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Suggest Treatment For Blood In Stool In An Elderly Person
Posted on
Sat, 9 Jan 2016
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Sat, 9 Jan 2016
Answered on
Tue, 2 Feb 2016
Last reviewed on
Question : I am 75/ yr old female ans am scduled in 1 month for a colonoscopy due to blood in my stool. The prep the mMD uses calls for golytely. I know I can not tolerat the 2 gallons required of this as prep. This is my 1 st colonoscopy and have avoided them all these years because of th prep horror. I looked on the Internet and found PREPOPIK. The fluid intake is 1/2 of golytely and I think I can tolerate that. Have you found any problems with that and are there pills that can be used ?
Thank you for your answer in this matter. SCPRICE
Thank you for your answer in this matter. SCPRICE
Brief Answer:
Colon-clean preps intake should be followed by increased water intake...
Detailed Answer:
Hi Scprice,
I understand your concern.
All the preps used to clean the bowels before colonoscopy have the same principle of action : inducing frequent bowel movements which might cause dehydration.
To prevent dehydration, it is highly recommended to take clear fluids as directed.
So, both Golytely (polyethylene glycol) and Prepopik (mixture of laxatives and replacement salts) induce diarrhea to clean your colon.
A day before the colonoscopy you are advised to follow a liquid diet, no solid foods.
A night before the procedure, you should start taking your colon-cleanse as directed.
The next morning, should take it again, followed by drinking water up to 2-4 hours before procedure or as directed by your doctor.
There is no difference in choosing the colon-cleanse prep unless you have a personal history of kidney/liver problems or other health issues.
Do not get stressed, as these laxatives drinks are not as horrible as they might seem. Remember: they should be taken to clean your bowels without causing dehydration.
Good luck!
Dr.Albana
Colon-clean preps intake should be followed by increased water intake...
Detailed Answer:
Hi Scprice,
I understand your concern.
All the preps used to clean the bowels before colonoscopy have the same principle of action : inducing frequent bowel movements which might cause dehydration.
To prevent dehydration, it is highly recommended to take clear fluids as directed.
So, both Golytely (polyethylene glycol) and Prepopik (mixture of laxatives and replacement salts) induce diarrhea to clean your colon.
A day before the colonoscopy you are advised to follow a liquid diet, no solid foods.
A night before the procedure, you should start taking your colon-cleanse as directed.
The next morning, should take it again, followed by drinking water up to 2-4 hours before procedure or as directed by your doctor.
There is no difference in choosing the colon-cleanse prep unless you have a personal history of kidney/liver problems or other health issues.
Do not get stressed, as these laxatives drinks are not as horrible as they might seem. Remember: they should be taken to clean your bowels without causing dehydration.
Good luck!
Dr.Albana
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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