# How bad is it?



## boxgirl73 (Jul 5, 2002)

In 3 weeks, I'm having my first colonscopy. Read taht I have to take the Fleet Phosphate. How bad is this stuff? I know i only have to have 1.5 oz per drink and i only need to drink 2 drinks total but how bad are those 2 drinks???? I'm really getting nervous now-hope the sedative knocks me out and i don't feel anything. have had real pain with the sigmoidoscopy. and, have read on some of the posts in here that people feel everything even though sedated! give me some advice on the fleet and the procedure please!!!!!


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## jess105 (Aug 6, 2002)

I am sure the experience is different for everybody, but none of the people I have talked to in person had bad experiences. As for me, I had my first colonoscopy on Halloween of 2001. I also did the Fleet prep. My doctor suggested that it tastes slightly better if mixed with ginger ale or another clear soda. So, that is what I tried. I can't explain the taste, it is very bad, almost burning. So, I totally suggest you drink it the way I did, in one gulp! You won't drink it all if you sip. It took about 20-30 minutes to start working. Not to be gross, but basically it just pushes the water that you drink right through you, so expect do go very watery. And, you will know when you are cleaned out, because the water comes out as clear as it goes in. Took about 4 hours for me to be done. But then I woke up in the night very thirsty so I drank a glass of water and ended up on the toilet another hour.As for the procedure itself, I don't remember anything. I was out before the doctor started and woke up in the recovery room.


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## AMcCall (Oct 3, 2000)

Hi Boxgirl







I just had my 3rd colonoscopy on July 22nd. I also had the Fleet prep. I drank mine with 7-Up. Jess is right!! Drink it fast!! If I'd have sipped it, I would've never gotten it down. For me, it was better to drink it quick. It's not a whole lot to drink, which is good. For the 2 colonoscopies I had in the past, I had to drink the Golytely, which was an entire GALLON of stuff. It was pretty awful







I couldn't keep it all down, and ended up having to drink something else, and then have an enema in the morning. So, as bad as the Fleet tastes, I'll take it ANY DAY over Golytely







!! I'm trying to think of the best way to describe it... To me, it sort of tastes like ocean water, but they add ginger flavoring to it, so it's like ginger-flavored ocean water, LOL







And it also tasted a little bit soapy to me. Someone suggested that I have a strong 'chaser' ready for after I drank it, and I'm so glad they did!! They suggested lemons, which I think would've worked well, but I used Lifesavers. It helps reduce that nauseated feeling if you have something to take away the taste after you drink it though. It reeeeeeally helps!! As far as the test goes, I had a bit of a rough time. BUT, the anesthesiologist told me beforehand that if I was accustomed to taking over-the-counter sleep aids, such as Tylenol PM or Excedrin PM, that the sedation meds might not work as well. I have Ulcerative Colitis, and have quite a bit of pain some nights, so I was taking those types of things quite a bit. I fell right to sleep when she gave me the first bit of medicine in my IV. And I stayed asleep for probably 90% of the test. But I did wake up towards the end. It's a really weird feeling...like I could tell what they were doing, and it was uncomfortable, but with the sedation meds, it's like you kinda don't care that it's uncomfortable. Does that make sense?? It was NOT so bad that I would never do it again. It wasn't exactly pain, it was just more of a crampy feeling. Honestly, I've had worse pain when my UC was acting up!! I never woke up at all during my first 2 colonoscopies, this was the only time I've ever been awake for any part of the test. Now that I know it was because my body is used to over-the-counter sleep aids, I'll not be taking them anymore. Then the next time, I'll probably do a lot better!! I'd say that most people don't wake up until recovery, so you'll probably do just fine!! (I was out like a light for the entire test during my first two colonoscopies, so I was kinda surprised I woke up this time!!) Afterwards, you'll feel a little discomfort because they pump air into your colon during the test. But once you are able to expel some of that, you'll start to feel better. I had a bit of a problem on the ride home from the hospital. I always throw up after my colonoscopies, I guess because my system doesn't like all that medication they give me. So my poor hubby kept having to pull the truck over all the way home, LOL







But that's just my cooky system, and you might do just fine!! I only got sick about 3 times, and I was okay after that. I came home and slept like a baby







Just one more thing!! For the prep, be sure that you have some baby wipes on hand. Using plain toilet paper can get really rough after a while... Also, I found that (and this is gonna sound kinda yucky, but I'm just being honest here!!) it was better to PAT and not wipe so much. It helped me a lot with the discomfort. I also had a hot bath run so that I could relax in between potty trips, and that helped so much. Take lots of magazines or hand-held games with you into the potty, and it will go by a lot faster... Yall might laugh, but my husband actually hooked up the TV in our bathroom for me, LOL!! I spent the afternoon watching TV Land, LOL







I'll be praying for you during your test!! Please let us know how you do, and feel free to email me if you have anymore questions!! I just had this done a few weeks ago, so it's all still pretty fresh in my mind


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## vikee (Feb 5, 2000)

The less solids you eat the day or two before the prep the faster you get cleaned out. The more liquids you drink with the prep the faster you will run clear. To be fully cleaned out you have to pass clear liquid in the toilet. Some people are asked to also use Dulcolax before and during The Fleet Phospho-Soda so they are really cleaned out. At the end of the Prep you should run clear liquid.Fleet Phospho-Soda can be mixed with water or clear liquids. For drinking the Fleet Soda plugging your nose helps. It is easy to swallow if you can't smell it. Plug your nose with cotton so you can't smell anything. That really helps not tasting anything that bad. Suck on lemon wedges to get the taste of the stuff out of your mouth as soon as you are finished drinking. This worked well for me.On a post someone said they were told to take 1 - 1/2 of a Gravol right after drinking the Phospho-soda and it worked so they were not nauseous. Gravol is some anti nausea pill.I had no problem or pain with sedation.


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## boxgirl73 (Jul 5, 2002)

Thank you all for your input. sounds like i'll be able to handle it. i'm just a big baby and after reading some of the more negative posts about the colonoscopy, i just couldn't help myself getting worked up. thanks again!


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## subtlestill (Aug 13, 2002)

I'm the biggest baby in the world and any little thing makes me anxious. I was worried to death about the whole colonoscopy thing. The Fleet was the worst part for me. Imagine the saltiest thing you've ever tasted times 20. I sipped it because big gulps made me gag and be nauseated. It took forever. The procedure itself was a breeze. I was mostly out of it but woke up a couple of times and felt some discomfort but with the meds, I didn't care. I actually enjoyed trying to keep my eyes open enough to watch the procedure on a tv monitor. I'd do the whole thing again in a heartbeat. Nothing to it. Hope yours is as easy.


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## subtlestill (Aug 13, 2002)

Oh, also... my cramps I have with IBS hurt much worse than the colonoscopy did.karen


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## boxgirl73 (Jul 5, 2002)

wow, u made me feel at ease and like i can actually do this. thnx!


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