WARNING!!! GoLytely is a vile, disgusting product!
The procedure was a snap. I was awake and talking the whole time, both according to my memory (at the time) and the nurse said so to Joan, but my memory of the procedure is fading as time goes on, apparently due to the amnesiac drug given during the procedure. It's weird, like the way a dream fades when you wake up. I felt no discernible discomfort, and the results were great. Anyway, the day before I was prescribe the prep for the colonoscopy. Without getting graphic, one needs to have one's colon completely clean before the procedure, so one must not eat the day before, then one must perform a colon cleanse. This is accomplished by taking a special laxative. One of the "choices" is a product called GoLYTELY. This product allegedly has the perfect balance of electrolytes and salts to have a zero net effect on water intake vs water outgo. It is also prescribed because the Oral Sodium Phosphate (which supposedly works better) has been associated with kidney failure. It comes as a powder in a one gallon jug. That's right, you need to drink an entire gallon (actually 4 liters) of it in about 3 hours. Now, I could drink a gallon of water in 3 hours if need be, but this stuff was vile. The powder took up maybe 1/4 or 1/3 of the jug, and when I saw that I knew this wasn't gonna be fun. I "reconstituted" the stuff a few hours before needing it to give it a chance to chill in the fridge, as the package insert says that chilling is a good idea to make it "more palatable." Not a good sign. It was thick and even though very cold felt warm and thick in the mouth. Worse it tasted salty which really promoted my gag reflex. I needed to "rapidly drink 8oz every 10 minutes". My doctor's office had written in their instructions that it could be flavored with lemon juice. Since I had already started it and didn't want to go out of the house for fear of  well, you know, I asked/begged Joan to run to the store and buy some lemon juice.
I wound up using about 1oz lemon juice per 8oz of GoLYTELY Solution so I used about 1/2 of a quart of lemon juice! Buy a big container of lemon juice if you are going this route anyway! The lemon juice overwhelmed the taste buds so the saltiness was not as noticeable, and I was able to choke it down. Still not pleasant, especially when you are trying to get it in, while it is trying to get out of you. A friend has Crohn's and/or Colitis and had casually mentioned to me once that he doesn't like the solution, he prefers the "horse tablets." I don't know what the tablets are, but I mentioned them to the nurse and she said "You have to take 36 of them." I can handle 36 tablets, even if they are big. I called him up tonight and yelled at him for not being more assertive when he told me about the cleansing procedure. OK, I really wasn't mad at him, but he COULD have been a little more emphatic, as I am being for you today. So if they are safe and you can handle pills and your doctor agrees, please consider them if/when the need arises. You could also consider the OSP if you are not in a high risk category (your doctor will know). Try all you can to avoid the GoLYTELY, but if you have to use it anyway, I suppose you will survive as I did. |
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| Oh Ron, you have my sympathy.....
Golytely is one of the products we use too. Try getting a 73 year old 90 pound woman to drink that. They probably drink 2 8 oz cups of coffee all day! 
So, did they get pretty pictures??  |
I asked for a DVD of the procedure but alas, no video. 
I asked for pics and I got a few snaps printed on a report; nothing interesting. I remember them showing me my one diverticulum, but I don't think I got a pic of it? I don't have the paperwork nearby. Did I mention that when I was (literally) gagging on my first glassful of the stuff that Joan had to run away because just the sound of my ordeal was making her ill? |
| Ron, sorry you had to drink that vile stuff.
But glad you got good results from the test. |
Poor Ron! I sympathise entirely although here in the UK I had to have two sachets of a powder called Picolax (not sure of the spelling!) which just made up into a tumbler full of solution. Doesn't taste too bad and I needed to have two over the day but boy - does it work!!  Couldn't stray too far from the bathroom if you get my meaning! Anyway - I hope that whatever you needed the procedure for turns out to be OK. |
My mom just had one done over a week ago!  The most horrible part for her was definitely having to go 24 hrs w/o eating. That's unheard of for someone who eats as much as her (and she's tiny)!
