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Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Management?

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 11:10 am
by phillywife
Hi all -
I Googled "MoviPrep tips" and it brought me to this site, so I hope it is alright to post here.

My brief backstory - Saw PCP in late February for some minor rectal bleeding, she sent me to ER for bloodwork and CT scan which came back clean. ER doc recommended seeing a GI specialist and getting a colonoscopy, which is scheduled for this Friday. I have been prescribed the MoviPrep and from what I am reading online, it's pretty disgusting. So, any help to make the process better would be greatly appreciated!

Similarly, I am terrified of the procedure. I am being sedated, which I haven't been since I had my wisdom teeth out at 19!! Also, terrified of the results. GI doctor said it would likely be something "friendly" but he always likes to be certain. Did any of you have similar symptoms before you were diagnosed? The only other experience I had with rectal bleeding was last summer, but I was DX'ed with a fissue and hemorrhoids and have not had any issues since. I'm a 30 yr. female, in pretty great health to date with the exception of some gyno issues.

So, any type of help anyone can provide would be so, so, so appreciated! :D

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 12:31 pm
by raym
With regards to the procedure, the prep is the worst part. The actual colonscopy is a breeze.

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 12:48 pm
by JAZZToo
Some things you can do to make the prep a little more tolerable. Chill the mixture before drinking it and if you don't want to taste it drink it through a straw quickly. Rinsing your mouth between glasses of prep also helps. Prior to the colonoscopy, make sure you are well hydrated. Drink plenty of clear liquids - beverages, clear broth and clear ices; It may also help to go on a low residue diet a day or two prior to your prep. That will help with the cleansing process if there isn't too much stuff that needs to pass.

There are no specific symptoms that everyone has prior to a diagnosis of colon cancer. Some have GI problems, some are anemic, others rectal bleeding and some like myself - nothing - my Stage III cancer was found on what should have been a routine baseline colonoscopy. A CAT scan does not show the interior of the colon, that is why the colonoscopy is considered the gold standard for colon/rectal cancer detection.

I am having mine in two weeks and if it is clean, it will mark 10 years NED ( no evidence of disease) since my diagnosis in 2003.

Good Luck!!

Leslie
Lynch Syndrome PMS2 mutation
2003 Colon cancer of the cecum Stage III - Right hemicolectomy & 6 mos. 5FU with Leucovorin
1995 Endometrial Cancer Stage I - TAH BSO

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 1:30 pm
by phillywife
Hi -

Thanks for your response. You can have jello too, correct? Lemon-lime flavored but no purple or red dyes? That's what I read online.
I'm still waiting for my call from the surgery center for confirmation.

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 1:41 pm
by janklo
For MoviPrep - it's true, it tastes like Lemon Pledge. What are they thinking when they manufacture that? :)

I had gum in my mouth when drinking it and also took sips of ice tea between the sips of MoviPrep. You usually have to drink the entire container in one hour, the procedure is to get 1/4 of it down each 15 minutes. So you know you are going to pretty much be sitting at the table with that in front of you for that entire hour, looking at the clock and drinking. You just have to steel yourself to it and get it down.

The day of the procedure is a snap - you go in, the nurses are nice, you relax and you are sedated, then it's over and you can eat. Seriously, the day before is the worst part. It's really a good idea to get this done though, then you can be sure that you don't have any other colon/rectal issues.

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 6:17 pm
by lauragb
I just had a colonoscopy last week and it was my first experience with MoviPrep. The good news is that following the instructions, eating low residue diet a few days before, it was my easiest clean-out ever. The bad news is that the reports are true. The stuff is foul. I was instructed not to flavor it or put ice in it but was allowed to chill it, which I did. I tried using the straw but could still taste it so I plugged my nose with each swig, then drank a sip of Gatorade before releasing the nostrils. That's what worked for me. It was an effort to get it down but in the scheme of life, it is just a couple of hours, something to just get through.

The colonoscopy itself was not bad, but actually was great since it was clean and clear. I had sedation and pain meds but was awake for it which was a new experience. It hurt at first until they upped my dosage of pain meds.
Afterwards, I felt good, went out to eat and stayed up for the rest of the day with no issues.

Goodluck with yours. Hoping for good news. Let us know.

Laura

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 6:18 am
by debzak
Hold your nose and chew some gum between swallows. All of the preps are nasty. As for the colonoscopy, it is no big deal.

Debbi

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 9:43 am
by horizon
Before my first colonoscopy this video from Katie Couric helped me TREMENDOUSLY. She's cracking jokes during the procedure. If I was going to do the one where I'm fully asleep and won't remember a thing why would I worry?

http://youtu.be/15JsYSZIT-Q

As for worrying about what they might find, cross that bridge when you come to it.

lauragb wrote:I just had a colonoscopy last week and it was my first experience with MoviPrep. The good news is that following the instructions, eating low residue diet a few days before, it was my easiest clean-out ever. The bad news is that the reports are true. The stuff is foul. I was instructed not to flavor it or put ice in it but was allowed to chill it, which I did.


