Colonoscopy: Being prepared and 2 tips post-procedure.
Helpful information for first-timers, including what worked for me.
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April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in the UK
In 2025, I curated an anthology sharing people’s experiences. I also shared how I had a test and a colonoscopy done because I was worried about some abdominal symptoms and my familial history of cancer. Thankfully, I was given the all clear.
The colonoscopy wasn’t painful. I chose not to be sedated, so I was awake the whole time. Drinking the laxative is the difficult part, and even that’s easy if you’re prepared.
If you’re a colonoscopy newbie, this article’s for you
Table of Contents
VLOG experiences demystifying the “Colon cleanse”; taking the strong laxative to clear the bowel.
Quotes I’ve heard from other people’s colonoscopy experiences
What worked for me. Check with your doctor and nurses during your procedure
Disclaimer: Please consult your doctor and nurses about your procedure. This is for awareness and information only. I’m not a doctor or medically trained and cannot advise you on what’s right for you.
Spread the word - if you’re having these symptoms, ask your doctor about a qFIT test or if a colonoscopy is right for you.
1. Articles of personal experiences
“Listening to your gut could save your life...In this article I talk about inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colonoscopies and everything in-between.” By Amanda
“Ready to make Katie Couric proud. It’s that time. My First Colonoscopy is next week. by Taylor Coffman
‘Do I have cancer?’ Navigating to Clarity. A summary of my journey and recommendations. By Victoria
Bowel Cancer Awareness Month (UK). What are the symptoms? How do I get tested? Is there a screening programme? By Liz Arginteanu David Barrow Janine Cutting Kirsten Davidson Mikel K Miller Isabelle Plante and myself.
2. Pre-Colonoscopy dietary guides and bowel preparation
Shopping list for your colonoscopy prep. “A shopping list for food, drinks, and other items you will need during your colonoscopy prep will help you have a successful prep.” By Colorectal Cancer Alliance
Sample 6 Day Colonoscopy Prep Guide By Colorectal Cancer Alliance
5 days before your colonoscopy. Colonoscopy diet advice and bowel preparation by Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
This is a good overview
3. Examples of laxative preparations you may be asked to take
UK:
Senna tablets and Picolax or CitraFleet (sodium picosulphate) sachets
Moviprep
Plenvu
US
Miralax
Standard Golytely Preparation
4. VLOG experiences demystifying the “Colon cleanse”; taking the strong laxative to clear the bowel.
MY COLONOSCOPY + PREP VLOG EXPERIENCE she’s using Moviprep
Taking Plenvu when your appointment is in the morning by University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
There’s a similar vide using Plenvu for an afternoon procedure
Preparing for your Colonoscopy (US) by Riverside. Videos include instructions around the use of Golytely, or Miralax
Preparing for your Colonoscopy (US) by Tampa General Hospital
5. Quotes I’ve heard from other people’s colonoscopy experiences
“The worst thing about a colonoscopy is the laxative prep solution”
“Peeing through your bum hole is a whole new experience”
“I was out for the whole procedure”
“I was awake the whole time and watched the camera go through each section of my bowel”
“It was uncomfortable but there was no pain at all when they were using the camera”
“Even if you have haemorrhoids it’s painless. It’s strange at first but it’s ok”
6. After the colonoscopy: 2 key essentials
1. Aftercare is important. Be careful about what you eat and drink
In general you can eat and drink normally, but it’s best to start with light, easily digestible foods to ease back into eating. Focus on small, frequent meals for the first 24 hours to reduce bloating.
For the first 24-48 hours, avoid high-fibre, nuts, seeds.
I was really hungry and did the wrong thing of eating a high protein, fibre meal and suffered for 3-5 hours of very painful bloating
Stock up on peppermint tea, this had an almost immediate easing and soothing sensation.
This article resonates with my experience: The Best Foods to Eat After a Colonoscopy (and Which to Avoid) by Written by Ronald W. Dworkin, MD, PhD | Reviewed by Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH
2. Don’t plan anything strenuous or stressful for 24 hours. Let your body rehydrate and normalise post-procedure.
This is a hard one if you’re caring for someone who has unpredictable needs or appointments. I get it.
I had no anaesthesia, because I wanted to watch the screen during the procedure. So I could drive myself home, and thought I’d be fine. In reality, the meal I had for lunch forced me to lie down for 2-4 hours because the gut spasms were so bad. The procedure wasn’t the problem, it was my choice of meal. Don’t let hunger push you to eat high fibre. Your gut needs to restart slowly.
I needed 48-72 hours for my gut to normalise. Peppermint tea relaxed the muscle spasms.
7. What worked for me. Check with your doctor and nurses during your procedure
A morning appointment was easier to manage, to ‘clear out the bowel’ and be sleeping through possible hangry hours.
I had a ‘white diet’ with no fibre for 1 week before the procedure which was tough because I love grains, seeds and fibre, but it made the whole experience much easier.
No beetroot, or anything with colouring. That means no Ribena Blackcurrant juice.
Peppermint tea before and after will be my future goto drink.
The Moviprep solution tastes awful, the citrus flavour is disgusting. So I alternated between drinking the laxative and having sips of an ‘alternating drink’:
herbal tea with some honey/sugar
chicken stock cube dissolved in hot water; clear broth
I avoided carbonated drinks despite the instructions recommending lucozade, gatorade or another energy drink. I didn’t want to be gassy or risk any painful bloating
The laxative instructions are very clear. I had bottles of water and a glass jug and big spoon. I had my ‘alternating drink’ ready. I focused on the timing of drinking the first load. So I had my little prep-area, and I was near a toilet. I distracted myself a little with a film/book.
When I was on the last jug of laxative it was hard to keep drinking. I knew that when I was already ‘peeing’ fluid from my anus that there were no solids and my bowel was clear. (TMI, sorry but this is the reality!)
Remember that the amount of laxative is an instruction for everyone. I already knew from my mother’s experience (a small person) that she simply couldn’t drink any more when she reached the last half of the jug.
Make a judgment call, when it’s hard to drink more. I did. I just made sure that I was only passing liquids because I really didn’t want the colonoscopy to fail. Failure would be when the camera can’t see the bowel and colon walls easily.
Small but important details:
I took a small rucksack to put my clothes in.
In the UK you undress. I was given paper shorts with a paper back opening and a hospital robe to wear with the ties behind me that the nurse tied the top.
I didn’t take slippers. I wore hands-free, slip-on/off shoes
I tied my long hair up in a topknot so it wouldn’t catch in ties or annoy me.
I carried my rucksack of clothes into the treatment room. Then I lay on my side on the hospital bed.
A nurse sat near me for reassurance.
Afterwards, I was wheeled on the bed into a recovery room. The nurses offered me a hot drink, cheese and crackers or biscuits.
I’d researched ‘normal’ colon videos and watched my procedure on the screen.
I bought some Buscopan (hyoscine butylbromide) just in case I might need it.
I’ll definitely be having a colonoscopy regularly because it was much easier than I thought and it was very reassuring to know that I’ve a healthy bowel. I literally saw it for myself.
8. Two support organisations
Click here to go to Bowel Cancer UK’s website. “We’re the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity. We’re determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. Our vision is a future where nobody dies of the disease.”
Click here to go to the US Colorectal Cancer organisation website. ‘The Colorectal Cancer Alliance is the nation's leading nonprofit dedicated to colorectal cancer. Together with a nation of passionate allies, we advocate for prevention, magnify support, and accelerate research to end this disease.’
What’s your personal Colonoscopy tips/lessons learnt?
Please share your experience in the comments to help others, thanks!
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