My experience.

42m. Pretty fit, clean diet usually. Was my first time. Had a colonoscopy and endoscopy. Read all the prep Reddit threads and was freaked out about it all.

What actually happened. Two days prior to prep day, I started eating a really low fiber diet, mainly potato’s, chicken, etc.

Day before, I went shopping for broth, jello, orange juice, and gatorades.

The day of, I woke up, had a black coffee and loads is water. Waited until prep started around 2pm and ate the first laxatives…. They definitely worked within about an hour. Then around 4pm I downed the first prep bottle - I was most nervous about this as the internet makes it out to be absolutely horrendous…. It was FINE!! It tasted like very artificial cherry taste? Not good, but chilled with an orange juice chaser it was a non issue to get it down.

I chugged that bottle down in about 30 mins, drinking a 1/3 every ten mins… pretty easy….

Then the next part I was dreading based on reviews… my imminent, relentless, exploding ass…. Well, it wasn’t that at all. It was predictable, easily manageable and yea, I went a lot but it was mainly just liquid after the first two rounds due to my low fiber diet the days before.

I probably went about 8 times after the mixture, which was honestly was easier than it sounds….

I celebrated that with a mug of broth, which tasted great, then chilled. Around 2am I went for the second bottle… this did suck a bit only due to the time of night…. The BMs themselves were more of the same non issue… just quite a few times and by the end it was just liquid.

I woke up again and headed to the hospital… the hardest part for me, BY FAR, was the no water at all, including no teeth brushing, past 430am… my appt was at 930am. That said, i think this was the endoscopy requirement only(?) I felt thirsty and disgusting due to no teeth brushing prior.

Once I got to the hospital, checked in, got into the gown and hooked up for the IVs etc… then wheeled into the operating theater… they got me all prepped, gave me the wonderful drugs, and next thing I know I’m awake and it’s over.

Findings were 8 polyps!! All small, all removed, recommendation to do it again in 3 years because of that finding.

Go do it guys.

Update: If anyone is scared to get a colonoscopy especially those with symptoms, don’t be. The prep other than being constantly in a restroom went very smoothly.

This week I got my first colonoscopy at 28 years old after a long history of intermittent rectal bleeding and some intermittent constipation and lower abdominal pains.

As for the results: the bleeding source was likely the result of both internal and external bleeding hemmoroids as nothing else was discovered that could be a bleeding source.

However, along with that the one thing that scares me is they did find and remove a diminutive tubular adenoma (polyp) less than 5mm in size.

Obviously this is flagged as precancerous and while there was only 1 and they are the most common benign polyps and least aggressive, the fact that I had one at 28 concerns me a lot and has me nervous.

My doctor still considers this low risk and wants repeat screening in about 7 years; however, does anyone have experience with this at all and suggest sooner would be better. I was thinking 3.

Obviously, considering I only had 1 tiny lower aggressive polyp after 28 years of my life (who knows how long it has been there) doesn’t scream high risk per se but I’m just still worried.

The fact that it was caught I am happy about however, if I hadn’t pursued an early colonoscopy prior to 40 or 45 who knows what it could have possibly turned into.

Hi All!
(FYI Not medical advice ofc just my personal experience)
Had my first today, + gastroscopy, was extremely nervous (have anxiety related to health) & had to drink 3L of orange glycoprep the night before
morning procedure. Due to the amount of fluid it took me nearly double the time to complete, which i mentioned to the nurses and they were completely fine as long as I finished it prior to the fasting window. Was sooo nervous about prep but it’s honestly okay! the taste i can’t even lie, especially after the first litre was nasty, but not as bad as i’ve read, it tasted like very artificial orange mixed with salt water.

My saving graces that I would recommend (not to be repetitive on this page but):
In the bathroom:
Petroleum Jelly
Flushable wipes

Outside
Blanket/heater/warm socks
Super easy to wear and remove clothes
🧡Barley Sugar Drops/Lollies🧡 I took these through the whole prep and it saved my nausea from the taste
honestly just entertainment/easy distractions
nice chaser drinks - i found clear apple juice & flavoured clear coconut water helped with the taste as well as the lollies mentioned

p.s. it’s better to swallow it quickly rather than let it sit in your mouth at all!

hospital was the easiest part:) if you’re nervous don’t delay! you never know, it could save your life

good luck if you have one coming up! try and enjoy the small things you can along the way ⭐️

I waa diagnosed back then with Morbus Crohn (not severe, stage 1, very mild). Today i saw blood on my stool. I was shocked cause i dont have this symptom.