Well that's weird. Mine always comes with a "flavor" pack attached to it and the printed instructions said that Crystal Light might help with the taste (it does!). I wonder why they didn't want you to use that.

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 11:15 am
by phillywife
Thanks everyone!

My pack of MoviPrep did not come with a flavor packet. I can't imagine that's worse than drinking the barium they gave me before my CT scan in the ER - which mostly taste like stale pool water from the community pool I swam in as a little kid (gross). But then again, who knows. Is it worse than Jagermeister? I really hate that stuff. :)

The anxiety is definitely worse than I expected, but I'm finding that I'm less freaked out about the procedure than I am the results and what happens afterwards. Thankfully, my parents are able to be in town for the procedure so they are coming with me. That helps a lot and is a nice distraction from the impending camera being shoved up my butt.

Also, do you know if you are allowed to take anxiety meds the morning of the procedure?

Thanks!!!!

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 11:17 am
by kims
You also have the option of asking your GI for a different prep solution. When I had my first colonoscopy I knew I would not be able to drink the prep solution and keep it down when she prescribed moviprep. I told her that she was going to need to come up with another option if I was going to get the test done. I told her I needed to drink the least amount of prep solution. She ended up having me get 2 bottles of magnesium citrate. I had to drink each bottle followed by 8 glasses of clear liquid. Not pleasant, but I could at least chug the 10 oz bottles of mag citrate. Most recently, I used Prepopik which is a new solution that was just approved by the FDA. It is (2) 5 oz doses each followed by 8 glasses of clear liquid. It's also recommended that you take 4-5 ducolax the night before you start the prep with Prepopik. It doesn't taste bad and the GI doctor had no complaints about the prep. My husband also used it for his colonoscopy with no issues. I have also noticed that many people here on the forum use a Miralax prep. You can mix the Miralax with pretty much any clear liquid. If you think you are going to have issues with being able to dink or keep the Movieprep down, call your GI or GI's nurse and demand an alternative.

My GI doc also recommended that I follow a very low residue or liquid diet for an additional day before the prep day. It really does make a difference. The more stuff that you need to eliminate from your gut, the worse your prep will be and the more time you will spend on the toilet. I can tell you from personal experience that I eat low residue for several days before the prep and I do a liquid diet for an extra day. The prep is usually over pretty quick and painlessly.

Good luck!

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:25 pm
by nomadicnerd
I didn't have MoviPrep for my colonoscopy. My prep wasn't horrible, just busy.

My anxiety was the hard part. I have a stump of colon hanging (internally) off my ostomy, and another off my rectum, so they had to go in with the scope from three different angles. I was terrified.

When it came time for the actual procedure, they rolled me over on my side, and the doctor asked if I needed anything for the anxiety. I nodded more emphatically than I've never nodded before.

The nurse stuck something in my IV, and maybe five seconds later I couldn't have cared less about anything in the world. It actually made the entire procedure a fantastic experience. "Oh, you found two suspicious polyps? That's cool. Is anyone up for karaoke after this?"

Seriously, the meds took all anxiety away better than I could have possibly hoped. Good luck with your check!

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 1:23 pm
by phillywife
Everyone is so helpful here - this is such an impressive forum.

The MoviPrep tips are great! I stocked up on Gatorade (lemon lime), Jello (lemon lime), and Crystal Light so I think I will never ever want a lemon or a lime again after this. I start my prep tomorrow afternoon, but have been eating light and organic all week and staying away from heavy carbs and pastas, so hopefully that will help.

Now, I just need a clean bill of health for me and for all of you, always! Wish me luck!

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 1:26 pm
by BrownBagger
My standing piece of advice on the flavor, if you have that option, is to choose your least favorite flavor, since you probably won't like whatever flavor you choose, after it's all done. Why ruin a good thing?

Good luck. My biggest problem with prepping is the starvation part. I keep wanting to grab something out of the fridge--and can't.

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 1:38 pm
by phillywife
BrownBagger wrote:My standing piece of advice on the flavor, if you have that option, is to choose your least favorite flavor, since you probably won't like whatever flavor you choose, after it's all done. Why ruin a good thing?

Good luck. My biggest problem with prepping is the starvation part. I keep wanting to grab something out of the fridge--and can't.


BrownBagger, this is why I always go to lemon-lime. I ruined it already for myself when I was 21 and had the flu. It's tolerable now, nine years later, but I figure, why take my chances on any of the other flavors? Lemon-lime and I already have a volatile relationship. 8)

Re: Upcoming Colonoscopy - MoviPrep? Tips? Anxiety Managemen

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 4:39 pm
by trapbear
Phillywife,
I had my first colonoscopy last month, my husband has stage IV colon cancer, diagnosed over 5 years ago, still doing great. The MoviPrep was not as bad as I had expected, chill it, chase with gatorade. The procedure was NOTHING! I never fell completely asleep, the versed makes you feel drunk, you really don't care. No pain, just felt like someone was resting their hand on your behind. Over in 20 min, I even watched my colon on the HD TV next to me! All was clear and now I won't need another one until I am 60! So please do not worry, it is really nothing, this was also my first time getting an IV and having any kind of sedation. Good luck!
Bill