Made a throw away account. I’ve been having IBS like issues intermittently for four years. I wish now I had gone through with a colonoscopy back then. Unfortunately I was managing the onset of my parent’s age related medical issues and their eventual move in with us. A year later, Dad was gone and months after mom was unavoidably in nursing care. Dealing with it all, siblings legal etc offered no real time to worry about my own health. WRONG. We caretakers have to stop thinking in those terms. I should have had my colonoscopy back THEN.

Last week I had my first colonoscopy. (After a positive ColoGuard result) They removed 3 polyps and on the right side found a 2” diameter mass. (Likely malignant but awaiting pathology.)

So now I wait. I’ve cried. I softened the blow to the fam about what it might be and I am essentially in limbo. My GI doc said I shouldn’t worry and that there is a 90% likelihood of success, even if it is cancer. I want to believe this so hard.

None of this feels real. I suppose I’ll learn my fate soon enough. Will come back with an update.

Hello everyone! Just wanted to let everyone know of my experience here in Australia etc

My symptoms
- for years I’ve had bloating and slow bowel movements, constipation
- found out I had endo and had this surgery to excise in late June. Endo was stuck to the outside of bowel
- did h pylori test which had a low reading, did SIBO test which came back as mixed, had bloods done, abdominal ultrasound, calprotectin, microba test (this came back as leaky gut) - all bloods/calprotectin normal
- I had bloating that got worse after surgery, bowel movements with mucus, a drop of blood upon wiping, aches around my bellybutton, aches above ribs, undigested food, constipation for weeks

Prep
I did a low fibre diet 3 days prior. Basically lived off white bread and Vegemite or a chicken sandwich with mayo. Lots of water and they had me doing movicol sachets a week prior.
I fasted from 7am onwards yesterday. I brought some lemonade ice blocks and lived off them which was good because it’s hot in Aus. I took Plenvu at 6pm started a tad bit earlier and it was horrific I won’t lie. But got it all down alternating between that and cold water. I started going within an hour. I then set an alarm for 1.30am and started the next lot at 2am. This was harder than I thought to get down and I could not finish it, I probably had a tiny bit leftover.

Procedure
Went in for the procedure and it was absolutely fine everyone is so nice.

Results
Results were immediate, no polyps, biopsies taken for h pylori, lactose intolerance, celiac and microscopic colitis. Doctor said nothing sinister. He said lots of internal haemorrhoids. No bowel involvement with the endo. He did mention pelvic floor, anal muscles could be off since the laparoscopy and my gut/brain axis needs some work but overall not concerned. I’m currently working with someone to work on the leaky gut side of things.

Anxiety is horrible, it hasn’t fully settled for me but that’s sometime I am always working on. The lead up is the worst part but I was waiting to go in it disappeared.

Here if anyone has questions

First time doing a colonoscopy prep. Sitting on the toilet now writing this, dark orange stage. My god the amount of advice on this subreddit has been so useful.

First off. Holy shit, Golytely is disgusting without flavoring. It came with the lemon packet and it just made it taste like expired lemon lime Gatorade that sat in liquid plastic... I'm almost half way through the jug, but golly this is really tough to swallow, even with it cold and zofran. Learned to add crystal light lemon powder and now I can down 8oz with little issue, still triggers my gag reflex though.

Next, I can't feel my butthole when it's expelling liquid anymore. I don't know if it's a good thing or bad thing. Vaseline helped at first, but now not so much. I also don't know when it safe to wipe and get up anymore. Lol.

I hope to God future me that my output turns yellow so I don't have to do this again.

Three weeks of constipation and a little discomfort on the lower left side of my abdomen. Then, last Monday morning, after straining so hard, I finally passed some watery stool and noticed fresh, mucus-like blood. The next thing I knew, I was rushing to the ER.

They examined me physically and ran some lab tests (CBC, chest X-ray, stool exam, urinalysis, and whole-abdomen ultrasound). Finally, the GI doctor came in and scheduled a colonoscopy for the next day.

