Anxiety About Colonoscopy Prep

Hello!

I'm going for a colonoscopy on Tuesday morning, and I'm absolutely, utterly, completely terrified about the prep. I'll be taking Plenvu, but I've heard that it can make people be sick. I'm really worried as this is truly one of my biggest fears - I'd rather go skydiving! I was wondering if anyone can offer any reassurance or any tips to help mitigate side effects like that? I've heard about keeping the drink ice cold, drinking it through a straw and having something nice tasting with it that meets the guidelines. I'm just so worried because I know that if I even begin to feel like I'll be sick then I won't be able to go through with it, which will just be a massive waste of time. I know being sick is not the end of the world, and I know it's a symptom and side effect that a lot of people have to live with - I just cannot face it for reasons far too long to get into right now.

Feeling very scared and frustrated with myself, any help or reassurance is appreciated. Thank you for reading this, have a lovely day <3

  • Hi I don't think there's any easy answer because I know where you're coming from ,I've had 2 Colonoscopies both times I had different prep ,the first time I had Moviprep which despite being awful didn't make me sick , the most recent time they gave me Plenvu which did make me ill ,in fact the second lot came straight back up before I'd even finished drinking it so really speaking I only had half of it but it still worked and  I went to my appointment which was fine ,maybe you could ask if you could try a different prep although it is short notice ,I think taking it really slowly might help I tried to rush mine ,also maybe try a straw anything you think might help .

  • Hi, I really appreciate you taking the time to reply, so thank you! I have a call with the department tomorrow so I might ask them then if I'm able to take something else instead. I've heard a lot of people say the second dose is the worst one, so I'm hoping they hospital might have an alternative prep available!

    If not, hopefully a straw will help me not taste it as much, and I'm going to try and drink very slowly and not gulp it down! Thank you for your advice - I do appreciate it :)