I started drinking the golightly. I'm one who has low blood sugar. I just took the few days at home really easy so I would not have a hypoglycemic attack.


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## CatRWall (Sep 1, 2004)

I wish I had known about the fasting/light diet prior to my prep... I was doing fine till I had to take that phospho-soda... oh my .. I have never in my life had such an awfull thing in my mouth before... poor hubby thought I was going to pass out (and I have a strong gag reflex, I dont gag)...the Colonoscopy test was a cake walk the prep wasn't... But will remember the fasting/light diet if I ever have to do that again... Cate... thanks for the information...


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