Re: Fleet- Yuk!!!

From: Kate Murphy (katemm@mindspring.com)
Thu Feb 22 08:37:06 2001


On 22 Feb 2001, at 6:33, Tami Dana wrote:

> I just had to take the Fleet kit #1 and oh my gosh! I know what you mean
> about the phospo soda stuff, It took everything in my soul not to hurl
> that stuff back up! I actually cried while I drank it =(
> There are pills you can take instead of the Fleet soda stuff?? Please
> let me know what they are? I had to take the Fleet kit for a barium
> enema I had on Weds (yesterday) and next they want to do a
> colonoscopy... Can you tell me what that was like and if it is painful?

The pill prep is called Visicol. It is new -- just approved last year and just on the market last month. Your doctor may not know about it, but it has been shown to be as effective in cleaning the bowel as Fleets.

If you get stuck with Fleets, be sure it is very cold. I add a bit of lemon juice and follow it with ginger ale or something very tasty. I used to use cranberry juice, which worked well, but I foolishly decided to mix it directly in the cranberry juice. Now I can't even sniff cranberries without gagging. So don't mix it in anything you really love.

Colonoscopy should not be painful. They will give you a good wallop of Versed and demerol by IV. Most people report that they felt a cramp and then went to sleep. If it hurts, YELL! The drugs can be increased and the procedure slowed. If the pain or difficult inserting the scope continues, the whole thing can be ended.

I now have mine done under general anesthesia because of all the surgery and scarring. They also use a pediatric scope. Discuss your concerns with the gastroenterologist prior to the procedure. Don't feel like a wimp.

Let him know of the problems with the barium enema.

Please don't put off the colonoscopy because of worries about pain. It can be a life saving procedure. Colon cancer grows from small polyps in the colon that start out harmless (benign) and become cancerous. Removing them prevents colon cancer. Finding an early cancer can lead to 90% cure.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the US, and it can be prevented. So . . . don't avoid those tests!

Kate

--
Kate Murphy
katemm@mindspring.com

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