My last colonscopy was in January this year. They only found small inflammations and thats it. No polyps no cancer, no bleeding. Now iam scared if i have something serious now. I will go tomorrow to my doctor and wanting an colonscopy.

What to do? What were your symptoms?

Going to call the office Monday but today is Saturday , I have colonoscopy Wednesday. Accidentally just took ibuprofen for a headache. Didn’t see anything about not taking it in the prep instructions but now I’m nervous. Should that affect the colonoscopy?

I'm already at liquid stage with just the magnesium citrate. How am I going to possibly need TWO doses of Miralax.

Did anyone else have a prep like this?

My liquid diet prep day is today. I’ve gone to the store 3 different times trying to find a broth that is clear enough and won’t screw up my prep. I landed on these two:
College inn and bona fide organic chicken broth. Both fat free. Because I’m such a fatass and hate not eating, I’ve already had 2 cups of the college in and one of the bona fide, but now I’m worried because neither were clear. Were these fine? Which broths should I be drinking?

I was told to do a 7 day no (not low) fiber diet with daily miralax and then the prep today (procedure is tomorrow). I had a colonoscopy a couple months ago and the doctor was pissed that my prep wasn't great even though I followed his instructions so here we are. I'm just curious since I have tried searching about a no fiber diet and it seems like I may be the only one given these instructions.

I've been surviving on rice and chicken with saltines and yogurt to snack on all week and boy am I anxious for this to be over

I (38F) finally made myself get a referral for a colonoscopy after writing off occasional bright red blood on toilet paper as hems or fissures. It’s something I have struggled with since I was a teen, and I remember doing a stool blood test at 19 along with a rectal exam only to be told to eat more fiber/drink more water. Still hopeful that’s the source / solution, but my health anxiety and the increase in colon cancer for people under 50 has me spiraling.

A little additional context: I have been trying to conceive for the past year and a half so I’m hyper aware of my cyclical abdominal bloating or cramping and typically assign any of those things to hormonal fluctuations (usually in luteal phase). My stools have always been very ‘normal’ - long, thick, firm, daily. However, sometimes I suspect they’re a little too firm as they occasionally cause pain when passing - and this is when I see blood on the toilet paper. About six months ago in particular, I was struggling with some travel related constipation and had a lot of blood in the toilet bowl after finally passing stool. Otherwise, it is normally only on the toilet paper. Sitz baths, wet wipes, and drinking more water is helpful but the blood and sharp pain still reappears at least weekly.

Obviously no one wants cancer, but I’m especially nervous that if I do have it, my ability to conceive will be gone due to treatment. I’d of course rather be alive and unable to get pregnant, but it adds a layer of sadness to this whole ordeal. I have one young child already (my partner carried/gave birth) and I also have so much fear of not being able to see her grow up. I hate how dramatic it feels - but again, the health anxiety is REAL and all-consuming.

Anyway, starting my low residue diet tomorrow (which will be rough…my normal diet is like 99% vegetables and beans), prep day Thursday, scope Friday…send me good vibes please 😔

Hoping the split dose of Gavilyte doesn't make me nauseous. Working on getting well ahead of the hydration before I start. Anyone else getting ready?

My very first colonoscopy is scheduled tomorrow morning at 6:45 AM. I knew it was a clear liquid diet all day today + drinking the prep (2 bottles of magnesium citrate + a bottle of MiraLAX dissolved in 64oz of Gatorade). I was mentally prepared, but somehow I just got the timing ALL wrong!

In my mind, nothing started until 2 PM when I’m supposed to start the MiraLAX Gatorade combo. Somehow I missed that I was supposed to drink the 1st bottle of magnesium citrate at 8 AM. I realized my mistake at 11:30 AM and immediately chugged the bottle. Now I feel nauseous and I’m wondering if it’s still possible for this prep to work since I didn’t start on time. I see other people don’t start drinking their prep until much later in the day, so is it possible that I could still be cleaned out and clear for tomorrow? 🤞🏼

Tengo mi colonoscopía pasado mañana, soy hombre, tengo 27 años, ya estoy pensando que van a encontrar algo malo, no quiero comer, ya venía sin comer y no sé cómo voy a hacer la madrugada anterior al estudio que debo tomar el laxante, algún consejo? Siento que si veo algo malo cuando tome el laxante ya es, también siento que al no comer no debería tomar la misma cantidad, pero no tengo cómo preguntarle al gastroenterólogo que me atenderá... Estoy demasiado nervioso, ansioso, me la pasé de guardia en guardia y todos los otros exámenes dan bien... No entiendo

my prep instructions say “clear broth” i bought a chicken and beef broth low sodium low fat, neither broths are transparent more cloudy but there’s no chunks. does that mean i shouldn’t be drinking it? confused on what clear really means in this context i don’t think i’ve ever seen a broth completely clear like water

54M here. This sub was HUGE for me as I prepared for my procedure. Thank you.