She didn't like her "drink" either. She couldn't believe what ALL it could do. Anyway,I feel sorry for anyone who has to get one of those. All I've had done is a colonic, and it was nothing enjoyable!!! Glad you got it over with! |
| HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Sorry to laugh at your pain but, been there, DONE THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
Daisymog wrote: Poor Ron! I sympathise entirely although here in the UK I had to have two sachets of a powder called Picolax (not sure of the spelling!) which just made up into a tumbler full of solution. Doesn't taste too bad and I needed to have two over the day but boy - does it work!!
Couldn't stray too far from the bathroom if you get my meaning! Anyway - I hope that whatever you needed the procedure for turns out to be OK.That picolax is so misleading, nice orange foamy stuff, dont taste too bad but its like dynamite....just get over the first sachet and then you have another......yuck! |
I am going for my third one on the 18th. Being that it's your birthday and all Ron - I will think of you as I am preparing and toast you every time I have to drink my solution.  |
YUK!! That sounds awful!! If I have to have one, I think I'll do it in the UK. Two sachets of that orange foam sounds better than a gallon of GoLytely.  |
Daisymog wrote: Poor Ron! I sympathise entirely although here in the UK I had to have two sachets of a powder called Picolax (not sure of the spelling!) which just made up into a tumbler full of solution. Doesn't taste too bad and I needed to have two over the day but boy - does it work!!
Couldn't stray too far from the bathroom if you get my meaning! Anyway - I hope that whatever you needed the procedure for turns out to be OK.Yes I had that stuff too Karen Horrible stuff... YUCK!!!!!!! |
Yes, that is some nasty nasty nasty evil stuff 
Glad your results went well though! |
| I had mine last February. Right before it started, my doc said, "I have to apologize to you." Huh ? He said it really made him mad that his patients all complained about the prep, and that they just could deal with it. Then he told me, he had had his first colonoscopy about a month before, and now he is so remorseful for criticising everyone. He said, "IT WAS HORRIBLE!" But somehow, we all make it through, and it keeps us safe. Congrats on getting it done! |
| brian did the horse tablets....he is a VERY picky eater/drinker...and would have thrown up the liquid...
when they say horse size pills, they mean it...they were huge!! |
| Ron, I'm glad it went well! |
| The phosphate stiff tastes awful too! Anyway to break apart the horse pills into 72 more manageable size?
Alas, the anesthsia didn't work on me. They pumped me full and no effect.......even after the procedure. I was wide awake the whole time and probably wide awake enough to drive home.......not that I did!
Not a fun experience. But one gets through it. |
| I have never heard of the pills as an option - why isn't that better known? |
| Poor RON!!
Just be glad they didn't do to you what they did to my MIL! She went through the entire "cleansing procedure" the day before and then at 8:30 the next day they called and canceled her appointment (for 9:30) so she had to do it all over again the next week! I was furious on her behalf. Shellie |
| I have no memory of typing this post.
In addition, I have no memory of being in my car in Washington, D.C. up against a barricade near Capitol Hill.  |
Shellie wrote: Poor RON!!
Just be glad they didn't do to you what they did to my MIL! She went through the entire "cleansing procedure" the day before and then at 8:30 the next day they called and canceled her appointment (for 9:30) so she had to do it all over again the next week! I was furious on her behalf. Shellie The exact same thing ALMOST happened to my mom a few months ago when she had hers done. She did all the cleansing the day before and got there for her appt and apparently there'd been a mix up with the receptionist because they said she wasn't on the list. They ended up calling the doctor who came in just for her to do it. She was NOT going to have to go through that again just because of a clerical error! |
Ron wrote: I have no memory of typing this post.