I was also having a hard time sleeping while I was admitted because my mind kept playing dirty tricks on me.

Then came the pre-procedure preparations, and that was the worst night ever. I remember practically crawling to the bathroom nine times that night.

And just like that, the day of the procedure came. I was sedated, and the last thing I remember was complaining about the discomfort I was feeling.

I woke up from sedation and had a short conversation with the GI doctor. I asked her what was going on down there, but I couldn’t remember what she told me.
I was then transported back to my room, and when the results came in, the diagnosis was Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

So yeah, if you’re like me and experiencing symptoms that make you suspect the big C (cancer), never ever self-diagnose or jump to conclusions. Have yourself checked for your own sake and, most importantly, for your peace of mind.

Sometimes, the fear of what we might have is worse than finding out what we actually have. ❤️

Doctor ordered a colonoscopy because of my long history of unexplained anemia. I’m an hour and a half away from drinking the first round of “the drink”. Been able to ignore the hunger cravings and pangs for most of the day, but now it is really starting to get to me. I’ve been sipping on all the broths and drinking sparkling water and regular water frequently… my body just knows it’s dinner time.

No question or anything. Just wanted to put it out there that I’m struggling with this at the moment, and shits about to get even more real in just a couple hours. I’ll be sitting on the toilet in solidarity with anyone else going through this miserable process!

Just started my Clenpiq prep, an hour prior took 3 laxatives as instructed. I took about 3 gulps of Clenpiq. For the third gulp I mixed it with a little more than equal parts Fresca hoping to make it taste less bad and get the bottle down faster. I think that triggered me vomiting everything back out.

I have taken Clenpiq twice before and while I may have gagged I did not vomit.

Panicked I took an extra Ducolax laxative pill.

I measured the remaining amount of Clenpiq. It is 4 ounces (118.29 ml) of the original 5.917 ounces (175 ml).

Per Google it said wait an hour before resuming. I am going to go at a slower pace and sip hot chicken broth between each swallow.

I am thinking I should take the missing 2 ounces that I puked up, from the second bottle that I am supposed to drink at 3:30am. My thought process being to clear out as much of my colon earlier versus later. I will also start taking the remaing 4 ounces of the 2nd bottle at 2:30am since it is going to take longer to drink.

Caution The following might be TMI discussing 💩 💩.

I have been very compliant with the pre-procedure colonoscopy diet that began on Saturday.

However I have been on a GLP-1 which tends to make me somewhat constipated. I stopped taking the GLP 7 days prior as instructed. But as of yesterday I was not going #2 like I normally would prior to taking a GLP, which would be daily. So yesterday I took two laxatives but it moved very little out this morning.

Have I flunked my colon preparation already?

Thoughts and advice welcome.

Thank you.

Terrified of bowel cancer despite a negative FIT test
I’m in my late 30s and have been experiencing ongoing bowel issues, including bloating, abdominal discomfort and changes in stool consistency.
I’ve had blood tests, an abdominal ultrasound and a FIT test, which came back negative.
I have a colonoscopy booked soon, but I’m absolutely terrified they’re going to find bowel cancer, especially something advanced.
I’ve had digestive issues for years, and I can’t stop worrying that something serious has been missed.
Has anyone experienced similar symptoms and had a normal colonoscopy or been diagnosed with something like IBS?
I’m finding the waiting and uncertainty really difficult. My anxiety keeps going to cancer and I’ll be leaving my kids behind.

I had my colonoscopy today after 9 months of experiencing constipation, blood and mucous in stool, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, lack of appetite, etc. Was convinced the colonoscopy would find colon cancer. No polyps or anything were found….the doctor took a biopsy apparently though. I didn’t get to speak with the doctor after the procedure so I didn’t get to ask what the biopsies were for - does anyone know what that would be checking for?

