How did you prep for a colonoscopy?

[Night Elf]

I just read online that some people eat white foods prior to the day before which is a clear liquid diet. I also read to avoid red and purple even up to 4 days before the procedure. I drink fruit punch Mio and Black cherry MIo so that would be difficult for me to change to something like lemonade. Do I really need to start prepping days before? As it is, my doctor wants me drinking 10 ounces of magnesium citrate two days before then the prescription stuff the day before and the morning of the procedure.

What did you eat? All I can think of is chicken broth and lemon jello. My instruction sheet doesn't say anything about orange but my mom said I should avoid orange so no orange jello. She also said drinking all of the prep will take away hunger anyway so I shouldn't be hungry.

This is why I didn't want to turn 50.

[Kassia]

I just had two preps in two months, and I get to do it again at the end of this month. 

It's best to follow a low-residue diet at least a few days before the procedure and definitely the day before prep starts.  Low-fiber and limited dairy.  So,white bread instead of wheat, white rice instead of brown, etc.  

I'm not a professional, but I think red and purple are okay up to a few days before the colonoscopy.  Still, you want it all to go as well as possible so I would ask your physician's office when they want you to stop consuming any red/purple.  I was told no orange, too.  

I have chicken and beef broth, jell-o (lemon and lime), and popsicles (yellow and green).  I like diet soda and the carbonation helps me fill up.  I don't like Propel but I find the electrolytes help (Gatorade would do the same thing).  Oh, and I like the clear sparkling waters, too - those come in a bunch of different flavors so you don't get so sick of lemon and lime (I've had 2-3 day preps).  

Oh, tea is good, too.  

 

 

 

[Ali in OR]

What Kassia said. I remember fruits and veggies were limited for several days before. I do remember asking why strawberries were forbidden and it's because the little seeds muck up the scope, so they want to make sure there aren't any in the digestive track. The real fasting was just the day before. I remember having some lemon jello and then surprisingly not being hungry in the afternoon. I could not keep the prescription prep down and in desperation ended up using Miralax in yellow gatorade which the pharmacist recommended and the doctor said it worked fine. At least I could keep that down.

[Night Elf]

Uh oh. I eat raspberries every day. I'll take a break I guess. 

[Ali in OR]

Your doctor should give you a list of foods to avoid. I can't remember if raspberries were on the list, but they don't have the same seed problem as strawberries as strawberries have all of those little tiny seeds on the outside and raspberries don't. But raspberries may be limited just for fiber content--can't remember if it was no fruits or veggies or just no to many of them.

[Kassia]

10 minutes ago, Night Elf said:

Uh oh. I eat raspberries every day. I'll take a break I guess. 

 

It's definitely an adjustment. I eat popcorn and apples every day, and have to eliminate them before the colonoscopy.  

[Kassia]

 

19 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

 The real fasting was just the day before. I remember having some lemon jello and then surprisingly not being hungry in the afternoon. I could not keep the prescription prep down and in desperation ended up using Miralax in yellow gatorade which the pharmacist recommended and the doctor said it worked fine. At least I could keep that down.

 

I've had a one-day fast and a two-day fast (with laxatives starting three days before).  This next one will be a three-day fast!  Eek!  My doctor originally wanted to do a five -day fast (clear liquids) but decided that would be too hard.  I was lucky and didn't have too much of a problem getting the prep down.  

 

[J-rap]

I'm surprised you didn't get a very specific list.  I was told to eat very easily digestible foods (white bread, white rice, only mushy veggies, etc.) for five days ahead of time, and only clear, light-colored liquids 24 hours before, and the laxatives the night before with clear liquids.

 

 

[Night Elf]

I didn't get such detailed instructions. Seriously. I was only told to avoid solids and red and purple dyes on the day before the procedure. There isn't anything about what to do several days leading up to the procedure. Maybe Kaiser just doesn't feel it's necessary?

[marbel]

I have never been given instructions for foods except for the day before the procedure. I have been told to avoid certain supplements, I think. And i do know some people who have to start prep more than one day in advance for specific reasons.

If you have concerns about specific foods you should ask your doctors office for advice.

 

[Kassia]

15 minutes ago, marbel said:

I have never been given instructions for foods except for the day before the procedure. I have been told to avoid certain supplements, I think. And i do know some people who have to start prep more than one day in advance for specific reasons.

If you have concerns about specific foods you should ask your doctors office for advice.

 

 

Yes, you should avoid aspirin and ibuprofen right before because of bleeding.  I think you need to stop anything with vitamin E a week before the procedure as well.  Definitely ask your doctor or find prep instructions online from a reliable source.  

[rdj2027]

It seems to vary greatly.  I was told not to eat any fruits or vegetables 5 days prior to the procedure.  Only pasta or white rice, fish or chicken, only clear yellow or green liquids, not more than 8 ounces of dairy per day.  Only water or broth the day before.  Not only was I ready to take my doctor's head off, it took me more than a month to get my digestive system back on track.

