Phobia to Vomiting but need Colonoscopy

bnicemendez

Hi everyone. I’m new here and found this forum while looking up colorectal cancer symptoms. I’m a triple negative breast cancer survivor. I was diagnosed in 2015 and underwent surgery, chemo and radiation.

So I’ve always had issues with constipation my whole life. I was diagnosed with IBS long ago. However, for about a year now, I feel like symptoms have gotten worse. Not sure if it’s due to age. I initially started getting this gnawing sensation on my left abdomen area with bloating. Then the bloating went away and the gnawing turned into intermittent pain. I seem to get the pain mostly when I haven’t gone for a few days. My doctor told me to use senna which I also had to use during treatment. I’ve been drinking smooth move tea on and off and it helps reduce the uncomfortable feeling. I also think I have hemorrhoids because sometimes it hurts when it comes out (sorry TMI). I think I need a colonoscopy but I’m deathly afraid of the prep due to horror stories about vomiting (my phobia). Any thoughts/suggestions?? Thank you all.

PatrickR1950

I had a colonoscopy last Monday. The prep solution tasted unpleasant, but was told to drink no more than eight ounces at a time and then wait fifteen minutes before repeating. Pacing it that way helped me avoid more than a slight twinge of nausea.

All the best.

bnicemendez

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1714472#Comment_1714472

Thank you for your feedback. Which prep did you get? I know there’s several. What were your symptoms that led you to get one?

PatrickR1950

It was PEG 3350. It came in I guess a gallon container as a powder, that I mixed with water. An hour before starting on the solution I took some laxative pills. I then drank half the liquid in 8 oz glasses, one every 15 mins or so. Then I got up at 5am in the morning to repeat the process with the other half. Very unpleasant night spent near the bathroom, but I did not vomit nor feel like vomiting. Just a temporary wave of light nausea at one point.

I needed the procedure to find out why I was anemic. Just as well I got it since the found a mass that will have to be removed surgically.

One thing that kept me going the night before was the thought of the nice juicy hamburger I was going to have once the procedure was over. :)

Talk openly with your doc about your concerns about vomiting. Perhaps there are ways to diminish any nausea.

bnicemendez

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1714493#Comment_1714493

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I’m so sorry to hear that you’ll need surgery. I hope everything goes well for you. Good vibes being sent your way.

bangle

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1714480#Comment_1714480

Hello actually due to my mom and sister having issues with the prep I asked for Sutab. These pills are much easier for me and I have used them twice now with no problems. Insurance can be an issue at times and I did pay $60 out of pocket. Well worth it in my opinion

bnicemendez

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1714628#Comment_1714628

Hi, I’ve heard about the new pills but they’re huge and I struggle to take pills normally so that wouldn’t even be an option for me unfortunately. Thank you for your feedback. Any suggestions help.

PTiger

bnice, I did colonoscopy prep in late March and then repeated that for surgery (right hemicolectomy) in mid-April. I had heard all kinds of horror stories also. I didn't find it all that bad and certainly no issues w/vomiting. Both times I was given pills to take (Dulcolax/colace) which are teeny tiny pills, very easy to swallow with a smooth coating.

There was also the liquid part of the prep, and the two were slightly different in that one I was to mix with Gatorade or similar drink that I purchased and the other just got mixed with water. I'd read that pre-mixing the solution and refrigerating it would help with palatability, so I did that. I was instructed to drink an 8-ounce glass every 15 minutes until it was gone, so I set the timer on my smart watch and off to the races!

My doctor had also said that if I found that I simply COULDN'T drink a glass at the scheduled time, either drink what I could and save the rest for the next 15-minute interval or just pass on that particular interval and get back to it on the next one. Nothing terrible will happen if you have to take a little bit longer to get the solution down.

I didn't find the taste unpleasant, actually much like a Gatorade-type taste with both. What struck me the most was that I was quite chilled by the time I was done, and I guess it shouldn't have really been a surprise to me that I was cold after fasting for a day and then drinking a bunch of refrigerated liquid! But that's why they make blankets and heating pads (and basset hounds, of which I have one), right?

