Phobia to Vomiting but need Colonoscopy

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.