Colonoscopy Prep....need advice...

@kathy49 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Has your primary doctor given you any suggestions? They would know best your general health situation. What works for one person may not work for someone else.
Ginger

Hello @kathy49, I second what @gingerw said about colonoscopy prep. I will be 82 in a couple of months and swore after my last colonoscopy at 78 I would never have another one but things change. After my annual checkup the topic came up again and after weighing the pros and cons with my primary care doctor I decided I would schedule one. My last prep which I thought was OK didn't work out very well so this time I have to take an advanced prep which involves the tasty liquid (yuck!) along with some laxative tablets. You might find this Mayo Newsfeed article helpful:
-- Colonoscopy prep: make it easier
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/take-charge-healthy-aging/newsfeed-post/colonoscopy-prep-make-it-easier/

I can have any the go-lightly, moviprep or suprep. the last two are less liquid and easier to tolerate.
My choice.

I'm 78 and the last time I had a colonoscopy they had a new medicine for me to take before I had the colonoscopy. I bought the medicine but then read the side effects and ingredients. The ingredients didn't sound too good. I had to look up some of them to know what they were. But the side effects mentioned "death in some cases." Forget it! I didn't take the medicine. I used the following remedy that I have used all my life and still use. Things worked out just fine with the colonoscopy.

One teaspoon or more if needed, of baking soda (the kind you cook with – Arm and Hammer) dissolved in a glass of water. Drink the whole glass. You may want to squeeze a little lemon juice in it to make it taste better. It tastes awful, but it's natural and it works. Stay near the bathroom. It works fairly fast. By the way, this also helps get rid of gas and bloating. After it works, try and drink a lot of water to keep from being dehydrated.

I wish you the best.
PML

I do the children’s prep. It’s the only one I can tolerate. It’s miralax and 2 colace. It cleans me out!

My wife is 69 y/o and just had a colonoscopy with excellent results. Her surgeon told her that colonoscopies are not needed after age 70. This was news to me. Has anyone heard anything similar? Thanks.

And Kathy - your Dr should recommend a colonoscopy prep. If you haven't done it before it's not pleasant - but colonoscopies are the gold standard for identifying any existing problems, and eliminating future problems via benign polyp removal.

All the best to you.

Joe

Some say no more after 75 I guess some say 70. But it does make a difference your history and lets say you reach 75 but have not had one for 8 years....rather be safe and have one more while still easy (relatively) to do prep. This will be my third with no history of polyps. Doctor ordering this at Mayo is not in the GI department and is fine with me using any of the preps. It is routine. Just seeing if anyone had a story about taking xxx and not complete clean out? I also think it might be more difficult in terms of electrolytes etc. the older you are.

I think the answer for getting one past age 70/75 is what was found on previous colonoscopies and what was removed. My last one at age 78 was difficult which I think had something to do with a messed up colon (twisted?) but they did remove a small benign polyp. My previous PCP wanted me to get one but I was against it because of the difficulty of the last one. My new PCP had a better perspective and helped me understand a little better why I should get one more due to the polyp that was removed.

I have issues with low sodium and my doctors have me on a 1.5 to 2 liter liquid restriction so it doesn't fall "dangerously" low. I'm worried about the prep but I'm being told that Golytely is the prep I should use, but I can't get a straight answer as to why that would be different especially in regards to my low sodium issues.

For the past three colonoscopies I have had, I used Pico Salax. It is over the counter in Canada and expensive ($40) but if the doctor writes a prescription for it you can get it for a lot less. I prefer this prep despite the cost because it consists of two small sachets.

During the prep day you can drink any amount of your choice of fluids as you want before that on that day - black tea, black coffee, clear broths, juices and jellos (both any colour except red, purple or blue). You take the first sachet, dissolved in 120ml. water, at 4:00 p.m. on your prep day. Then you take the second sachet at 10:00 p.m. on the prep day, continuing with intake of your choice of fluids. I think you are prescribed one or two Dulcolax with this prep too.

I was never able to finish GoLitely or Moviprep because it made me throw up after the first half of the prep! Hated it! Pico Salax is so easy to take! There is a generic brand of this - Purgo-something but I prefer the taste of the brand name Pico Salax. Both brands have the orange flavour, although the powder is white.