[milovany]

Rather than relying on internet information, with this, I would call the office directly and get the exact information from them and do it exactly the way they say it.  You certainly don't want to get to the procedure, having done the hard-part of the prep, and have them -- after you describe your prep -- say "Bummer for you -- we'll have to start over."  I had something like that happen, although thankfully we didn't have to start over.  I just took it upon myself to not bring urine in for the pregnancy test because I knew for 100% sure I wasn't pregnant, but they required a pregnancy test for all menstruating women.  My procedure was delayed for an hour while they did a blood test to prove I wasn't pregnant.  If I'd have just done what they'd said, without questioning whether it was needed or not, things would have gone faster.  In talking with them, I got the feeling that if the doc. had found anything in the colon that made it difficult in any way to see everything clearly, he would have rescheduled.  If you're going to go to the trouble of having a colonoscopy, do it the way they say -- not the way we say. 

[ondreeuh]

I googled “kaiser colonoscopy prep” and this was the first result: https://wa.kaiserpermanente.org/html/public/specialties/gastroenterology/colon-prep

 

it even has a list of low-fiber foods. Good luck!

[Tap]

Call your doctor's office and ask them for the information.  There is often an email packet or a packet online from your spedific doctor's office.

Just as a general observation (I work in pharmacy).....It seems like people who are getting general colonoscopies (Based just on age), the doctors aren't as strict about treatment details. The specialists who are looking for specific problems, or the patient has a pre existing condition, then the doctors are much more specific on the details.  DD has a multiple page information sheet that listed specific foods to avoid/foods that are approved. The schedule was very, very specific on the timing and what to do if xyz happened.  BUt she was seen by a doctor who is a specialist and it takes 3 to 5 months to get an appointment with her.  She doesn't see every patient who is referred to her, she reviews and accepts specific patients on a case by case basis.  Honestly, her prep was so much more detailed than any other patients paperwork that I have seen.  I say this because, while one person may tell you they were on clear liquids for xyz days, and had to drink/eat xyz, they may have a medical condition that necessitates that, which you don't have.   For instance.....dd has chronic constipation,slow motility, they were looking for a gi bleed and celiac among other things. She had to drink 1.5 gallons of prep, start laxatives days ahead of time, and had a long 'do not eat' food list.  It is NOT common and would cause confusion for a regular colonoscopy patient because their gi tract works at a very, very different speed than dd's does. Her treatment would be really overkill! 

[Night Elf]

6 hours ago, ondreeuh said:

I googled “kaiser colonoscopy prep” and this was the first result: https://wa.kaiserpermanente.org/html/public/specialties/gastroenterology/colon-prep

 

it even has a list of low-fiber foods. Good luck!

Well thank you for that. The Kaiser instructions I got during my consult don't refer to any of that! 

[Night Elf]

4 hours ago, Tap said:

Call your doctor's office and ask them for the information.  There is often an email packet or a packet online from your spedific doctor's office.

Just as a general observation (I work in pharmacy).....It seems like people who are getting general colonoscopies (Based just on age), the doctors aren't as strict about treatment details. The specialists who are looking for specific problems, or the patient has a pre existing condition, then the doctors are much more specific on the details.  DD has a multiple page information sheet that listed specific foods to avoid/foods that are approved. The schedule was very, very specific on the timing and what to do if xyz happened.  BUt she was seen by a doctor who is a specialist and it takes 3 to 5 months to get an appointment with her.  She doesn't see every patient who is referred to her, she reviews and accepts specific patients on a case by case basis.  Honestly, her prep was so much more detailed than any other patients paperwork that I have seen.  I say this because, while one person may tell you they were on clear liquids for xyz days, and had to drink/eat xyz, they may have a medical condition that necessitates that, which you don't have.   For instance.....dd has chronic constipation,slow motility, they were looking for a gi bleed and celiac among other things. She had to drink 1.5 gallons of prep, start laxatives days ahead of time, and had a long 'do not eat' food list.  It is NOT common and would cause confusion for a regular colonoscopy patient because their gi tract works at a very, very different speed than dd's does. Her treatment would be really overkill! 

Thanks, I understand. TMI ALERT!  I do have chronic constipation and that concerned my doctor because he said he didn't know how he was going to get me cleaned out. That's why he wants me to take Magnesium Citrate two days before the prep but he said I could still eat normally that day. So I do have two days prep. I did already email him about my prescriptions. The nurse who scheduled me told me no meds but I'm on psychiatric meds and the idea of going without bothers me so I emailed him to ask if I really had to skip those and he said no. Take them.

[Night Elf]

I just showed that food list to DH and he said he's had 3 colonoscopies with Kaiser and was never told to do any of that.

[smfmommy]

I listen to this song so I can at least smile once during the prep time  -