In addition, I have no memory of being in my car in Washington, D.C. up against a barricade near Capitol Hill. Did this lead up to The Incident? |
Quote: Just be glad they didn't do to you what they did to my MIL! Double spring cleaning??She went through the entire "cleansing procedure" the day before and then at 8:30 the next day they called and canceled her appointment (for 9:30) so she had to do it all over again the next week! I was furious on her behalf. |
| Colonoscopy
All the organs of the body were having a meeting, trying to decide who was the one in charge. "I should be in charge," said the brain, "Because I run all the body's systems, so without me nothing would happen." "I should be in charge," said the blood, "because I circulate oxygen all over so without me you'd all waste away. "I should be in charge," said the stomach, "because I process food and give all of you energy." "I should be in charge," said the legs,"because I carry the body wherever it needs to go." "I should be in charge," said the eyes,"Because I allow the body to see where it goes." "I should be in charge," said the rectum,"Because I'm responsible for waste removal." All the other body parts laughed at the rectum and insulted him, so in a huff, he shut down tight. Within a few days, the brain had a terrible headache, the stomach was bloated, the legs got wobbly, the eyes got watery, and the blood was toxic. They all decided that the rectum should be the boss. The Moral of the story? The a** hole is usually the one in charge! |
| Hee hee...I like it. Explains my boss! And as for GoLytely...don't you think it should be called, GoUntilYourBrainsComeOut? |
| GAG,,,,!!!! |
barney1 wrote: Ron wrote: I have no memory of typing this post. In addition, I have no memory of being in my car in Washington, D.C. up against a barricade near Capitol Hill. Did this lead up to The Incident? We must never speak of the incident!!! |
| My Dad is going in for a colonoscopy today.
He drank the other stuff....said it wasn't too bad, but kinda salty. I do know he didn't have to drink a gallon of it though. |
| I drank the other stuff too. They were 2 little bottles that you'd mix with gatorade. Very, very salty...but tolerable. However, it did have the same effect! Good luck to you dad! |
| Just got a call from Mom.
Dad had a polyp that they removed. The Dr felt it was non threatening, but it was sent out to the lab. No Table Tennis for 5 days! I dont know what he will do. |
barney1 wrote: Ron wrote: I have no memory of typing this post. In addition, I have no memory of being in my car in Washington, D.C. up against a barricade near Capitol Hill. Did this lead up to The Incident? LMAO |
| When I was about 12 I had to get a colonoscopy. Thank heaven my father gets his "roto-rooter" anually and he warned me of the nastiness! (of course due to medical worries). I remember trying to force the stuff down my system and my body rejecting it faster than the Daytona 500! The Dr. said that the "medicine" would taste like pineapple...to this day, I gag at the taste of fake pineapple! |
debcram wrote: Hee hee...I like it. Explains my boss! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Now to clean the coffee off the screen...And as for GoLytely...don't you think it should be called, GoUntilYourBrainsComeOut? |
| Come on people! So it's not apple pie, but just block it out and get over it. My last scope was 5 years ago and I used the ginger flavored OSP, it tasted bad, but did the job. Consider the alternative, colon cancer and this stuff ain't so bad after all. Tomorrow wil be the first experience with Golytely, and they provide two anti-nausea pills (Metoclopramide 10mg) probably to help from barfing...I will mix it with lemon lime Crystal Light.
The colonoscopy procedure is no big deal and when properly medicated, you don't even know it happened. |
Do it without the anti nausea pills. C'mon get over it, it ain't that bad!  |
| Weird this post pops back up today as I'm just home from my first colonoscopy.
I didn't have GoLitely, I had HalfLytely. Which is supposed to be better because they give you four different flavor packets to choose from (I chose cherry) and there is less volume to drink. But it made me so nauseated all last night I could hardly sleep. The procedure itself was absolutely fine, no pain or discomfort at all. But gulping that stuff down was horrid and I am glad I don't have to think about it for 3 more years. Kind of funny, as the doctor walked in, he looked at me and said, "Wow, why are you here? You're too young to be here." I told him my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at age 54, and her oncologists told me to start screening 15 years earlier than that - and he said he would have said 20 years earlier! Well then, I'm definitely not too old according to your standards! |
| Just think of the people on Fear Factor...that stuff we have to drink is NUTTIN! |
| I go in tomorrow. I have 1 more 8oz glass of that stuff to drink. After drinking the first three with no flavoring added I decided to add 1 tsp lemon juice concentrate and a tsp of sugar to each glass and while I wouldn't order it to drink, it did make it much more tolerable. I am quite sore on my bottom though. |
| i had the lemon lime golitely....it wasnt THAT bad...besides being really salty and a tad thick....the worst part was NOT eating....and smelling mexican food on your husbands clothes and breath!! |
| The stuff is terrible but on the back end of things (sorry for the pun) it does make you sqeeky clean. Imagine doing the other prep and them not getting a good look at things and having to do another test on top of that or missing something. They should be more forthcoming and tell the patients how gross it is. |
| This has to be one of the most personal forums on the net!
