One thing that was different this time around was the type of bowel prep I took. The last time I had my colonscopy I had Suprep Bowel Prep Kit (which includes a very gross tasting bowel prep-12 ounces to be exact). My thinking when I had this bowel prep was "hopefully I don't have to do this for another 7-8 years). This time around I was prescribed Sutab. Given I saw Sutab was approved by the FDA for bowel prep I thought I would try this given I am not a fan of the Mirlax and Gatorade. Honestly, I can say I still have that yucky taste in my mouth even though I last had it 3 years ago!
The nice thing about Sutab is it is just pills and water (that's it!). Having to do bowel preps before I thought this would be an improvement over the previous method. My gastroenterologist allowed me to take Zofran (his prescription was for 3 pills) and I decided to take one pill before each prep (I took the first one an hour before my first Sutab pills). The way Subtab works is you take it twice (the evening before your procedure and then early in the morning of the day of the procedure).
I started taking the Sutab pills a little after 6 P.M. and then around 9 P.M. there felt like there was a storm in my stomach. It wasn't until around 10 P.M. that I had my first bowel movement. After that I would say I was in and out the bathroom a few hours then able to sleep until 2 A.M. when I took the next dosage of Sutab. With each Sutab you take 12 pills (these pills are easy to digest too) and then drink 32 ounces of water. I found that I was actually drinking more water even after taking the pills because I was thirsty. Even though I was in the bathroom a dozen times during the night I felt as if it was easier than the previous bowel prep. I also did not feel nauseated as some people online have reported (I credit the Zofran) with helping that).
Around 2 A.M. I woke up (and watched Frasier on T.V. to pass the time) and popped in one Zofran pill 10 minutes before I started my second batch of Subtab pills. I dumped the pills out on the table (the closest I will ever be to becoming a drug addict!) and took them one by one. For the second round I probably consumed all the pills over 20-30 minutes (as compared to the hour and half for the first found).
I would say this time around my rear didn't feel as raw as it did the last time I had a colonoscopy. The morning of the coloscopy I took a hot shower which did provide some relief to the pain I was feeling in my rear. One thing that really did help me as it did 3 years ago was having adult diapers. I ordered Depends years ago and rarely have used them since I don't have any flare ups from Crohn's. I did notice the night before the colonoscopy I had involuntary bowel movements. To me the adult diaper is somewhat like wearing a bulletproof vest for your rear in a sense. Since I am fairly conservative I used two adult diapers for protection. One thing I did different during the day is I had Pedialyte which I think didn't make me feel as dehydrated.
I weighed myself after I took all the bowel prep and weighed 170 lbs and this morning weighed 166 lbs (after I was all cleaned out). After the procedure me and my mother stopped by a local diner placed and I had a CLT (cheese lettuce tomato sandwich, French fries, and hash browns with some pecan fudge pie and ice cream). The last time I had ate was around Monday night at 10 P.M.
Compared to the last colonoscopy I was more sleepy and dazed post the colonoscopy even though last time I stayed up from 4 A.M.-8 A.M. to watch TV. My colonoscopy was schedule for 10 A.M. this time around but you typically check in, go back and get comfy on a bed and a nurse will ask you questions, and then they finally wheel you back. My glasses were on but I was taken back to the doctor around 10:20 A.M. and then put to sleep and I woke up groggy and had some food went home and took a nap.
In the days after the colonoscopy I probably felt more tired then usual (however I think my body was just trying to catch up on the sleep). In the report prepared I noticed on the report that I had a anal stricture which concerns me a little bit if there is anything I need to do to fix. However, it looks like the rest of the colon was okay (inflamed a little bit from the Crohn's as expected). My gastroenterologist told me this was nothing to worry about since it was just caused from the previous inflammation from the Crohn's and nothing new. Also honestly I don't feel any pain near my rear and just have felt a little constipated.
All in all I am glad I took the Sutab bowel prep and would do it again. The only thing I would change would be maybe starting the prep at 3 P.M. and the second round at 10 P.M. to allow for better sleep the night before. Given the pills take 3-4 hours to get through your GI track I would haven't to been worried staying up thinking when I will have a bowel movement. I am just happy that I am still in remission and don't have issues and had a clean bill of health.
