# Extreme pain with colonoscopy prep?



## 23553 (Mar 20, 2007)

Has anyone else had this happen? I have a colonoscopy in the morning and was given the HalfLytely prep to do tonight. I took the four pills it came with, had one very small liquidy bowel movement, and then drank as much as I could of the solution a couple hours later. I couldn't finish it because I started throwing it up in the middle of drinking it. A little bit later I felt very tired and fell asleep and wasn't able to have any more bowel movements despite feeling like I needed to. At about 10:30 I woke up with extreme abdominal pain. It was more painful than anything I ever felt in my life, and I've given birth and had major surgery. I went to the bathroom and had several watery bowel movements, which I know was what was supposed to happen, but in between all I could do was collapse on the floor. My god, I thought I was going to die. I was shaking and sweating and the pain was unrelenting. Nothing made it feel better, not even having bowel movements. After about an hour it finally began to subside and I went back to bed. Now I am only having pain in the upper left, and it's pretty minor. I could not tell exactly where the pain was coming from before because it was so bad, but it was all in my upper, not lower, abdomen. Could the prep have caused a gallbladder attack? I have talked to several people who have had colonoscopies and used golytely or halflytely and none of them mentioned any pain.


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## Prudy (Jan 21, 2006)

I used the Half Lytely as my prep on Sunday.. I have to say.. I was not impressed with it.. I didn't have quite the experience you did.. but I had delayed movements the first about 2 hours after starting.. which should have been like it said... within an hour... I had to stop.. cause then I had no more..and was like 3/4 the way through the jug..and no stools in volume.. I was afraid I would rupture something if I downed it all and didn't go..My abdomen was hard.. I called my NP and she had me drink juice until I started going then try to drink the rest. Which I did eventually get down.. I had chills and shakes ...and like an achy stomach.. sore more like it.. also only spurts of stools every couple of hours.. all night and up to an hour before the test.. Go Lytley never was like that..For my next one.. I think I prefer the Go Lytely.. at least I know how that works.. and I don't want to go through that type of prep again.. I was not impressed.. at all..I was cleaned out enough that they could do the scope.. so it worked.. Just not what I am used to..


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## 23553 (Mar 20, 2007)

Yeah at least the doc said that the prep was excellent, and the whole deal went smoothly, so thank god it wasn't all for nothing! I told him about the pain, and he said sometimes that happens. I'm not sure I got across to him how BAD it was, maybe because i was falling under by then.


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## 14609 (Mar 1, 2007)

Are some people just extremely sensitive to the prep solution? I also had a very bad experience with the prep solution. I posted previously about this describing myself as a "colonoscopy failure". I was not able to go through with the procedure due to the pain (as other members have referred to), nausea, dry heaves, chills and sweating, sickly feeling. This all began very soon after drinking the first prep solution. The prep did its job well though.The fasting & stress on my body caused by the symptoms discussed above, brought on an extreme migraine. I am a chronic sufferer and hunger is a trigger. So feeling so ill and not being able to move due to migraine I cancelled about an hour before the procedure. Now I'm trying to determine how to prepare for another colonscopy---this all happened a year ago--with no firm plan so far.Can the extreme reaction to the prep be due to sensitivity or dehydration? I followed all the steps exactly. Are some people more prone to dehydration (if that is the cause)?These recent postings are the first time I have ever heard anyone mention prep problems similar to mine. The experience went fine for all my personal acquaintances. The MD, GI and migraine specialist don't relate to this problem either.


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## Prudy (Jan 21, 2006)

That was the first time in 4 preps... that I have felt that way.. The first was a Fleet prep.. and I had depleted electrolytes and the day after the scope was in the hosp for IV Potassium.. they were dangerously low.. but only just pooping my brains out.. when I took it.. that is why I used Go Lytely since.. But now this new Half Lytely.. I had this happen.. first time ever and I used Go Lytely twice.. so I have to say it is a reaction to the new one.. that I will never take again.. There are many other preps to take.. talk to your MD.. and tell him.. you want something different...


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