Question about medical test prep (not for the medically-averse or squeamish)

[Kay in Cal]

OK, my dh is having a colonoscopy tomorrow morning. (You knew it was going to be something like that, right?)

He's supposed to drink 4 liters of this clear liquid stuff to clean him out. Problem--he keeps gagging on it and vomiting because it tastes so bad (it does have added cherry flavor). He's a "super taster" in general, and very sensitive to unpleasant flavors. So what do we do? How much must he drink? Any MDs or nurses want to give some advice on this? He's been trying for half an hour, and it isn't pretty....

[Laurie]

My husband had to do this earlier in the month. His doctor gave him a prescription for nausea just in case, and he did take one of the tablets because the amount of liquid was difficult to get down. The tablets he got were called metoclopramide (10mg). I don't know how you'd get these tonight, though, but if he has to reschedule maybe this would help for the next time. Poor guy!!!

[Liz CA]

OK, my dh is having a colonoscopy tomorrow morning. (You knew it was going to be something like that, right?)

He's supposed to drink 4 liters of this clear liquid stuff to clean him out. Problem--he keeps gagging on it and vomiting because it tastes so bad (it does have added cherry flavor). He's a "super taster" in general, and very sensitive to unpleasant flavors. So what do we do? How much must he drink? Any MDs or nurses want to give some advice on this? He's been trying for half an hour, and it isn't pretty....

I had to down this stuff prior to a surgery last year. Pinch nose closed and take sips. That is the only way I could do it. Is he allowed to drink water? That may help to (somewhat) neutralize the taste. I could not drink or eat anything else during and afterwards up to the time of surgery.
I'd venture a guess it won't be pretty if he does not get it down...So Sorry!

[Remudamom]

You could try using a straw, sometimes that makes it easier.

[AnneJ]

I'm guessing it is Go-Lytely (funny name, eh?) that he is drinking. Sometimes it helps to pour it over ice. We also will sometimes put in sugar-free lemonade powder to help with the taste.
(I'm an RN)

Good luck!

[Rachel]

At our hospital they'll make him reschedule it if he doesn't take it........its darn near impossible to get a good scope and accurate results if you don't "clean things out"

The straw is a good idea, because you bypass most of your taste buds that way. If its the taste that's the problem. If its consistency......not much to do, but holding your nose helps with that problem.

If its psychological..........than he's out of luck unless he can just force himself to do it.

I didn't look at the time on this post, but it seems kinda late for taking the stuff for tomorrow..........but maybe its later in the day..........just wondering??

[AnneJ]

If he doesn't get cleaned out, they'll have to redo the test.

As far as it being late in the day, we frequently start colonoscopy prep late in the evening for a morning scope. Granted, the patients don't really get any sleep and are up most of the night on the bedpan or commode, but ICU patients rarely get a good night's sleep anyway. :( We'd start them earlier but we usually do scopes for GI bleeds and illness doesn't just happen 9 to 5.

[mrsdrcook]

He just has to get enough down to "clean him out". Till there's nothing but liquid running through the pipes.

Laura (RN also)

[Unicorn]

Try holding the nose closed while he drinks (ok, you did that already :) )

Put some vanilla extract on a cotton ball and hold that under his nose while he drinks, and if that doesn't work, try a cotton ball w/ vicks vapo rub in the same spot.

HTH- poor guy, poor you :grouphug:

[Kay in Cal]

Thanks, friends! Your advice confirmed my guess, and we called the doc's pager line after I posted.

Ugh, what a night... we tried for several hours, but every time he tried to drink it would come back up. He finally just stood over the sink. Dh says it wasn't the taste, he thinks, but something about the consistency that made his stomach reject it. He'd swallow, and 30 seconds later be retching.

Anyhow, we finally got a call back from the MD late last night. He said just to cancel this morning's test, reschedule for next week, and he'll have him do the pills prep. They have pills! But he wants him to do a liquid diet for two days before the pills, then one day of pills.... so no food from next Sunday to next Wednesday! Dh is just happy that he won't have to try to get more of the liquid down... he really felt bad, and kept assuring me that he wasn't trying to be such a pain. Poor guy... it was some night.

Thank you!