Has anyone ever taken an enema BEFORE they do the colonoscopy prep?

I used enemas as part of my miralax prep. 2 the evening prior to the procedure and 2 the morning of ....5 am. I was not sedated so I watched and a the colon was very clean.

I haven't done enemas before a colonoscopy prep. I have had them administered to me after completing the prep because it was incomplete. My GI doctor now requires a two day laxative and clear liquids prep. Day 1 is a four dulcolax tabs chased with aa full bottle of Miralax mixed into 64 ounces of Gatorade. That is quite the ordeal and I am already pretty miserable before taking the even stronger laxatives on Day 2.

I have another colonoscopy coming up in October. I am seriously thinking about just skipping the Day 1 laxatives and doing the preliminary clearing of my colon with a couple of 2-liter tap water enemas. That approach seems a lot less traumatic than adding a second day of strong laxative purges.

Whatever prep your MD recommends, it’s violent enough to completely clean you out. Some enjoy or feel the need for an additional flush but u know your GI system, esp the lower end so you know if you feel completely cleaned out.

Many years ago before all the different preps were available we used castor oil or x prep and some GI MDs felt the colon was to dry and ordered a liter of warm saline enema b4 the procedure. There were never enough bathrooms in the GI area for more than 1 or 2 people to be expelling an enema. That procedure was short lived

Yes, I do. I have had two colonoscopies so far. I did a deep clean out with enemas the day before I was to start the prep. I figured it would make the prep easier. I think it does for me.

YES - and my doctor was delighted with the results !

A few large volume warm soap enemas until clear yield a very cleaned out colon.

During the early days when colonoscopies were first being done some MDs felt that the colon was to dry from the severe prep so we gave a one liter (1000 cc) saline enema before the procedure. We were still using the prep for a barium enema so it was castor oil or ex-prep or dulcolax tabs, minimum of 5.

The prep today has improved compared to the stuff we used to use

I had my first colonoscopy 22 years ago. I was instructed to take a fleets before going to the outpatient clinic for the procedure then and I think for the next two. I also did a self administered 2 quart warm water and baking soda enema the day before I started the liquid cleanse.

As of today I've had 5 colonoscopies. First one was the worse as I did not know better and did not ask for sedation. All were from different places, doctors, in Italy. An enema is not required, so I always did the prescribed preparation. ....but....the last two times I was offered an enema by the nurse in charge, of course I gladly accepted. She told me not everyone wanted them, but she had found that an enema, in conjunction to the prep, made things so much better...she also had me walk around a little, to make sure all the liquid came out. Did not ask her what she used.... Due for another in about 5 years....

Ok a follow up to my post regarding my colonoscopy post a few months ago.

So, my colonoscopy was schedule for a Monday morning 10 AM. So, the day before (Sunday) I could only take liquids that were not red or purple in color, so I drank green Gatorade in the morning. When I got up on Sunday morning, I gave myself two enemas and was planning on giving myself at least one more maybe two. But my planning changed. I mixed up the Prep which was 1 gallon. The instructions said I could add Country Time lemonade to help with taste. I have to admit the taste with the lemonade made it drinkable. Now the schedule they want you to use if you are having the procedure in the AM is to drink half the gallon at 5 PM and the second halve at 10 PM. I generally fall asleep around 9:30 PM and get up early around 6 AM. So there was no way I was starting to drink the second half gallon at 10 PM. So I moved the Prep up to 1PM and drank it though the afternoon and early evening. As it turned out I was running clear around 4 PM. I had at least 10+ expels that were absolutely clear so I did not finish the Prep which there as about a 1/3 of gallon left.

Now onto the colonoscopy Monday morning. I opted not to do anesthesia. Everybody was cool with that including the doctor. I still had an IV in place just in case I needed to bail out and go under if there was too much pain- I never opted for the anesthesia. The room setup was fairly straight forward. The doctor was behind me, I was asked to assume the SIMs position- lie on my left side and pull up right leg towards my chest. I was facing the monitor on the wall- a large screen TV so I got to watch the whole procedure. The only issue was when the probe was going up my descending colon the doctor said my colon was "looped." At that point he asked me to use my right hand and reach under my abdomen and press upward. One of the nurses came over added her two hands alongside of mine. I will say this did feel uncomfortable similar to an enema cramp but once the probe passed through the loop the pain stopped. From there it was pretty smooth sailing to the cecum or the beginning of the colon. From there the probe was slowly pulled out and that is where the real exam starts- as they pull back, they look for polyps- they found one. The doctor said he was going to cut it off and it would be tested for cancer. It did not hurt and it seem kind of surreal as I was watched this loop wire being placed around the polyp and being cut off but I felt nothing and seeing it bleed. From there he stopped near the end and said this is the view from inside your rectum looking back at your anal sphincter. Honestly for me the colon, my colon, looks the same from start to finish. At one point I asked how do you know where you are because it all looks the same and there was no real sense of any curves as you move through colon.

So, would I do it again without anesthesia? Yes. I do think my extensive experience with anal play and enemas made the procedure easy for me. But for the average person, they probably would be better off going under anesthesia. The pain I felt was temporary and not scary for me but for some it might be too much. But it was fascinating to see and actually participate in the procedure.

By the way, my polyp was benign, so I was given a 5 year pass to my next colonoscopy.

Pathology on the polyp removed during my recent colonoscopy demonstrated pre-malignancy. So I’ll be having a follow up colonoscopy in 3 years instead of 5.

@Iris1858 I've had numerous colonoscopies over the years and every time there have been 1-2 polyps discovered and removed. I don't recall any of them being pre-malignant but my next colonoscopy is this December, 3 years from the last one. I guess it's the individual Drs prerogative as to the frequency.

So, I thought it might be interesting for some to share some of the aspects of my colonoscopy. So not having anesthesia, I got see and feel things that might appeal to the MedFet folks.

Well, first before the procedure started, they asked me to roll over so they could put what amounted to disposable diaper pad under my hips to catch any outflow that comes out during the procedure and yes there was some. This was a result of the doctor was using quite a lot of water to hose down my colon to get the best look possible which I saw on the big screen monitor. It was like expelling an enema without pushing it out and it was just draining out which felt pleasurable- my anal sphincter seemed very relaxed and open. At the end of the procedure the pad was removed, and they wiped my ass off with some kind of sanitary wipe.

So as far as what it felt like to have a probe inserted to the full depth of my colon, well as I mentioned going forward to reach the cecum, it did get uncomfortable at times. But when the probe was being pulled back it, I could feel the probe sliding out of my anus which for me was pleasurable. Again, I am a very experienced anal player with enemas and large anal toys so for me this was one of the positives associated with being fully awake during the procedure.