MIRALAX Prep // My 6th Colonoscopy! 

I hope the colonoscopy went well!! I do have a nutritionist who has helped me tremendously to identify missing nutrients and how to incorporate foods that previously caused me gastrointestinal distress. I hope you are doing better!

Hi Jen! I'm so glad to hear that you found my videos helpful! It's so important to go into prep day with a plan so you're not caught off guard. And IBS-C is no joke - I hope you're feeling better!

Thank you so much for your kind comment! Not sure why I’m just now seeing it, but I’m so glad you find my content helpful and relatable. i hope the colonoscopy went well!

I'm so glad you found the video informative! And keep up the good work with your violin - I have a 5 string electric myself and love it!

IT IS LIFE CHANGING

Thanks for sharing a bit of your journey! I was diagnosed with microscopic colitis initially, then another type I can’t remember the name of (#brainfog), before ultimately settling in the UC camp, so I totally get it! And I’ll definitely add that video suggestion to my list - thanks for the idea!

Thank you so much!

So glad it was helpful!

OMG you're so right! Thanks for explaining the science behind why my strategy works.

Hi! Obviously I'm not Alice, but I'm someone who had to have my first colonoscopy earlier this year (at age 28). It is the most normal thing in the world to be nervous about your first colonoscopy. I was nervous too, thinking I would get sick during the prep, only to find out that it actually went down quite smoothly. Ultimately you won't know for sure how your own body will react to it until you actually get underway. A few things that helped me in particular: 1) Taking time to shop around for different clear liquid options to find ones that I would actually enjoy drinking (especially the one that I ultimately mixed with the Miralax). 2) Making sure my bathroom was set up quite comfortably for the amount of time I would be in there. Maybe set up a little side table where you can park your phone or laptop or whatever and have some music or a favorite movie or show going to distract you a little bit. Maybe even light a candle if that's your thing. A little extra self care and comfort goes a long way in this scenario. 3) Aloe or witch hazel based wipes and/or Vaseline to help make the back end more comfortable. 4) If you're really, truly having trouble and you can't finish it, reach out to your doctor's office to talk about alternative options. And finally, just continuously remind yourself that this is the most normal thing in the world that just about every human being goes through at some point, and honestly going through the prep and having the procedure and knowing for sure what's going on in there is (in my opinion) way better than not doing it at all and not knowing at all. Good luck!!!

@@gracecook5804 Thank you! I actually am more nervous about if I would get nauseous after taking it and during the times I go. Miralax makes me nauseous even when I have one daily.dose but I know there is anti nausea medication I can use to help. Thank you again for your advice. :)

My doctor actually "prescribes" the miralax + dulcolax method! So that's what I do, I've had other docs who require prescription prep so I've done that too. I try to just do what my doctor tells me because I don't want to go through all the prep only to find out they can't do the procedure. That said, I've found the miralax + dulcolax works great. Last time I did the split prep, and I usually start with the dulcolax tables and then drink half the prep around 4pm the day before. Then I finish the second half of the prep a few hours before my appointment time.

Gastroenterologists all have their own preferred prep regimen, so when your doc says “Miralax isn’t approved,” it means that isn’t prep regimen. Miralax is OTC (at least in the US), so insurance companies actually prefer it (because they don’t have to shell out a nickel for it-it’s on you). The doc gets the final say, but you’re going to get whatever your insurer’s pharmacy benefit manager has a deal for, because this stuff is all generic. A little chemistry: Miralax, Suprep, etc. are all really the same active ingredient (AI). They are polyethylene glycol (PEG-yeah, basically polymerized antifreeze). The average molecular weight varies from product to product, as do the electrolyte and flavor additives. (Electrolytes and flavor additives are not active ingredients-the PEG is the thing.) Miralax is PEG-3350, meaning the average molecular weight is 3350 g/mol. PEG is an osmotic laxative: it basically creates diarrhea by inhibiting the colon’s water resorption function function. My best guess is that your GI prefers a prep with a higher molecular weight than Miralax for some reason. (I really need to ask a gastroenterologist some time why prep regimens vary so widely, but I don’t encounter them in my work life. I work in clinical trials but for now I’m working with neurologists on trials for autoimmune neuro diseases like MS and MG.) Fun fact: osmotic laxatives are contraindicated for people with IBD, but motility laxatives like phenophthalein aren’t going to clean you out, either. The alternative would be a high colonic enema, and I expect that’s probably worse for someone with IBD.

Yes, that’s normal! Any kind of colonoscopy prep is forcing your body to do things it doesn’t normally do, cramping, bloating, and general abdominal discomfort is to be expected and should subside once you finish the prep.

@@ChronicallyMusical thanks for your comment! Was the cramping strong or tolerable?