colonoscopy's

I have had my band for 2 years and have lost 70 of my 85 lbs..  Slow and steady.   My restriction is great for me at 5.2 in a 10cc band.  I was supposed to have a colonoscopy 3 years ago at 50 and didnt.  Now, I am ready and I am told that the prep includes drinking MASSIVE AMOUNTS!! of liquids.  My Dr. said that is really the ONLY way to get cleaned out...I cannot do this and am curious what you all have used in this situation.  I assume that I am not the only one who can drink only a few oz. at a time...any ideas??

PS....any idea/help how to switch my avatar.  My "after" was 40 lbs. ago....

I did not drink all that goop for mine.  I had to do a liquid diet beforehand (cannot remember how long) and then just had to mix this lemony stuff - sorry cannot remember the name of it - in  a glass of water. 

It worked just fine.  Also, I watch The View every day (I know......lol) and Barbara Walters was talking about hers one day and said she just had one pill to take.  Why is it that the celebrities seem to have things easier??....lol

I'd google everything on it if I were you.  I'm sure that there is another solution.

Good luck.  It's an important test and I'm sure you will do just fine.

Sharon

 There are now ways to do it other than drinking a gallon of golightly, here are some links to check out:

http://digestive-system.emedtv.com/colonoscopy-preparation/colonoscopy-preparation.html
http://coloncancer.about.com/od/colonoscopy/ht/ColonoscopyPrep.htm
http://www.tabletprep.com/

I had no problem drinking it, I had problem with it's taste, it is terrible.

Colon cancer is a very serious issue, and we all need a first screening at age 50, then regularly therafter. Those with a hx of colon cancer in the family, like my family, start with colonoscopies at 40-45, and then every 2-3 years. Not fun, but SURELY better than colon cancer, don't you think? 

It's very important to get very well cleaned out. If you don't , then the polyps they are looking  for may be hidden and not found and nipped out.

What I did, and was taught to me, was to start the prep much earlier than for non-Bandsters. I started mine a full 24 hours before the procedure. This left plenty of time to get it all in, and totally clear your bowel so there is NO color at all to the loose "stool" you are having. WE can easily drink a couple ounces every 15 minutes for several hours. No need to gulp it all in a short time, which we can NOT safely do. 

Having a Band is NO reason to try to get away with an incomplete bowel prep. Think about it - we are trying to reclaim our health from obesity by losing weight - WHY in the world would we want to do a poor bowel prep and have a polyp that can easily turn into cancer missed and not removed??

Just start the prep early, after oking it with the GI doc, and you'll be fine.

Sandy r
 6 colonoscopies in the last 15 yrs, and lived thru it

 

Karen,
You can ask for a pill instead of the liquid (your insurance may not cover that, though -- find out first).

Also, if you eat light for 2 - 3 days prior to your prep, you can get 'cleaned out' on less of the yucky stuff.

I had my colonoscopy before my surgery, but the gastroenteroligist said that as soon as you start eliminating clear fluid -- you can stop with the prep stuff.

So, I ate soup and yogurt for 2 days prior to the prep and only had to drink about 1/2 what was recomended.

 My group offers a concentrated liquid for bariatric patients.  I've not done it yet (I'm still waiting for my appt) but it seems to be about a pint vs the normal gallon.  I dread it since I was so sick with my last (pre-band) gallon of prep liquid.  I hope it goes eaiser

Lisa

I had my first one this past February.  I was very nervous about the prospect of having to drink so much of the golytely.  In fact, my doctor insisted that I drink more than the 1 gallon.  When I stated there was no way I could drink all of that, he said just start a lot earlier and drink into the night if you have to, but get it down.

It was not easy (I have great restriction too), but it turned out not to be as hard as I thought it would be - and frankly, I am glad I did.  It makes it a lot easier for them to see clearly.

I had an aversion to the liquids - seriously I gagged and vomited with every swallow.

Had to reschedule and the next time I went on liquids for three days, took a Ducolax suppository to get things started and  took five ducolax pills.


Early the morning of the test also took a fleets enema.  Since constipation is such a problem for bandsters may want to start a day early.

The gastro said it worked.

I just had my 3rd colonoscopy last week (1st since WLS last August).  Even though I've been very tight lately, I had no problem..Clear liquids the whole day before, little Dulcolax pills at 1 pm, then 1/2 gal of Gatorade with Miralax starting at 5 pm (took me about 3 hours to drink it all, but I'm NOT a Gatorade fan).  I was just told nothing to drink after midnight, so I could have taken longer.  As others have said, try as hard as you can to get cleaned out well, and get the exam done..it's a real lifesaver.  One of those cancers that can be found early and cured!  One thing that was wonderful was not stressing out about having the IV put in..My previous colonoscopy they had to have some "expert sticker" do mine because my veins were so deep (and covered in fat!)  GOOD LUCK!

Phyllis