I had my first colonoscopy last year at 30. I was so nervous about the prep (I had the regular prep) and I honestly didn’t think it was that bad. I definitely think following the bland diet for a few days before helped everything clear out faster.
Great tips! I’ve had about 20 colonoscopies in my life thx to colon cancer. Your tips are spot on! One I would add is keeping the prep liquid cold (and use that straw you mentioned!) for some reason, a cold prep drink has been easier for me to stomach.
Thank you for reading! I've heard keeping the prep drink cold helps make it easier to drink. Mine had instructions to not refrigerate, so I had to drink it room temp. :( But, the straw really did help!
Agreed. Everyone made it sound like it would be horrific. Not fun but def not horrific. Boring.
I didnt know there were options and mine involved lots of drinking the prep liquid. The next time I started it earlier and took longer than directed but it was fine.
Thank you for reading! As someone with gut issues who's spent a lot of time in the bathroom over the years, the experience was definitely on the boring side, LOL.
I lucked out with the prep my doc prescribed. I've heard from others that there have been improvements in the options over the years, so I think it's worth asking about alternatives!
The part I found most interesting about my colonoscopy is how GREAT I felt the day after! There really is something to a colon cleanse. And of course, the screening is so important.
Side note: DO NOT be tempted to do Cologuard in lieu of a colonoscopy. It is not a suitable substitute.
Thank you for reading and sharing! I felt so refreshed after I woke up from the procedure (having not slept much while doing the prep). It really was a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things and like you said, so important to get screened.
There is also a capsule version of the prep (Sutab), which worked well for me. I will definitely prep better for the clear liquid diet next time—I got very hungry /nauseated and didn’t have enough options on hand.
Thank you for reading! I'm glad you found an option that worked for you! To be honest, it wasn't too bad sticking to the low-fiber diet. I felt like I was a kid again eating all my favorites, LOL.
As a 2 time colonoscopy patient, I have used a couple of those tips myself. The second time around for me I was not going to drink that horrible concoction 😝. I used strictly magnesium citrate to clean the bowels. Worked like a charm.
I would also recommend that after the clean out to work at building back up the bacteria in your gut since during the prep you most likely wiped them out. Probiotics, fermented foods.
Thank you for reading and sharing! I'm glad you found a prep that worked for you! That's a great tip about the probiotics. I could've used that after mine!
I had my first colonoscopy last year at 30. I was so nervous about the prep (I had the regular prep) and I honestly didn’t think it was that bad. I definitely think following the bland diet for a few days before helped everything clear out faster.
Great tips! I’ve had about 20 colonoscopies in my life thx to colon cancer. Your tips are spot on! One I would add is keeping the prep liquid cold (and use that straw you mentioned!) for some reason, a cold prep drink has been easier for me to stomach.
Thank you for reading! I've heard keeping the prep drink cold helps make it easier to drink. Mine had instructions to not refrigerate, so I had to drink it room temp. :( But, the straw really did help!
Agreed. Everyone made it sound like it would be horrific. Not fun but def not horrific. Boring.
I didnt know there were options and mine involved lots of drinking the prep liquid. The next time I started it earlier and took longer than directed but it was fine.
Thank you for reading! As someone with gut issues who's spent a lot of time in the bathroom over the years, the experience was definitely on the boring side, LOL.
I lucked out with the prep my doc prescribed. I've heard from others that there have been improvements in the options over the years, so I think it's worth asking about alternatives!
The part I found most interesting about my colonoscopy is how GREAT I felt the day after! There really is something to a colon cleanse. And of course, the screening is so important.
Side note: DO NOT be tempted to do Cologuard in lieu of a colonoscopy. It is not a suitable substitute.
Thank you for reading and sharing! I felt so refreshed after I woke up from the procedure (having not slept much while doing the prep). It really was a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things and like you said, so important to get screened.
There is also a capsule version of the prep (Sutab), which worked well for me. I will definitely prep better for the clear liquid diet next time—I got very hungry /nauseated and didn’t have enough options on hand.
Thank you for reading! I'm glad you found an option that worked for you! To be honest, it wasn't too bad sticking to the low-fiber diet. I felt like I was a kid again eating all my favorites, LOL.
As a 2 time colonoscopy patient, I have used a couple of those tips myself. The second time around for me I was not going to drink that horrible concoction 😝. I used strictly magnesium citrate to clean the bowels. Worked like a charm.
I would also recommend that after the clean out to work at building back up the bacteria in your gut since during the prep you most likely wiped them out. Probiotics, fermented foods.
Thank you for reading and sharing! I'm glad you found a prep that worked for you! That's a great tip about the probiotics. I could've used that after mine!
Excellent information. Thank you.
Thank you for reading! I’m glad you found the article helpful!