Colonoscopy - GI practice with great nurses?

Hi, I went through my first colonoscopy last year at Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay Medical Group | GI Doctors Berkeley & Walnut Creek. I primarily communicated through the Berkeley office since that's closer, and had the procedure itself in the WC office due to available scheduling.

Regarding the specific prep questions, I went the "standard" liquid route and agree it's not fun but was manageable. I don't know if it's possible to talk with nurses and/or the physician ahead of time regarding your specific concerns, as it seems they have the office team run most steps ahead of the procedure (as both the nurses and doctors are likely in clinics all day)-but you could try to request a consult? I have to say I had intermittent success with the admin side of the practice, which seemed consistent with some of the reviews after it sounds like they've had some business merger: some staff like the main scheduler were very responsive, the front desk was rather brusque when I went to pick up, there was a delay in getting my formal reports afterwards so I had to  keep contacting them. But on the day of the doctor, nurses and anesthesiologist were fantastic so on balance I felt very comfortable with the quality of the procedure itself.

East Bay Center for Digestive Health, by Oakland City Hall, is the practice where they are so good that I go in willingly - they saved my life 12 years ago when I had colon cancer.

https://www.eastbaygi.com/

With my history, I am the veteran of many colonoscopies.  Many patients agree with you, that the bowel prep is the worst part.  

I have learned a few tricks to ease the process.

Weirdest and most useful is to go out, one or two days before the scheduled procedure, and consume an exotic meal that will give me diarrhea.  Raw oysters?  Oily sauces?  The best so far has been shrimp cooked in butter sauce, at Jack London Square.  

Having thus started the preparation on one's own terms, the process of ingesting the jug of dilute laxative is less unpleasant.

A couple of other tricks:  Refrigerate the jug of dilute laxative.  Take a couple of simethicone ("Gas-X") tablets a couple of hours after starting the process, to relieve bloating.

The large volume of fluid is a necessary evil. The objective is to wash out the gut; this seems to work better if one consumes the contents of the jug a little bit at a time.  There is a great temptation to chug the jug and get it over with, but there is nothing wrong with a leisurely pace. If the patient does not drink down the entire jug, that makes the doctor's job more difficult.

Since I have a surgically-shortened colon, and since Dr. Stollman has excellent skill and dexterity, I choose to do my colonoscopies without being sedated.  This is not for everyone, but I am happy to have have learned a lot, and thus demystified the procedure.

The doctor, wearing a face shield, operates a contraption that combines a light and camera with a pressure washer. The less crap is left in the gut after the bowel prep, the better the chance of seeing polyps. The unsedated patient can watch this unfold on a video screen.

For a better appreciation of the human digestive system, I recommend Gulp by science writer Mary Roach.

Colon cancer and its treatment options are not all that much fun.  We as a society are fortunate that this is a disease that can be prevented. Colonoscopy is the standard of care. It is certainly worth the inconvenience to avoid getting a tumor.

I had my first colonoscopy a few weeks ago. The procedure was a breeze! The “prep” was not. I was on the toilet every ten minutes for hours and hours. It was SO MUCH WORSE than I was led to believe. 
It’s confusing to be healthy and to eliminate like that because I associate it with being ghastly ill. Yet this is “routine”. 
The trick to preventing nausea (and to prevent vomiting) is to not drink too much too fast. Even drinking that much plain water too fast can make you vomit. So I’m not sure it is the solution that is making you vomit or just the speed and volume. 
I was told to drink 32 ounces, 8 ounces at a time in 10 minute increments. I bet you could drink 32 ounces in 4 ounce increments every 10 minutes and give your stomach some time to handle the volume. 
I lost track of time and got behind so I guzzled to catch up. I almost threw up and sure felt sick. Ugh. 
Prepare by drinking lots of fluids in the week leading up to the prep so your body is more used to it. 
I was told to start at 5 pm. If you start a bit earlier you can be flushed out pretty well by bedtime. I didn’t need to get up once I went to bed. Phew! 
Then I had to do it all over again the next morning!  I ran out of time before the cut-off before the procedure so I didn’t take the last 8 ounces. I was flushed out clean so it was a success. I admitted I hadn’t finished it all and was told that was just fine. 
It’s a horrible horrible prep. 
Hang in there and slow down. Sending support!

First off, yes, no freaking fun. 2. You gotta' do it. I've had 4. The last one they changed the prep to the horrible 32 ounces x2. I read the instructions carefully. I normally drink copious amounts of water and it was still a bear.

Chill it. 

I mixed it with gatoraide

I drank a little at a time throughout the day. 

I sucked on a lemon, and then spit it out to mask the taste....I don't think my tastebuds were fooled but it helped.

I was NOT getting up at 5...I am sufficiently cognizant of when I am 'cleaned' out. Once things were clear, I stopped. I had probably half of the second round left.

Now I am not a Dr. and everyone is different, but this worked for me.

I also did not eat heavy for a few days earlier.

I  HIGHLY recommend Neil Stollman in Oakland. His 'assistants' are sensitive, professional and treated me with great respect. Trust me, i am a 5 year old when it comes to procedures. 

I returned home, had a pastrami sandwich and chips, and took a nap.

You gotta' do it. Take care, it'll be alright.

I've had 3 colonoscopies in the last year. Here are my tips:

1. I tried the Sutab pills, but prefer the Suprep (I always seem to be prescribed the generic one). Far less liquid than the regular old-fashioned prep. The pills felt more intense to me.
2. 4-7 days prior, start a low-residue diet. Just take it easy on the food overall. Then there is less drama during the prep. Also start drinking more water just to get used to it (I barely drink any normally so I "train" my body by upping my intake.)
3. 2 days prior, start eating only bland white stuff.
4. Hydrate well the morning of the prep.
5. Two hours before you start your prep, stop drinking fluids or reduce a lot, so your stomach is more empty and can better receive the amount of liquid you will drink during the prep. Chill the Suprep bottles.
6. Get a prescription for Zofran and take it about an hour before you start the prep.
7. I found the Suprep didn't taste that bad when mixed mostly with diet ginger ale, and some water per their instructions. Honestly, I've had worse tasting cocktails! I found it easier to gulp it, maybe 4 big gulps over 15 minutes. I think you should feel empowered to drink it on a slower schedule than the instructions say. Just take it easy and get it down. You can hold a lime wedge against your teeth after the sips (don't eat the pulp though).
8. You can take some Gas-X along the way. 

Do the rest of the water etc and repeat the whole thing again on the schedule. 

I don't have a specific rec for a practitioner, but I do think it helps to self-advocate and ask your team for the prep you think will work best for you. They seem primarily concerned that you will complete it successfully and not cancel, so they generally have been willing to give me what I ask for. 

Good luck! It's worth it.

I am sending you lots of empathy -- the colonoscopy prep is sooo difficult.  I have had many colonoscopies, and have heard other patients getting cancelled part way through their colonoscopy because their prep was not complete and the doctor was unable to actually see the walls of the colon.  Imagine having to re-schedule and go through the horrible prep again!  They are able to spray a small amount of water during the procedure, but the prep needs to be thorough.   Like another responder, I requested no sedation because I had children to pick up shortly after my colonoscopy.  Unsedated, the procedure was mildly uncomfortable and the doctor and assistant had to push and manipulate my abdomen from the outside several times in order to get the scope around a bend.  But it was such a relief to not be sedated for the remainder of my day.  It simplified everything-- being able to walk home on my own without having a friend have to come pick me up, as well as feeling 100% fine once the procedure was finished.  

Best of luck