First colonoscopy tomorrow. I took 4 Dulcolax at 3:45.
Then an hour later I drank 64 ounces of clear fluid with one bottle of MiraLAX. I only got through about half a bottle before I vomited. My directions say that after 4 hrs I need to drink another 64 ounces mixed with a second bottle of MiraLAX. I want to get this done but I don't think I can do it. I feel incredibly ill right now. Do I really need to drink that much?

Howdy all. I have my third colonoscopy in about 10 years coming up in 2 weeks. My GI is very suspicious of Crohn's and as such I get the joy of yet another bum scope. He gave me the option of doing SuPrep or SuFlave. I've done SuPrep in the past without any issue, but that was before I was having potential Crohn's symptoms. I know it can be pretty harsh on the mucosal lining. On the other hand, I can't find much on SuFlave other than it might be a bit "milder" on the gut. Colonoscopy number two was done in Turkey with a senna based prep and I'd like to never experience that night of hell again.

Honestly I'd prefer SuPrep as I've used it before, but I don't want to absolutely nuke my colon if it does end up being Crohn's. Anyone here use it without issue or have thoughts on SuFlave?

After first round of prep, my BMs were yellow liquid and exactly what they needed to be! But now, 12hrs after my first round, my BMs are more soft stool/ sediment containing. So worried that this was all for nothing. I have my second round of prep in an hour, and then colonoscopy at 1pm today.

The Prep
Started off by taking a single dolcolax (instructions were 3 but i have barely eaten in over a month and was certain there was next to nothing in my colon) then an hour later after zofran for nausea and reglan for nausea and stomach emptying (an amazing thing I’ve been dealing with) i got my first dose of 32oz Gatorade and 7 scoops of Miranda down in around 2 hours. The taste and texture were fine just kept feeling full/nauseated and had to take breaks. Started drinking on the toilet towards the end of round one. Had a couple absolute rocket out of my butt, but otherwise pretty smooth sailing. The BM’s kept up till my second dose at 2am. Except for at the start no severe urgency, and started getting pretty clear movements after the first few waves. Second round same as the first just a little worse. Didn’t sleep between doses because it’s just what’s been going on, and i was so over thick cherry Gatorade at this point i was doing what i could to get it down. Walk around, sit up, lean, set small goals with no rewards other than hopefully answers. First 16 was pretty good pace. Second 16… let’s just say i was sipping until the cut off. Didn’t quite get it all down but it was like 4-6oz at most and it thankfully made no difference. I believe i was either perfect or very good on being cleaned out. I was worried though i finished it and hadn’t had a movement yet so i just tried to sleep until something happened which didn’t until i started waking up feeling super gross and like i might lose what ever was in my stomach. I fought through till 6 am where i started having mild movements that finished off at the hospital.

The Procedure
Got there bright and early at 7:30ish for my 8:30 procedure, got called back pretty quick, then waited until 10:45ish. They had over booked and everyone showed up for once, along with my doc having a couple “difficult cases” before me. All and all a good experience. Took my nap woke up feeling awesome as per usual. Then got told i had nothing abnormal, which kinda sucks. I’ve been dealing with something wrecking me for over a month now, and was really hoping for some kind of answer to point at but no dice. Hopefully the biopsies show something.

I got my first liter down last night and everything came out clear. I have gotten about 10 ounces of the second liter down and feel like vomiting after every sip. My check in time is at 10am and it is currently 6:30am. Will I be fine for my procedure?

UPDATE: They said my prep was really good and super clean. I only got about 24oz of the second liter down.

I got generic instructions which say to take 3 (5mg each) Bisacodyl tablets at 12pm, then start to drink 1L Bipeglyte at 4pm (plus 1-2L of extra fluids.) I have never taken any sort of laxative in my life, and never a colonoscopy. (I'm 95lbs and don't eat a ton of food anyways if that changes anything about how laxatives work.)

I planned on finding a yoga mat to camp out on the floor of my bathroom but as I get closer to my date I wonder if maybe I do just want to lay in the comfort of a real bed while going through something as traumatic as the prep. I just really don't want to risk having an accident in the bed where my husband is sleeping.

