Kidney transplant: what was your bowel prep script for colonoscopy?

@caretakermom, I just had a colonoscopy on Monday. There are several different preps that are available. I would expect that the gastroenterologist (GI) would have taken your husband's medical history/kidney transplant into consideration. I think that each GI has his/her favorites based on the what works best for his patients by giving the best overall results. (That is only my guess - no scientific evidence to support it) I scheduled a consult with this new GI before I scheduled my colonoscopy because we have only 1 GI group locally, and this was a new doctor who focuses on patients similar to me. I wanted to 'check him out first'. When he wrote the prep prescription he said that he liked to use a certain one ( I don't even know the name right now)
Listen to your doctor in regards to your medications! BTW I received a phone call from nurse at the outpatient surgical center a few days prior to my procedure and I asked about the antirejection meds. She replied, "YES" I should take antirejection meds with a sip of water.

Is there any reason that you questioning the prep that the GI prescribed? Has your husband had any complications with a colonoscopy prep in the past?
NOTE _ I have a liver and kidney transplant.

Hi @rosemarya
Thank you for your response. I went with my husband to consult with the UCLA gastro. Yes he is aware that my hubby is a transplant patient from Mayo. I'm questioning about Clenpiq because it's something we have never used. Both hubby and I took GoLytely prep previously, with hubby being on PD at the time(over 3 years ago). I remember me gagging on the GoLytely and I had a hard time taking it the second time, almost vomiting the water to follow after!!

I read over the Clenpiq label it does warn that there may be contraindication if creatinine < 30. I've heard that there are some bowel preps that should not be used for ppl with kidney issues. Being a kidney transplant patient with only 1 transplanted kidney I just want to make sure the prep will not impair his kidney. I did ask the doctor about the immuno meds he says OK to take like usual but his staff just goes by what is written on instruction! I'm going to have hubby follow doctor instructions. And no hubby has not had any adverse reaction to the bowel prep, just difficult to have to drink the ghastly solution and then followed by 8 glasses of water. Have to do this 2x before procedure.

How often do you get a colonoscopy? The GI doctor says if there is polyps return in 3 years, else 5 years. This seems pretty standard. I was under the impression that transplant patients have to have more bowel screening due to the immunesupp. meds but the GI says no, it's skin cancer you have to watch out for!

@caretakermom I just had a colonoscopy March 27th at Mayo Rochester as follow up to local and have had many previous. Mayo and all others required me to do the big gallon prep like GoLytely or generic PEG solution due to low kidney function both pre and post kidney transplant. I would check with your transplant team. Also, follow up frequency depends on results, ie if you have polyps, what type, how big, etc. I went from repeat at 5 years to 3 years to 4 months now 3 months extended to 4 months due to surgery on Monday 5/1/23. Standard with no risk is usually 10 years.
**My tip for making drinking the solution easier is to suck on hard candy before and while drinking each cup of solution. I used butterscotch candies last time. I usually get a perfectly clean colon using this method. A nurse gave me this tip a long time ago. I hope it all goes well!

Thanks for your response @jennifer0726. I will call his transplant team on Monday and hopefully they will respond quickly. Colonoscopy is scheduled for 5/5/23. Didn't think to ask the team because it was the Mayo nephrologist who reminded us a colonoscopy was overdue and he didn't make give any warnings about what colon prep to avoid! But of course it's better to be safe than not. Hope everything goes well with your surgery on 5/1/23!

@caretakermom Thank you!