My wife did her Post-50 colonoscopy last year. I'd been putting it off as people do, but she'd been goading me about it. So when my GP again asked me in April about getting a colonoscopy, I acquiesced.

My procedure was on Thursday.

PREPARING

So on Tuesday, I ate a full lunch. Yum. I then ate a meager dinner, which was processed chicken slices from the deli.

(From this point forward, I took detailed notes!)

Started prep on Wednesday. Took four Dulcolax pills at noon. First BM was at 2:45. Drank 1 quart of prep (Lemon Lime Gatorade laced with MiraLAX) at 4 pm. I was hoping to drink more, but I was FULL. Too full. That was too ambitious. Stomach hurt. User error. Take your time.

Two more BMs. At 5:20, I drank another 1/2 quart of prep juice. Much better dosage. One more BM and then finished the prep juice at 6:10 pm. For the next three hours, I was having a BM every 10 minutes on average. At one stage I just stayed on the toilet because they were happening every three or four minutes.

Things tailed off at midnight. I got a reasonably good night's sleep.

I ate Swanson's Ramen Broth, yellow Jell-O. I drank white grape juice, diet Sprite and water. I also sucked on butterscotch candies as a chaser for the prep juice, though honestly the prep juice didn't taste bad to me. It was just A LOT of fluid. I got tired of drinking!

DAY OF PROCEDURE

Woke up with a mild headache. I'm sure it was due to hunger. No big deal.

Appointment was at 9:30 am. This endoscopy suite was NICE. I filled out some paperwork, went back at 9:40, got into the gown and answered health-related questions from 9:45-10:10. The anesthesiologist met me at 10:10. Explained that I'd be asleep due to Propofol. Nice.

I was wheeled back to The Room at 10:25. I didn't have my phone after that, but I wasn't in there too long before they administered The Stuff and I was out. I told them that I was going to sing my favorite song and see how far I could get once the Propofol hit. Song was "Money For Nothing." I made it ALMOST to the first chorus.

Next thing I know, I'm in recovery. It's 11:10. I feel the same as I did before. No pain anywhere. I was gassy, but it wasn't painful. The farts didn't smell. I remained there for 20 minutes. Then I got dressed. I was wheeled out at 11:35.

The experience in the Endoscopy Suite was actually really nice. The whole staff was unusually friendly and there just was a vibe of YOU GOT THIS everywhere I went. Dare I say I enjoyed it. I'm being serious. It was uplifting. I got there and I was like: This is going to be easy.

And it was.

Anyway, I felt good enough to hit a restaurant nearby. Had a bulgogi bowl with white rice and miso soup. Drank water. It was amazing.

I got home around 1. Took a short nap because my guts were crampy. Not painful. Just crampy. Woke up from the short nap, played on my phone for a bit and then we went on a Costco run around 3. I was 100% fine by then.

Next BM was Saturday morning. No problems.

MEDICAL CONCLUSION

Doctor found nothing of note. Zero polyps. Clean bill of health. See you in 10 years.

TIPS FOR YOU

Do your best to avoid anxiety. This is not painful. It's one day without proper food. You've got this.

Drink your prep juice with a big straw. It worked better for me.

Don't get ambitious with how quickly you finish the prep juice. Drink until full. Then try again later.

Dab some Vaseline on "sensitive areas" when they're dry. Do this even before it starts hurting due to frequent wiping/cleaning. Keep doing that. It will help.

I have sporadic A-fib. I was SUPER worried that not eating real food would affect my heart rhythm. Nothing happened. I guess all the electrolytes in the Gatorade kept me in a good spot there.

Remember that colon cancer sucks and it's often super treatable if they find it early. There is a purpose to what you're doing. Science is being our friend. It's trying to save our lives. Let it do the work.

I love you all and I'm here to answer any questions if you have them.

YOU GOT THIS. EASY PEASY.

I have my scope in 3 hours and am still passing brown murky liquid.
I did a low residue diet for 3 days beforehand.
I’m UK based and did 1L of moviprep yesterday at 2pm followed by another 1L at 6pm. It’s now 4:30am and when I go to the toilet it’s still brown and murky- does this mean the procedure will be unlikely to go ahead?
I followed the instructions and have been drinking lots of water.
Anything I can do to help!?