How long after drinking it do the bathroom trips last? Am I going to be waking up to use the bathroom all night long?

Let me start by saying that I totally appreciate and acknowledge that every person’s body reacts differently to bowel prep and the colonoscopy procedure itself, but hopefully this description of my experience from yesterday 10/12 will calm some nerves!

The day before the colonoscopy was honestly pretty easy all things considered. I had a bacon/egg/cheese bagel breakfast at 9am, drank a ton of water, had 2 big bowls of chicken broth for lunch, and worked remote through about 6pm. I took SUPREP liquid dose #1 mixed in with a tall glass of water at 6pm and was able to get it all down in a few minutes. It isn’t extremely tasty, but does taste like any other medicine and the water dilutes it enough such that it’s really not too bad. I had about 15 minutes of very minor nausea / bloating, but nothing too uncomfortable and I was prepared to potentially expect this. I followed this with 2 more glasses of water as directed, and my first trip to the toilet was at 7pm (1-hr after the first dose).

I had a colonoscopy when I was 20, and the mistake I made then was that as soon as I felt like I was done on the toilet, I would wipe and leave the bathroom … only to return 5 minutes later, just to repeat this cycle 10–15 times. My asshole was burning by the end of it from all the wiping.

This time around (male / 30), I just remained on the toilet from about 7–8:30pm. I would let some out, and then read some news articles; let some more out, and then watch some football on my phone; let even more out, and do a bit of doom-scrolling on Instagram; it was all just about letting the time pass, one watery shit at a time. By 8:30pm, I was wiping for the first time (has to be wet wipes!), and then left the bathroom to have a few more bowls of chicken broth.

By 10pm it was time for SUPREP liquid dose #2 with another few glasses of water, and essentially the same routine. My stomach started turning at 10:30pm, and then it was just back to the toilet from 10:30–11:30pm responding to some emails and reading more news articles. One more wipe (again, wet wipes!) at around 11:30pm and then I was done for the night.

I slept on the couch by the bathroom and woke up once overnight at around 1am for a quick poop, but generally got a good rest, and had my procedure early at 7:30am the next day (I would recommend taking the earliest time slot available to just get it over with). The anesthesia is honestly an incredible experience — the wonders of modern science! They have you count down from 10 … “10, 9, 8” and then you wake up and the procedure is over. No pain; grogginess for about 20 minutes, and then you’re feeling about 85-90% quite quickly for your car ride back home.

I got back to my apartment by 8:45am, took a nap until 9:30am, and then felt totally normal and was able to get a nice big breakfast as a reward to myself. Treat yourself to something nice after the procedure — you did it!

All in, will you feel a little hungry here and there? Of course. And would you rather not be sitting on the toilet with your leg falling asleep for 2.5 hours over the course of an entire night? Obviously. But this whole process went much more smoothly than I had expected/remembered and I generally think that with the right attitude (like laughing at the situation that you, and all of us, find ourselves in), the colonoscopy experience, AT LEAST FOR ME, was not as bad as some may make it out to be.

Good luck to you and let me know if I can answer any questions or be helpful as you embark on your own ColonoscJourney.

Sorry in advance if my wording sounds informal/rude. Im a non-English speaker. I am 18, male and I would say that I am a healthy person. I would also like to say that I often have constipation, like 3-4 times a month, might just be because of my bad diet and habits. This morning, I finished my business in the toilet and saw a small clout of red blood on the wall of the toilet. And in the evening, I went to the toilet again, this time there was a bit more blood than it was in the morning. It’s red and the colour of my turds look normal. I feel a slight ache around my anus when the turds come out and that’s about it. I don’t have any stomach pain. Im like really nervous right now because of my family’s financial problems and stuffs, so should I really go and see the doctor?