My Mom had colon cancer and had to wear a colostomy bag. I, therrfore have had numerous colonoscopies....The prep is TERRIBLE and every time I have to do it, I end up literraly crying on the toilet 
But...remember this...this is one test that can save your life. Colon cancer is treatable if found early so this test is really important. Now, maybe we can get the doctors to let you mix the Golytlie with some vodka!!!! |
| Well, maybe not squeaky clean. My doctor told me that there was still "stuff" in there and maybe next time I would need two doses... |
OK, so I am violating the rules and mixing this stuff - we have used crystal lite and gatorade in the past, but I am using clear juices 1/2 gal water, 1/2 gal juice. It actually is palatable. My spouse has crohn's and I had CR cancer so we are both very experienced with GoLightly |
GoLYTELY will make your patients do any thing but go lightly. They will go swiftly, oftly, and ever-so-heavily so. HAaha... glad you enjoyed your run with it  |
| ...but with all of the proper electrolytes. ...and you thought beer was rented only for a short time! |
Oh my... this thread is getting almost as good as the other two  |
| Is beer clear enough to mix with it? I know a friend used gin but had to come back as the first round wasn't cleansing enough. Both DH and I are probably looking at another go around this year. Enough to delay physical exam. |
Yes, it is a terrible tasting concoction. I have had it 3 times and I am supposed to go again this year, not looking forward to it. I will ask about those pills, sounds better to me. I have never had trouble swallowing pills and I take a lot of vitamins now.  |
| Sorry you guys had a bad experience I just did mine a few days ago and the golytely was not that bad I was told to mix 2 scoops of crystal light lemon mix and chill for a few hours. It did not taste that bad, I did how ever hold my nose closed the whole time lol. Then drank some water then let go of my nose every time and that worked great for me. My results were good aswell and I didn't get any video or good pics lol. Maybe next time in a few yrs lol. |
| Also - drinking it through a straw helps a lot. I do think they changed the recipe a bit though - it's not as evil as I remember it to be. |
| Going for first colonoscopy in a few months. Dr recommended go lytely but friend who has had several scopes and tried several different preps said pico-salax was the easiest/best prep she ever had and now she won't do anything else. Just 2 cups of orange Tang like drink - 1 cup at a time, a few hours apart - followed by 2litres of water each time. Think I will be trying that! |
| I had procedure 3 yrs ago. I have a recheck tomorrow. This time I had to fast 2 days, not easy the first day. Today I had different product. I believe they have come up with an improved Go litely. It is called Nulitely (new being the first syllable). It has a lemon lime taste in the powder. It was not all that bad. I got it down easily, no nausea. Was allowed 10 minutes between each 8 ounces. But I drank twice as much a couple of times, and did not always wait 10 min. I have almost completely clear stools this evening. This was a completely different experience from the Golitely I had years ago. Tomorrow the procedure is at 2:30 pm and I finish the other 1/2 gallon starting at 10:00 am. The prep I had 3 yrs.ago was only 2 little bottles of the magnesium citrate and 3 ducolax pills. It did not clear me out and I knew that when I went to the appt. Sure enough half way through he stopped the procedure. And said do a recheck in 2 yrs. I put it off another year. Definitely recommend the Nulitely and the Golitely even because without it, you may be asked to come again, especially if you have a "slow bowel". Good luck to all, and,really, suck it up. It is better than colon cancer after all. Colon cancer is 100% prevented due to this procedure. Just ask for, or demand, the Nulitely next time or first time. |
| Have it coming up in 3 weeks and no special product needed, all available off the shelf..........magnesium ?? sulfate?? citrate?? and a few other small pills. At least that is what DH had 2 months ago. |
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