Being prepared is always a good thing. The Boy Scouts of America use “Be Prepared” as their motto, and those guys always seem to be the ones saving the day.

President Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.”  Of course, I don’t know if Honest Abe sharpened his own axe, but his point is well made. It’s better to put effort into the preparation of the job at hand, if you want the best results.

Preparation for a colonoscopy is no different. You don’t want to “half it,” only to have the doctor tell you that they are unable to perform the procedure.

I wish I had a dime for every time I’ve heard someone say that when it comes to a colonoscopy, the preparation is worse than the exam itself.  I’ve even said it myself – It’s simply true.

The average time it takes to perform a colonoscopy is under an hour and the average amount of time it takes to properly prepare for the procedure is around 72 hours. The last 16-20 of those hours are – let’s be honest – usually spent on the toilet. So, yes, the prep is worse than the exam, but the results can save your life.

The objective of the preparation is, course, to have the cleanest bowels your doctor has ever seen. The cleaner they are, the more they can see. The more they can see, the more you know. Plus, who doesn’t want bragging rights to the cleanest bowels around?

How to Prepare

Thorough cleansing of the entire bowel is essential for effective results so there will not be a need for retesting. Instructions for doing this will be given by your physician, but this can include a combination of the following: enema, restriction from eating solid foods a day or two before the test and taking pill-form and/or liquid laxatives. You may be told to stop taking aspirin or other blood-thinning medications for several days before the test as well.

To avoid dehydration, patients should drink clear, fat-free bouillon or broth, gelatin, strained fruit juice (no grape juice or any liquid with red color), water, plain and unsweetened coffee or tea, or diet soda. Unless otherwise instructed, continue taking any regularly prescribed medication. Your physician may also ask you to stop taking iron preparations a few weeks before the test if you are on them. Finally, you need to arrange for someone to drive you home afterward because lingering, subtle effects of the sedation will make it unsafe for you to drive until the next day.

If you already have a problem with hemorrhoids and the prep could create potential discomfort behind the scenes be EXTRA ready with a tube of Preparation-H.

It’s worth it to do it right. I’ve done it wrong before, so trust me on this! I also know firsthand how it can save your life. I finally did get the prep right, and they did find some polyps. I never felt a thing when they found them, or took them off – And if they hadn’t, I might not be here today.

So stop whining. It’s not that bad. Get a good book and catch up on your reading. If you are super competitive, make up a drinking game to help chase down your prep. Perhaps a truly good, or demented friend, will play phospho-soda pong (very similar to beer pong but takes longer to finish) with you. Whatever it takes, the preparation is key, but the results are worth it.

There are some events or activities in life that have very defined stages to them. For example, pregnancy is usually divided into three sections. You have the first trimester (yucky), the second trimester (okay) and the third trimester (feeling like a blimp). I personally loved being pregnant, but for some, it’s not an easy journey but the result is an amazing blessing. A colonoscopy is somewhat similar, as I will explain. (more…)

If someone told me that giving up my diet cokes could also save me a couple of hundred dollars a year, I’d probably think about it for a minute and then, with a sigh, say, “yeah that’s great but it’s the only vice I have left.”  It’s been my go-to line when anyone asks me to give them up. (more…)

You know you’re getting old when you start to use phrases like, “if I only knew then, what I know now.” I can’t help but think that way. We’ve learned so much about eating habits and how they can affect our health. If I knew then that the foods I eat could actually help prevent cancer, I’m sure I would have listened a little more closely. Well I’d like think my 12-year-old self would listen to me now, but I don’t know many pre-teens who listen to adults. (more…)

Celebrities usually adore the spotlight and the camera. However, they usually have the camera pointed at their face. Not so much for a growing number of “the beautiful people.” More and more stars are using their visibility and their voice to help raise awareness for colon cancer and urging their fans to schedule a colonoscopy.

Country music singers, TV talk show hosts, celebrity doctors, news anchors, NFL football legends and even fashion designers have stepped out of their comfort zone to talk about their own personal experiences with colon cancer in an effort to encourage people to get a colonoscopy.

Apparently, these brave stars aren’t afraid of the camera, no matter where it goes. Katie Couric became one of the first when she actually aired her colonoscopy on “The Today Show.” The loss of her husband to colon cancer prompted her involvement over 10 years ago and she hasn’t stopped since. She recently participated in the “Make the Call” campaign to get New Yorkers to get screened. (more…)