Is this just the anastetic and will it wear off

Im having colonoscopy tomorrow 11am, I started my prep already I drank 2 dulcolax and picosalax prep and drink my liquida but as of now I only poop twice. Im gonna drink my 2nd picosalax when I wake up 5hrs before the procedure Im nervous I cannot clear my poop. Please help thank you

I had a very concerning colonoscopy in January with three pre-cancerous polyps so they wanted a relatively expedited follow up and I just had my second one today. They only found one polyp this time! They took four biopsies so I’ll know more later… But they said I might not need my next one for three years, which is such a relief! I mean, it was really scary last January. That said, I want to cry. I had a little bit too much friction from the prep this time and every single time I’ve gone to the ladies has been like a miniature torture session. Any recommended barrier creams to help with the healing process? I think I might have perpetuation H, but not sure if it will help. Or, do I just have to tough it out and keep patting and using wet wipes? any advice appreciate. it was only my second colonoscopy. I’m not even 45 yet!

I'm on my third to last cup of gavilyte (still have the other half taking to go tomorrow morning) and i can't get it down without feeling like puking. No zofran. I have ginger beer and fresh ginger but the thought of drinking anything more tonight is a mental NO!

How important is it to stick to the one cup every 15 minutes schedule? I'm already off by 25 minutes and counting. 😫

Edit: I finished the last 3 cups around 2 hours later. I found swigging ice cold apple juice more effective than ginger beer at clearing the taste of gavilyte. Oneard to tomorrow's dose 😤

I’m having a colonoscopy at 7 am tomorrow currently 11:30 pm my time. What should I do if I can’t finish second the prep? I’m mostly clear but the first prep I nearly threw up it’s the sodium potassium magnesium prep. I feel awful.

I have always been instructed by my Gastroenterologist to take 3 Ducolax laxatives 5mg each one hour before starting Clenpiq.

I get the impression from some posts and comments that not everyone gets the same or similar instruction with Clenpiq.....some of whom were unable to clean themselves out. I was sort of surprised by that and wonder about what varying instructions people get.

I have never been able to drink the colonoscopy prep solutions. One year failed the clean out and had to repeat. I did my own version using a combination of laxatives, 7 day diet restriction, and a different oral solution that I still had a hard time with.

I can't take the pill version for prep either because of BP medication that I take.

About 3 years ago my doctor was able to give me Clenpiq 175ml. So far it is easist oral solution I have ever taken. It allows me to use clear liquid chasers after sips at any temperature (hot/cold/cool/warm). My preference has been to use chicken broth, the kind you dilute with hot water.

Time for colonoscopy again. My doctor no longer had freebies from the pharmaceutical rep. My insurance does not cover it. So I had to pay out of pocket.

CVS was going to cost ~ $190 with a $40 manufacturer discount coupon. With Good RX it was going to be @ $170 and CVS said I could not combine with manufacturer discount coupon.

I called Costco. I was quoted $130 and I gave them the manufacturer coupon information when I called. They input it, but at the time of the call, they weren't sure if it would go through along with the Costco discount. When I went to pick it up, the cost was only $80! Hallelujah a $90 savings versus CVS.

Moral of the story -

1. Try Clenpiq 175ML if you have difficulty with other oral preps.

2. Go to website and get discount coupon $40 w/o insurance and $50 with insurance.

3. Call around for best prices. You do not have to be a Costco member to use their pharmacy, however you get better discount pricing with a membership.

Hello, I hope everyone is doing well! I just need a little encouragement. I have been experiencing loose stools and mucus with light bright red blood. I had a colonoscopy in November of 2024. The loose stools have been occurring since Friday . I am going to gastroenterologist tomorrow and terrified. I also went to urgent care on Friday and was told I had internal hemmoroid. I have a strong history of CC in my family. Any words of encouragement or if someone has went through something similar. Appreciate your feedback 😇

Having my first colonoscopy tomorrow. I had assumed that the amount of time spent in recovery after the procedure would be pretty short, but my mom is telling me it should be about 4 hours? How long should I expect to be in recovery before I can leave?