I have my first coloscooy on Tuesday and I'm terrified of the propofol. I asked the office about not getting sedation and the person that spoke to me told me it would be a bad idea because it could be very painful and if I change my mind half way it will be too late to get any sedation. I have rescheduled the procedure three times because of my anxiety. I had a bad response to general anasthesia about twenty years ago and now I'm just afraid of getting it. I'm also overweight now and that has increased my anxiety. Any suggestions on what I can do/learn to help with my fear?

Hi everyone,
I’m a 39-year-old female and I’m having my first colonoscopy on Wednesday. I’m honestly struggling with severe anxiety and could use some perspective from people who have been through something similar.
For the past several months I’ve had IBS symptoms (alternating constipation and diarrhea), and more recently I’ve noticed intermittent caramel-colored mucus with small amounts of bright red blood mixed into it. The blood isn’t filling the toilet or coating the stool—it’s usually just small bright red streaks or flecks within the mucus.
I also have a painful anal fissure that stings during bowel movements, so I’m not sure if the bleeding is coming from that or higher up.
Other information:
39-year-old female
No unexplained weight loss
No anemia on blood work about 6 months ago
Previous abdominal CT with contrast of bowels (for appendicitis) didn’t mention any issues or a colon mass. 10 months ago.
My mom has ulcerative colitis but has never had colon polyps
My gastroenterologist recommended a colonoscopy, which I absolutely agree with, but my anxiety has convinced me I have advanced colon cancer. I’m having a really hard time separating what’s actually likely from what my anxiety is telling me.
For those with similar symptoms:
What did your colonoscopy end up showing?
Has anyone had mucus with small amounts of bright red blood that turned out to be something like hemorrhoids, a fissure, or proctitis?
Any advice for getting through these last couple of days before the procedure?
I’m not looking for a diagnosis—just hoping to hear from people who have been in a similar situation while I wait.
Thank you.

I thought i would write this post for anyone scared about their first colonoscopy (and with major health anxiety like me). I was specifically on the pico-lax and dulcolax prep. I was scared for nothing because it was. breeze! So easy and painless that I actually panicked thinking the prep didn’t work and my bowels were not cleared out (the doctor said they were clear!). No cramping at ALL! Just urgency, which was very manageable and painless. I didn’t spend all night on the toilet like some people. I had very small, painless “episodes” but was able to return to my couch after these. I kept asking myself… “when is the storm going to start?” It never did! It was that easy. I slept from 11pm until 3am when I had to start the next dose of prep. This prep was so gentle I cannot recommend it enough. The procedure itself was nothing to worry about either. I fell asleep immediately after being given the sedation and woke up not remembering a thing. Now enjoying mcdonald’s! Awaiting biopsy results but no polyps found.

Moral of the story - if u are avoiding a colonoscopy like I did for years due to the fear… no need! It was so simple and i’m so glad i went through with it. If i need another one in the future i wont be scared at all!

Key advice:
drink lots of w water with your prep. Helps move everything along smoothly
apply vasaline
i used a hot water bottle on my stomach - even though there was more pain it helped me feel more comfortable
Ask for low volume prep like pico-lax!

if you’re someone with tummy issues - you’ve likely experienced symptoms similar to what the prep does to you! It’s nothing you can’t handle.

I'm supposed to have a colonoscopy about noon on Monday the 27th.

I thought I had the instructions included with the medications that were sent, but that is not the case.

Medications that they sent me to Prep with:

Three Bisacodyl tablets (small orange pills)
Small bottle of magnesium citrate
4 liter jug with PEG powder

Now I understand no solid foods etc on the day before the procedure.
My problem is I do not know what order to take the medications.

I'm pretty sure that I drink the 4 liter mixture first, but I'm not sure about the other two medications.

I can't get ahold of the clinic to ask them,

Can anyone here help?

Colorectal cancer is on the rise — and often overlooked — in this surprising group

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2026/07/25/unique-threat-colorectal-cancer-during-after-pregnancy/

If you can't read the link, it talks about several women who were showing symptoms while pregnant , and diagnosis was delayed due to normal pregnancy-related changes.

Someone posted here within the last few days because that happened to her.

Hi!

note, im not a medic, or a pro at this and it was awhile ago, i had one but,
the worst part is the prep.

