I've told this story before - I was an idiot. My doctor recommend a colonscopy when I turned 50 and I ignored him. I started to have some bleeding. I ignored that as well (can you imagine!?!?!?) but finally it all got bad, I went in and indeed discovered I had cancer. OK so had the surgery, removal OF colon, treatment, blah blah blah.

So I am good now and no longer put off routine treatments. But for my prep sorry I prefer the old way - Phosper Soda (sp?). It's a small amount (1/2 CUP) you have to gag down 1/2 bottle (which is akin to chugging a tablespoon of salt) and then wait and see what happens. I much prefer using that and then drinking plain water then the gallon solution of foul tasting stuff. I've never needed to use more than 1/2 of the Phosper Soda (it reacts sure and swift). It does help to go off solid foods the day before.

I'll chime in on this topic also. Had my first colonoscopy at age 52 and a golf ball size tumor was found. it along with 40% of my colon was removed. I was diagnosed with early stage 2, but the cancer had not reached my lymph node system yet.

I am now on an anual plan and each and every year some polyps are found and removed

I used PhosphoSoda last time, and I agree it was more pleasant than any of the other preps I've had to endure. But my gastroenterologist told me it's been taken off the market now! Bummer (no pun intended)

This time I used SuPrep, which is somewhere between PhosphoSoda and GoLytely. You only have to drink a quart-and-a-half of water at a time, and it tastes like lemon-lime soda, not that horrible chalky paste of GoLytely. I'd rather use a RotoRooter than have to endure that disgusting gunk again.

Bob, which disgusting gunk, GoLytely, SuPrep? I used SuPrep. It wasn't the most pleasant, but it wasn't horrible. SuPrep certainly did the job.

I put off my 50 year exam until age 60. (Do as I say, not as I do.) Turned out fine.
Had it done in the outpatient endo lab of my hospital. Had worked with the MD and RN for a number of years so I had complete trust in the team.
The drugs were great! Well, the laxatives were effective but wouldn't call them Great.
Out for a bike ride six hours after leaving the lab.

Haven't heard much enthusiasm for the Virtual Colonoscopy recently. https://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddise...alcolonoscopy/

I was given the choice of having a standard or virtual colonoscopy. I decided on the standard colonoscopy because if polyps were found, I wanted to have them removed right away as opposed to having to undergo a second procedure. Fortunately I didn't have any.

For those who are dreading the prep procedure, having diarrhea flu or food poisoning is far, far worse.

Absolutely correct.

This is correct the old prep was taken off the market and the prep of choice now is Golytely I was told and the main reason it’s given is cost and insurance reimbursement. I asked about what else was out there and was told the Suprep was about a $100 out of pocket expense by the nurse. The nurse no sooner got the words out of her mouth and the doc came around the corner with a box kit of Suprep saying it was on the house and a sample.

Having had 3 scopes and lower and upper GI’s done I found the Suprep to be the best I have used. I would in the future pay the 100 bucks if I had to, and as mentioned above cold is the key. I didn’t know this and the first dose I mixed with room temp water and the second I mixed with very cold water. I also found not to try and chug it to get it over but plan on taking 10 minutes and wait a bit between drinks worked much better for me. I was used to the old phosper stuff and this works much slower. I had my scope scheduled for 8:00 am and was told to do the two preps at 5 and 5. That type timing works out best I think because the prep started really working about 3 hours after taking the first dose and keeps working thru the night as you follow it with lots of water and clear fluids. The second dose works faster as you are empty at that point so if you leave the house at 7:00 and you stop drinking water at 6 you are ok for the ride. I did know every restroom between my house and the med center though just in case J.

Sorry, I meant GoLytely was the disgusting gunk. SuPrep was relatively palletable in comparision. And PhosphoSoda was almost enjoyable...at least until the effects started.

Another item of interest: My insurance company called to say that they'd approved 100% coverage of the procedure if it was "of an exploratory nature" ...but that if the gastroenterologist found any polyps and removed them during that procedure, it then qualified as "outpatient surgery" and I would be responsible for a $200 Co-Pay!

:::rage:::

Another item of interest: My insurance company called to say that they'd approved 100% coverage of the procedure if it was "of an exploratory nature" ...but that if the gastroenterologist found any polyps and removed them during that procedure, it then qualified as "outpatient surgery" and I would be responsible for a $200 Co-Pay!

:::rage:::
The same thing with me, and of course they always find one. (Sarcasm intended)

Thanks for posting a very serious matter. Sorry to hear about your health battles, but am grateful to see you here, riding and posting.

Another issue that we should pay attention to is our diet. I am a confirmed meat eater. But I have learned the benefits, via my proctologist, of eating fiber and lots of it. Resist the prepared meals that you can buy in bulk, eat fresh stuff and go easy on the meats.