Anyway, I realize this is way after you would have any need of the info, but I hope that posting my experience here might be helpful to someone else reading this thread somewhere down the road.

bnicemendez

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1715591#Comment_1715591

Any advice is greatly appreciated! The doctor told me we can hold off on doing it for now so any stories before it’s my time to do it is helpful. I’m glad to hear that you have a positive story for it to share with me. Thank you so much. I hope you are doing better now. God bless.

Elle58

I do the Miralax/Dulcolax colonoscopy prep (GOOGLE it) with Lemon POWERADE (not Gatorade) and find it very tolerable (as someone who used to gag up the old God-awful solution). *If you eat a light, soft diet a few days before the prep…toast, scrambled eggs, mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, yogurt, chicken noodle soup, etc., you will find that you will clear out completely even before finishing all of the prep liquid. I clean out completely after about 40 ounces of it. So much easier! Good luck!

Elle58

my.clevelandclinic.org › health › articles › 2121...Drink 32 ounces of the mixed solution by drinking an 8-ounce glass of bowel preparation every 15 minutes for a total of four glasses. Fifteen minutes later, ...

bnicemendez

They don’t force you to finish the entire prep even after you clean out? I read that even if you’re showing that you’re clean that you still have to force it all down? I struggle to drink a lot of water on regular days because I’m so thin so I just can’t see how they expect this. Thank you for your post as any feedback is helpful. God bless

PTiger

bnice, your best information on exactly how to do the prep will come from your doctor, NOT from accounts on the internet. I know how easy it can be to get pulled down the rabbit hole of online "information", but take it with a grain of salt. Yes, I'm sure that some people do have a bad experience, but again, realize that everyone has a different bar for what constitutes "awful" and "unbearable."

I remember during Covid that I was reading about side effects of the vax and was wondering what some of the "severe" side effects were. One person who was interviewed said that their arm was sore for a day and they felt a little feverish for a day or less. That, to them, was "severe." That, to me, is NOTHING. Different people, different tolerances.

So again, before you get all worked up about how there is no possible way you can do this and how awful it's going to be, get the facts from your doc and realize that there is certainly some flexibility. You have a LOT of time to consume the prep, and if you take a bit longer, it's not like it's not going to work; it's just going to take you another half hour or whatever. We here are pulling for you; you CAN do things you think you can't, bnice.

**Disclaimer: Just to let you know, after my right hemicolectomy, I had an absolute MELTDOWN when I found out that I would be expected to do 28 more Lovenox injections at home. I am OK w/lab draws and IVs, in fact have been a blood donor for many years, but this is all predicated on my not looking at the needle. Clearly, if I had to inject myself, I would HAVE to look. No way, absolutely no f'ing WAY this was going to happen! A pharmacy person and a truly wonderful PA came in and explained to me what the choices were regarding postop clot prevention and the pros and cons of each (they are guaranteed of entry to heaven for their patience w/me). Once I had settled down enough and processed the information, I had to agree that the Lovenox injections really were the best choice. I was able to do the injections w/o any major problems and they were actually pretty ho-hum after about a week. I'm trying to carry that experience w/me as I go forward—I wasn't sure I could handle getting my port put in, but it wasn't that bad. I was very worried about having the port accessed for my first chemo, and it wasn't that bad. A person gets scared, a person gets worked up, I get that. But we're here to support each other through what we think we can't do, right? You can do it.

Elle58

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1715621#Comment_1715621

No, once you are cleaned out and running clear with no visible ‘debris,’ your colon is clean and you are good to go! The soft diet a few days beforehand is the critical part as your bowels will clean out a lot faster if you avoid whole grains, meat, and roughage. I buy (2) 32 oz. bottles of the Powerade to mix with the Miralax, but end up only needing about 40oz. of it before I am ‘running clear.’ Everyone is different though. It really is tolerable. IMO

*I try to schedule a first morning appt. for the colonoscopy, then I start the prep around 4pm the day before and am cleaned out by bedtime. Maybe mention to your gastroenterologist that you would like to try the Miralax/Powerade/Dulcolax prep and see what he/she says about it.

bnicemendez

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1715623#Comment_1715623

I believe that’s the one they wanted to give me so this is good information to know. 👍☺️

bnicemendez

Thank you for sharing. Sometimes doctors don’t seem to care too much about people’s fears and that’s why some of us need some reassurance. I also thought I couldn’t do chemo and somehow I got through that.