Moviprep – The Storm before the Scope

The fun of a scope is in the preparation. Said no one, ever.

My scope is scheduled for a Tuesday morning (thank goodness for morning appointments!) but my preparation of my bowel starts the Saturday before; three days prior.

On this day I start my low residue diet. Anyone with IBD will tell you they follow a low residue diet – a diet consisting on very little fibre, because that causes aggravation of the bowel wall, among other things – most of the time. Being on a low fibre diet for this amount of time is key because in order to get the best view of your colon, it needs to be completely free of waste materials. Fibre slows the digestive transit in anyone who is healthy so this time is needed to remove all waste. Lovely.

It is surprising what food contains fibre. Its quite alot and there is a long list of things which you can Google, if you so wish if you are curious, but there is a small list of things which do not. Which I will have to stick to until I have to stop eating. These include: milk, eggs, cheese, plain meat and fish, plain pasta and rice, potatoes with no skins, rice pudding, custard, ice cream, plain biscuits and cakes and fruit juice. Things I am used to eating because I actively avoid fibre. This part will be a piece of cake (and probably involve some cake, I’m sure of it).

Next comes the day before the procedure.

From 9am on the Monday morning, I’m not allowed to eat. That means having to have a very early breakfast. This will be difficult, I always feel really nauseous in the morning. I’ve decided to stop my Pred for the three days leading up to my scope, which means I’ve not taken it since my 20mg ended on Friday. It is doubtful Pred is doing much but helping me eat, so it won’t make much difference to not take it for a couple days.

By dinner time  – 5pm according the Moviprep schedule – I must “make up your first litre of Moviprep and drink this over the next 1-2 hours”. This will work out as one cup every 15-30 mins. I don’t need to rush taking it but it does all need to be gone. I shall be making up both lots of my prep – its 2 litres in total – way before I need it so I can chill it in the fridge for at least a couple of hours. Once the first litre is gone, I need to drink 500ml of water or clear fluid before my next litre of Moviprep. This second litre will start at 8pm  and should last another 1-2 hours, followed by another 500ml of water or clear fluid.

There will be alot of bathroom time. I found that last time, I lasted almost a hour before needing to go to the toilet. This is the second worst thing about this whole experience. The first being the taste of plain Moviprep but this shall be combated by flavouring it with a strong fruit squash. I usually favour tropical because I don’t usually drink it and after 4 hours and 2 litre of prep, it’ll become very boring and you won’t want it again for a very, very long time. Keeping the prep chilled in the fridge and sipping it through a straw also help remove the lingering taste.

I’m used to the running between the bathroom and have done bowel preps before, but I won’t be fully prepared for the increased frequency or increase in urgency / lack of control. It will be watery. It will be painful and it will hurt my stomach. In its essence, Moviprep is strong laxative masquerading under the nicer title of “bowel cleansing” medication. It will remove all water, which is why they encourage the 2 x 500ml fluids in between prep. Just going when you need to go is the best advise I can give; it all needs to be out of your system by the next morning.

Once all the prep is completed, you will still be going to the loo. It’ll be a long night. Your arse will hurt and it’ll be uncomfortable to sleep. But the good thing is you’ll be having sedation the next morning so it’ll be a nice 40 minute nap for you.

On the morning of the scope, I must be nil by mouth from 2 hours prior to my appointment. I am allowed clear fluids up until 7.50am.

Leave in plenty of time to travel to your hospital appointment. It is best to be early and waiting to be called in that being stuck in traffic or thinking you can leave it to the last moment to go.

I will be updating this ‘live’ as I go through #bowelprepmonday

I’ve just had Mother Days Sunday lunch with my OH’s family and it has bitten me in the butt. I’m in agony. Only saving grace for tomorrow is to be actually empty and hopefully pain free. Sitting in bed with my faithful hot water bottle easing the rough edges.

Its now 10am and I’ve finally got my prep in the fridge, chilling for later. I’ve also got a couple of movies to watch whilst I wait for 5pm to roll around and a colouring book for later when I need distracting from the foul tasting prep. I’m really trying to not think about food and to avoid the kitchen at all costs, but its really difficult; I do love my food! I know I won’t want to eat later because I’ll just be ready to throw up – I got a whiff of the Moviprep as I mixed it together – a hint of lemon, I believe – and boy did I take me right back to last time!

5pm. Time for some prep. Its a lemon ish based clear liquid; I’ve flavoured mine with orange squash to make it abit more palatable. It doesn’t taste too bad but I know that it will wear thin after a couple of glasses.

6.15pm. Have been expecting to be running between the living room and downstairs loo by now but so far no movement. Just feel really full and bloated. Even abit distended.

End of the first litre. So glad for something other than the prep! Opting for some Lucozade. Still nothing on the bowel movement front. Abit concerned. Feeling light headed and in tears from the pain and knowing its only half done. I know why I always opted for a MRI over a scope now; this is frustrating and so bloody drawn out. They bloody well better find some rectal Crohn’s now. (I kid, I think..)

Read the Moviprep leaflet again – “expect movement from two hours after finishing the final litre of prep (in this case 11pm)” – fantastic.

9.30pm. Onto the penultimate glass of prep and finally some movement! Not alot but its something! Hoping its not too much like a tap and it doesn’t last too long into the night. I’m already exhausted from not eating all day and added to that, I’m pretty dehydrated despite all my fluids today. Dreading them trying to find a vein tomorrow for a cannula. Good luck to whichever Endoscopy nurse that gets me on admission!

10.15pm. Get into bed. Final glass of prep plus two bottle of water to drink before I’m nil by mouth at 7.50am tomorrow. Going to sip it gently whilst watching some TV. Fingers crossed its not a messy night. Really looking forward to getting there, getting it done and finally getting to eat once more!!!