Hi Superheroes!! 💜

I hope you’re having a low symptom day. Chances are you are prepping for a colonoscopy soon, which if you are- you came to the right place! I’ve (unfortunately) had more colonoscopies than I can count so consider me your right hand woman! I had my colonoscopy today (so this is fresh as a daisy in my mind)

I specifically asked for the SUTAB prep instead of the traditional liquid prep. Reminder I’ll say forever to my zoom members: 🌟if you don’t ask, the answer will always be no!🌟 They were going to give me the liquid prep… but I simply asked on the phone if I can do the Sutab prep and I’m so glad I did. The worse they say is no! The Sutab prep is pill form instead of liquid, it clears you out the same but you are not drinking a nasty endless jug of prep.

The Day Before: Liquids Only 💧

The day before my procedure was clear liquids only all day.

I had chicken noodle soup hold the chicken & the noodles lol. 

At 5:45 PM I was instructed to take Gas-X to help with bloating and gas (this was new to me, out of all the colonoscopies i’ve had this was the first I was told to get and take gas x!) 

6 PM: Starting the SUTAB Prep 💊

At 6:00 PM, I started the first round of SUTAB:

• 12 pills with 16 pz of water
  
• Followed by more water (another 16 oz)
  
• Then another 16 oz of water 30 minutes later
  
• And another 16 oz of water 30 minutes after that
  

Yes, it’s a lot of water.

Yes, it’s a lot of pills… and they are large!

Key tip ❤️‍🔥 take zofran before- to help prevent nausea! 

For me, this was still a million times better than drinking that thick salty disgusting liquid prep that feels like it’s never ending! 

The Night Of: Bathroom Runs + Comfort Mode ✨

I was up very often throughout the night, going back and forth to the bathroom while my system cleared everything out. I felt as soon as I got comfy and was drifting away to sleep I had the urge to go!!!

In between bathroom runs, I got comfy in bed… I started out watching a show with my mom in the living room but I wanted to be comfy in bed near my bathroom, I was also getting exhausted. 

• Heating pad on my stomach activated ♨️ (highly recommend)
  
• Emily in Paris playing in the background… a mindless, comforting, funny, cute show that requires zero brain power (highly recommended for prep or flare nights!!!!) Fun fact: the bad heightened flare I was in, in November- I had rewatched all of Emily in Paris… because it’s that cute and mindless!
  

This combo made the whole experience feel way less intense and much more manageable! 

2 AM: Round Two

At 2:00 AM, it was time for the second round… my mom is the sweetest and always joins me no matter when where and what time!

• Took the remaining 12 pills… you have to complete it within 15 minutes which may seem or feel rushed but it truly is plenty of time!
  
• With 16 oz of water
  

And then… more bathroom trips, more clearing out but again still not nearly as intense as the liquid colonoscopy prep!

The Morning Of: 

The morning of my procedure, I wasn’t allowed any liquids at all, not even water because of anesthesia.

And wow… I was SO. THIRSTY. My mouth was painfully dry!!!!

So I spoke up.

Because again…if you don’t speak up, nothing changes!!! 🌟

I told the nurse how dry my mouth felt, and she immediately brought me lemon swabs to moisten my mouth…which helped so much and tasted yummy lol!

A small thing, but a huge reminder:

✨ Your comfort matters.

✨ Your voice matters.

✨ Doctors & nurses are human too and if they were in your shoes they would be advocating just as much or even more!!! 

Final Thoughts

You WILL feel depleted because you’re emptying everything out that’s normal. You will feel extra thirsty due to the sutab pills… again normal! Once the colonoscopy is over you will have delicious apple juice or whatever your heart desires! My nurse brought me a blueberry muffin that I devoured in two minutes lol along with nice cold refreshing apple juice. 

Was colonoscopy prep fun? Absolutely not.

But choosing SUTAB over liquid prep made this experience SO much more tolerable for me!!! 

If you’re offered one option and another feels better for your body… ask!!!

If something feels uncomfortable…say something.

If you need comfort, accommodations, or small adjustments…you’re allowed to ask for those too. 

You are not “difficult.”

You are not asking for too much.

You are caring for your body…and that is so beyond powerful.

Sending so much love to anyone prepping, waiting, or recovering!!

You’re doing something really brave & I am always a DM away!!!

XOXO

Lala 💜🌈💜