Yes, I’m vegetarian - it wasn’t one of the doc’s prohibitions.
Though, as I look over the list of forbidden foods, I’m not sure what it is I do get to eat for the next few days. No sesame seeds, flax, beans, vegetables or fruits with seeds, high fibre foods… That’s about 95% of my diet right there! 
Yeah, I’m not vegetarian, but it turns out most of my diet has some fiber, too. I lived on white bread, milk, yogurt, and ground beef. Without catsup, lettuce, or pickles. Without any of my usual breakfast cereals. Without any fruit. That was my least favorite part of the prep. I disliked it more than the final day of “clear liquids” or the hours on the john, because it lasted longer.
When I had mine nine and four years ago, my only diet restrictions were 24 hours before the procedure. I could eat anything prior to that.
Yeah, me too. The doc even said I could consume Ensure on the fasting day, which is definitely not a clear liquid. Thank goodness for that - it helped me not feel starving the day before.
I do a complete fast (no food or water for 25 hours) every year for Yom kippur, and i sometimes mess around with intermittent fasting. A day when i can drink as much water and tea as i want, and have sweet soda and jello whenever i want, is not much of a hardship. I wouldn’t want to do it often, of course, but knowing it’s only one day makes it bearable.
But most of a week without fiber was horrible.
That reminds me, I have a Cologard sitting in my living room, just waiting for me to use it.
I’ve done that before, too. That time, I had to do it over because I sent too large a specimen the first time! The kit includes a bottle of preservative, and the “specimen” has to be smaller than that bottle, which is about 8 ounces.
My wife had a positive Cologuard test a couple of weeks ago. We’ve had an anxious couple of weeks, but she had a colonoscopy yesterday and all they found were a few polyps. Yay colonoscopy!
My pre-liquid-diet prep days allow fruit, though it has to be canned (or I think fresh without peel).
Honestly I think it’s overkill for most people, since the actual firehose excretory process will blast most stuff loose, but I assume there’s some science behind its being a recommendation. Still, a LITTLE bit of residual fiber shouldn’t cause huge issues. For example the housemate served us a dish involving garbanzo beans, my last day on solid food. I ate it. And there were no problems.
I only typically was told 2-3 days on the low residue diet. This tended to cause a problem diametrically opposite that of the prep day - i.e., bricklike output. I asked the doc if I could use Miralax those days; he said it was fine.
In recent years, this has not been a problem (as I have a chronic diarrhea issue).
Evening AFTER, or evening BEFORE?
AFTER: while the minister might not have felt up to it, would not otherwise have been a problem. Even the tooting would have dissipated by then.
BEFORE: Er, yeah, no, NOT a good idea.
The first time i did this, i had the firehose effect, and the whole cleaning went very quickly, and i was told the prep was “excellent”, and everything looked slick and clean. The second time, everything was much more sluggish, and the prep was merely “good”. The doctor had to spend a lot of time rinsing the walls of the colon so he could see all of it, as there were little clumps of soft fecal matter resting in many of the nooks and crannies. (I watched both, as you may recall. There were also a lot more nook’s and crannies the second time. My colon looks old and wrinkled.)
So… Maybe i needed it? I have to wonder if more soluble fiber might have helped keep things moving, though.
I found a study citation online that said a 3 day low-fiber diet was no better than a 1 day low-fiber diet in terms of benefit (in fact that there were no studies citing the 3-day version as better). Still, while it’s annoying at times, best to do whatever the doc recommends on that.
I suspect it made no difference in my case. One of my pre-procedure instructions last time (not this time - dunno if they just overlooked it) was to stop my Welchol 3 days before, as well. The prep was almost redundant at that point!
Mine was 5 or 6 days of low fiber. It was really unpleasant.
Done and dusted - no polyps, no props, no mega farts. “Fuck off, and see you in 10 years.” says the doc.
Interesting that the prep wasn’t as bad as the last time - is this because of a vegetarian/vegan diet? Going to low fibre 3 days ahead? I dunno. All I know is I worried because it wasn’t awful enough, and I thought I must have done something wrong compared to the last time.
Though Peglyte still tastes bloody awful!
Wishing happy anal probing to all my friends!
Had mine yesterday, ugh. If they told me the outcome I don’t remember a bit of it. I barely remember leaving the hospital. Not eating for so long makes my stomach really sore and gives me a wicked headache. My gut still isn’t right today.
Heh. That reminds me that my first (and so far only) colonoscopy was in 2020. My initial appointment with the doc was a video chat. I saw him very briefly at the facility before they knocked me out. And I have a vague memory of him coming in after to tell me things were fine. But realistically, I’ve only met him while aware for all of one or two minutes. I couldn’t tell you anything about him.
I’m on the five year plan due to family history, so I’ll probably get to meet him in his office in a 2025.
Bleh. Any idea what “cocktail” you were given? I tend to remember anything they say, fairly well - to the point where when talking with my doc shortly before this one, I said something like “You said right afterward that no evidence of Barrett’s, and then we got the path report and SURPRISE!”. He was pretty surprised that I remembered it.
I’m finally being taken up on my offer to drive anyone within a hundred miles of our metro area to their appointment: a former co-worker of my husband. He’s actually 120 miles away; I told my husband that T gets the “friends and family” mileage discount. This will be the day after we get home from 3 weeks in Florida clearing out the parents’ condo… luckily we are taking the auto train back, so I should actually be safe behind the wheel…
No idea. The first time I had one, I woke up before they were done, I remembered what they said both during, and after.
This time I suspect it had more to do with being either next to, or last through for the day. Maybe rushed through just a titch at the end? Maybe released me to my ride before I was quite 100%?
Then again, I’m smaller and don’t weigh much so maybe it was just a few extra drops of silly juice, and it was enough to take me out?
I’m not really worried that they found anything concerning, I mostly want to know the verdict on when I have to have one again! (Fingers crossed, 10 yrs!)
I used my Cologard, and a few days ago got an all-clear call from my doctor’s office. Yeeha!
You don’t have to be 100% to be released. That’s why they make you arrange a safe ride
Also, depending on what drugs they gave you, you may actually be pretty functional. I can feel myself becoming more and more aware, pretty much as soon as I’m in the recovery area. I don’t necessarily feel SUPER alert - but if I didn’t intellectually know better, I might think I could drive. Which, I suspect, could turn out quite badly.
15 years or so ago, my husband had sinus surgery in a day surgery center. With delays, he wound up not going back until something like 4 PM, and was in recovery about an hour later. He was the last person in the recovery area. I really think they pushed him out the door a bit sooner than they should have because they wanted to leave. It turned out OK, but if he’d had a late reaction to the meds, or started bleeding, it might have been pretty unpleasant.
This, by the way, was a big part of the reason when I was offered an afternoon slot for my gallblader surgery, I said nope, and waited a few weeks for a morning slot to be available. Fewer opportunities for delays prior to your own slot… and of course “don’t eat after midnight” applies whether your surgery is 6 AM or 4 PM.
Although, if it’s late enough, your can drink in the morning, and, for example, get your daily coffee or tea.