OK I am distressed the Soda prep is gone. It only costs a few dollars and I never thought to seek insurance reimbursement for it so I don't understand the reasoning (it makes no sense whatsoever) but do know drug companies like to make money so I guess the Soda was just too cheap and they had to come up with something more expensive. I will not look forward to my next scope (which is next year) that's for sure. Wish I knew as I would have stockpiled the Soda prep!!! There is no way I can do that Golytely (GAG ME!) prep!

On a lighter note on the twilight drug they give you during the procedure. On my second one I was on my side watching the same monitor the doc was and I remember asking the nurse when will I fall asleep? She said oh you are sleeping now. I said really I’m asleep with my eyes open and talking? She said yes you are just relax. I was kind of in and out of it because 45 minutes seemed to be about 10. I was watching the screen and I saw something that I thought was a polyp, and I exclaimed Is that a polyp Doc? The Doc said yes. I exclaimed are you going to cut it off Doc? And the Doc said Would you like to take over the procedure? I looked up at the nurse and she was giving me the shhh sign with her finger to her lip and next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room. Not sure if that’s the reason I was out for almost all of this one or not.

I was given MoviPrep. It tasted like overly salted lemon-lime gatorade. I had to drink 1 liter, wait 3 hours, then drink a second liter. The stuff took effect within 30 minutes of drinking it and I was pretty much clean by the time I had to drink the second liter. I drank about a half cup of it and threw the rest out.

Ask about the Suprep or the one mentioned above I haven’t tried. The Suprep may well come down in price or insurance may well cover it. I was just going by what the nurse said when the doc gave me the free sample.

Here is a link to why the Fleet Phospho Soda was taken off the market.

https://www.legaltube.com/breaking-news-hot-list/fleet-phospho-soda/fleet-phospho-soda-overview.aspx

In my limited experience I think I like the Suprep actually better. It tastes kind of the same isn’t a huge amount to drink and the water you drink after really goes down easy. I had no idea how long it would take to work and expected it to be like the Fleet Phospho Soda and it wasn’t. For me that was actually a good thing. It does the same job but at a slower pace and I felt less after affects from it. Like I said the first batch after a day of liquids took a couple hours to start. And took care of 90% of the job having 12 hours in between the second batch works quicker maybe 30 minutes to an hour but still very easy on the system.

I would advise people to finish the full amounts given, and follow the directions. I do know a nurse that works in the scope area of a different center than the one I used and she said many come in that took a short cut and then they have to finish the process there and no one is happy. Before mine I was asked what my last BM was like and I said crystal clear. She looked at me and said I never wrote that down before.

Electrolyte lavage solutions like Golytley don't mess with acid-base and elctrolyte balance, which can be major issues for some folks.
More than anyone wants to know about bowel prep:
https://www.fascrs.org/files/cs_bowelprep.pdf

There's nothing like giving people the benefit of the doubt

Phososoda was causing too make cases of nephrocalcinosis and irreversable renal fairure. Some think that anyone who advised it in the past ten years were committing malpractice, especially if the patient was over 65, was on antihypertensives, or was diabetic.

The person who develops a well-tolerated and safe prep will make millions, and won't have to charge much for it because everybody, including me, will be lining up to use it.

I had a colon resection in March 2009 followed by 6 months of chemo. I've had sigmoidoscopys done 3 to 4 times a year but I get a full colonoscopy on March 8.

Boy is this thread ever appropriate. I'm in hospital right now and am slated for a colon resection Tuesday. I came in in AFib on Sunday night and extremely anemic. I have several masses too big to have removed during the colonoscopy, so I have to have surgery.

I have had 2, the first about 6 years ago and one last year. The prep is not fun, but the procedure itself is not bad at all.

RESULTS:

Yesterday I posted I was doing the prep. Drinking 4 litres of Golytly wasn't too bad. I followed advise and used Crystal Light instead of the furnished "flavor packets" and I made it up the night before and refrigerated the mix. It tasted fine, about the same as a Mc
Donalds soft drink. With all that volume I never had a chance to get hungry.

Another benefit to the large volume of liquid versus the older methods is the elimination part of the prep was very easy also. No cramping or discomfort at all.

Today I had the procedure. Improvements since the last one several years ago meant I needed less anesthesia and got to watch on the big screen. In color no less. Paperwork and setup took an hour. The procedure itself took about 30 minutes. With the good prep the doc got a good look at the entire colon. All normal.

Colon cancer is one of the Biggies but is easily taken care of if caught at the adenoma stage. Less easy, as has been posted, if caught later. I can cross this off my concern list.

All in all a very smooth and small thing to take care of a very big potential problem.



I should add that the doc told me by the recommended time for the next one comes around she expects colonoscopies will be things of the past. Technology is rapidly approaching the point where scans will be effective enough to do the job. But, the prep would still be necessary. The improvement would be in substituting a non-invasive procedure for the current invasive one.

Good luck and best wishes, Tom.

Ditto! Speedy recovery!

Good luck, Tom