Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Bowel Prep

Question:
I was diagnosed w/Crohn's in 1992 (that was my LAST colonoscopy!) and had surgery in 1998.  I'm having my first flare-up since my surgery and my doctor suggested a colonoscopy again.  I haven't gone in to see him (spoke to him over the phone) but because I have Crohn's Disease, what are my options going to be for the bowel prep? I've heard about this pill form (32 pills) and took GoLytely way back in 1992, but I cried through the whole prep, threw up a bunch of times from it.  Does anyone know with Crohn's if there are certain preps you can/cannot do?

Answer:
The easiest prep I ever did was a glass of picoprep, followed by a liter of golytely, and then finished with another glass of picoprep. I also only had clear liquids the day of the prep, and low residue foods the day before (steamed potato/pumpkin/chicken). I think there is more of a chance of becoming dehydrated with the picoprep (because smaller amounts of liquid are consumed), but you are supposed to compensate with lots of fluids on the prep day. I just did the lots of pills thing. The pills are called Visicol. It was much easier than the GoLytely prep. You have to follow a liquid diet the day before the procedure, take half the pills that evening, then the other half in the morning. There's another easier prep that involves six ounces of citrate of magnesium, but it can be hard on your kidneys if you have kidney problems. Ask your doc. I've had uncounted procedures and finally just put my foot down on the GoLytely crap. Miraculously, my doc came up with less unpleasant alternatives. I was awake for most of my last procedure and watched it on the monitor. I can attest the bowel was squeaky clean. There are a dozen different ways to prep yourself. The best is what gets the job done without over stimulating things. Any pharmacist will have a number of suggestions, from oils and clear fluids to commercially made products. The other option is to call the scope clinic and ask if there is a lighter version. I used to administer barium enemas for a living (I'm an imaging technologist) and bowel preps were always an issue for the elderly, very thin and chronically ill. If your Dr wants you to stick to his/her prep, start it earlier, take less and stop when you feel clean. The average prep is designed for a 180lb man who ate a steak before starting the prep. It really is too much for a lot of people.