Hi,
I'm preparing to go in for my first colonoscopy and have read your thread on 'colonoscopy prep - what works for me'. I did try to have one already but canceled due to nausea/vomiting while doing the Miralax/Gatorade prep. This time, I plan to use zofran along with it as directed by a pharmacist.
I don't have a diagnosis, but am late 50's and need to get checked......just a little bleeding occasionally - and I know that sometimes that is 'nothing' but sometimes it turns out to be cancer. Just any further suggestions you might have and opinions as to whether a split prep is the way to go would be welcomed - I am waiting for the dr's office to get back to me so I can discuss q's with them (the dr just went on vacation and won't be back until just before the scope, later on in the month).
This dr's office doesn't ask you to do a split prep - they say do it all the day/evening before, and they give you the Miralax/Gatorade/Dulcolax, and offered Mag citrate as an alternative if I have trouble tolerating the Miralax. I doubt I will do that but I suppose I could have some on hand in case I want to try that. I keep wondering about doing the split prep even though they don't ask for it. I already asked the dr about it and he remarked only that pts. do not want to do the split prep and didn't ask me to do it. So I guess that the day prior is sufficient for them. I know one of you posted about doing the split prep, and getting clear just in time to leave for the endoscopy center. That could be stressful. I also recall someone posting about doing a 2 days of clear liquids..... Low residue diet prior to prep day, moving around /walking around during prep, are some other good suggestions I've already known and will plan on doing.
Having read about 'better results' with the split prep, one doesn't want the dr. to miss something. "The time between finishing the prep and the procedure... secretions build up' and all that.... I can't help wondering about all those articles I have read regarding that..... However, I need to do the best I can and complete it, no matter which way it is. As they say ....the best screening is the one you actually DO.
Mine is supposed to be at 10:30 with deeper anesthesia (propofol - one has to meet with anesthesiologists just before the procedure). For split prep that'd probably mean starting it 6 hours before that, since you have to totally finish it in an hour. (Of course for split prep I'll have to get hours for NPO prior to procedure -I think it's 4 hours - for day before prep, it's NPO from midnight on).
Thanks for any input you might care to share. It would be wonderful to complete this and then help /encourage others to get checked.