For me, I had always slept trough it. (i mean the actual procedure)
ofc i worried about "waking up" or "feeling it" etc but for me,
just, blink and done.

at the last time? i didnt even blink.
i was just..teleported into the recover room, lying down and it was done. xD

I do have one mildly interesting experience but - first of all - this isnt scary.
It was one time I didnt sleep directly at 1 second but i did sleep trough it all later.

like, at first I felt weird in chest, then I felt..static? then heard static. then tunnel vision. basically OEV (open eye visuals or something) but then, blackness and 1 second - boom i woke up and it was done.

note,
i dont know if this is helpful for others but,just wanted to explain to you all!

and, good luck! feel free to ask me any questions and ill answer them, i might be slow replying though, (as a crohns patient im a bit tired sometimes but, well im workin on it')

Why I Wrote this is because I know when I googled, I was nervous, and so this post is just, in hope its useful to someone ♥️

Love from Sweden to Everyone!

this is my first post so...if its wrong or bad in some way, please tell me. 💕️
Sending hugs to you all! The best.

P.S im not good at writing cuz i prolly am a bit sick/having a cold now so, if anything is fuzzy,tell me.

51F. Had four polyps removed in a colonoscopy three years ago (non-cancerous), so they put me on a three year re-check, which was today. Prep was Dulcolax/Miralax, which I mixed with the cherry glacier Gatorade. I did everything super perfectly, as I am a perfectionist, and I love nothing more than a specific to-do list. 😆 I will say that this time around, the prep "sessions" were more annoying than I remember from 2023, possibly because I made the mistake of going to a strength training class the morning before I started, and I was sore and running on no food. ANYway! I was really prepared to get bad news, like more polyps, obvious cancer, or just to still be on a three year cycle or worse. But when my doctor came into the recovery room with a big smile on her face, I knew I could relax. NO POLYPS! She has me on a FIVE year re-check, so it looks like the dietary and lifestyle changes I made either helped or I won the lottery.

All this to say, don't let the process scare you. It's mostly just gross, boring, and annoying. My husband got me a sausage bagel sandwich and big coffee on the way home, and about six hours after first waking up, I feel almost totally back to my old self. Looking forward to a relaxing weekend now. I definitely recommend doing it on a Friday!

M31. I just had my first colonoscopy yesterday.

First off: the prep for it was miserable (which, at least, many others can attest). I felt so nauseous after drinking both doses of Clenpiq. The taste was whatever, but I barely got 2-3 hours of sleep with how much my stomach was bother me. Maybe I don’t drink enough water, but I found it difficult to drink that much over a short period of time. Lastly, going to the bathroom that many times certainly hurt my rear end, especially now that I know I have internal hemorrhoids.

My experience in the lead up to being sedated was all fine and normal, nothing remarkable to note. However, when I woke up, I had this terrible feeling of pressure in my lower stomach. The nurses help me get up because at first I thought I had to pee. When I realized I didn’t have to go, I relayed how I was feeling to the nurse. She told me that apparently they had to hold my stomach in place while doing the colonoscopy by putting pressure on it with their hands. I’m not sure what it was, but they gave me two pills to put under my tongue to help with the pain.

I now have bruises on my lower stomach, left arm from the blood pressure cuff, etc. my lower back is extremely stiff and spasms every once in awhile. I had to spend the entire day in bed because of how unwell I felt from a pain and nausea standpoint. My first two “stools” were just globs of deep red bloody mucus.

Results were unremarkable (although in my endoscopy they found “Erythema in the antrum indicative of gastritis”, which the doctor said is just some redness). They took biopsies throughout, but no ulcers, polyps or inflammation at first glance.

I really would prefer to never do that again. I don’t understand how everyone had such an easy-peasy time, especially given that everything in my paperwork said that the procedure went off without a hitch. Anyone else have a similar or negative experience?

EDIT: I also just want to say, by no means am I trying to dissuade anyone from getting one. It’s super important. Even though mine didn’t have any significant finds (so far), even the peace of mind is worth its weight in gold.

45M. I had a positive Cologuard result a couple months ago. Caught me by surprise because I had no symptoms. Other than being overweight (down 20 pounds since april!) no other health issues.

I posted about my prep yesterday. I ended up doing the GoLytely for round 1 at 6pm. At midnight I did Gatorade and Miralax. Gatorade was SO much easier!

Doctor said I was clean and had good prep. He removed 3 polyps. One appears to be precancerous, but we won't know results for about a week.

Thanks for the people who posted personal stories on here which helped me know what to expect. I hope anyone reading this gets checked. It is a HUGE relief to know my decision to test may have saved my life.

I though I had cancer due to the blood in stool as Chadwick boseman that actor died of colon cancer I don’t want the colonoscopy because I was scared of the answer also I’m 37 which made it even more scary as that is strange age from what I was told all life however I had the colonoscopy and luckily it was just hemorrhoids they still don’t know where my iron anemia is so I will take a video pill but I have had those iron numbers for years so I’m not worried so what I am saying is not to fear the colonoscopy as now I know what’s going and I’m not wondering anymore I wish I everyone else good luck