Starting 36 hours before my procedure, I'm supposed to go on clear liquids only. Clear liquids that do have some carbs, but have a low glycemic index ain't so easy to come by. The gastroenterologist says "just drink apple juice," which is a recipe for spikes and subsequent crashes. Spiking over a
Chicken broth worked for me
It kept your blood sugar up? I had imagined that there wasn't much carb content in chicken broth.
When it goes down, have that apple juice!
Or regular 7-up, Sprite, etc…I know I had to drink about a liter of 7-up to ensure I wasn’t low.
As for OP, I’d rather be high (180-200) than low and potentially crash low. It’s all temporary.
I'm sure this is the right way to think. It's just very hard because I worked really hard to get from a measured blood glucose above 330 and an A1c of 11.7 to a level of control now where I almost never go above 140 and haven't gone above 150 in maybe 7 months. So I've been thinking "how do I do this while keeping myself between 80-140?", and maybe I can't, but that's hard to accept after everything I've done to get here.
The other concern is that apple juice etc. boost my blood sugar, but only for a brief time, and I've generally had the idea that whipsawing back and forth between highs and lows is to be avoided. I wonder if I had 2oz of apple juice every 15 minutes or something like that, I wouldn't see-saw.
That's what was recommended; but I'm concerned that it won't get me through the ~6 hour period after finishing prep and going into the procedure, during which I'm not supposed to consume anything, even clear liquids.
Do you take meds? If yeah, then reduce or skip that last dose, imo.
Just had a colonoscopy 2 months ago. Drank chicken and beef broth. I wear a CGM and had no issues. Meds were regulated—no Mounjaro for 2 weeks, 1/2 of my Lantus dose the night before and no diabetic meds the morning of. I was allowed to take thyroid and blood pressure med.
Also work for me, thanks
You will get through this.
What all of the colonoscopy prep instructions fail to miss if you are a diabetic.
So, for me, sugar free Jello. Drinking chicken broth and stock. Sugar Free Gatorade.
Yes, 24 to 36 hours you need to be off all digested medications. This will raise your blood sugar. I know when I had mine, they checked my blood sugar before the procedure and said I was high. No shit. I can't take anything to address the problem.
Once the procedure is over, go have a great breakfast. I really didn't care. Then put yourself back on track.
That’s weird, they allowed me to take my regular medications for BP, thyroid, etc. I just had to be off of NSAIDs and my diabetic medication (Trulicity).
I’m a kidney transplant recipient and type 2, I took all my meds (except Eliquis!) before colonoscopies (due to numerous polyps, I’ve had 5 😞)
Better out than in. I am the same as you, due a colonoscopy soon. Did you get the diabetes after the transplant?, because I did.
I got diagnosed with diabetes many years after my transplant. Luckily it was caught early because of the constant blood tests at the transplant clinic. I do think the meds were a contributing factor though.
Same here. No ozempic for a week prior and no nsaids. Take oral meds as usual.
Thanks for this. I have to schedule a colonoscopy and just thought, "Well crap! Do I stop taking Mounjaro since I'll be sedated?" Yup.
I have found the prep can vary greatly between doctors, at least as far as length of the fast and any "purge" meds they want.
No Metformin even??
I'm not really worried about the meds. I used to be on Lantus insulin, metformin, and Mounjaro; but as my glycemic control improved, I've been able to whittle that down to just Mounjaro, which I skipped yesterday because of the colonoscopy. I'm allowed to take meds the day before -- just not the morning of, and my morning meds are all things that it's not a disaster if I miss a day (or take later in the day).
I used green Zero Sugar Gatorade. Do NOT use red, purple, blue.
Edit: missed a very important word.
Do NOT use red, purple, or blue. You missed the word not.
Noob question, why not those colors? I've always done the light blue
Dont want anything mistaken for blood
They can affect the color of the tissue in your rectal cavity……this discoloration may hide bleeding or other organic problems.
Basically stay away from anything that has red dye in it. Check your ingredient labels to be safe.
Or orange. It also has red dye in it.
Don't you mean "do not"?
Clear protein water is a thing, I think Clean Simple Eats makes some, as well as Genius Gourmet( the one I drank for my last colonoscopy).
Just did it a year ago or so. I had the same concern you do. I did broth and lemonade flavored sparkling ice soda. To my great surprise I had absolutely no issues with low blood sugar through the whole prep. And I consumed no sugar. Of course, I didn't take my sulfonylurea drug and I monitored my sugar very closely all per the surgery center's special instructions for diabetics.
But the prep itself - holy sh! What will come out of your butt is comical, it's so explosive and it comes out like every 5 minutes. But in reality it wasn't that horrible. And the procedure itself is something you might do on the way to Target. It's a total nothing, especially because you're out fur most of it. Oh, a little warning about the anesthetic: it does come with a hangover when it wears off.
I did pizza after mine (they removed a polyp too) and boy howdy did my stomach hurt all night. And after they asked if I wanted anything to drink and I said diet Coke. Because they scope both throat and anus, just get water.
Oh, God, pizza???? Haha!
They scooped my throat too? Who knew...
Hope they scoped the throat first. Lol
That's why the numbing spray is flavoured, masks the taste...
^^^ LOL
It was basically a fast for me. I consumed sugar free drinks and beef broth that I thickened up with a bit of gelatine so it would have some small amount of substance to it.
I just let the, non ridiculous, high happen.
It's just a few hours.
I'm not worried about a high. I'm worried about a low. Lately, more nights than not, I've had to wake up in the middle of the night and take in some carbs because my glucose had dropped down to about 60 mg/dl (from CGM, but verified with a fingerstick). I'm worried that I won't be able to take in carbs that have more than just a very short term effect; and then that I won't be able to take in any at all. I don't know how long the procedure takes, but I'm imagining that I won't be eating until 2-3 hours after the scheduled time for it -- which means 6-7 hours without eating anything. These days that's usually problematic.
Are you on a pump? It sounds like you need to reduce your basal 1-2 hours before the time you’re going low at regularly
No pump. In fact, nothing other than Mounjaro, which I haven't had in eight days (because they don't want you having it for at least a week before the colonoscopy prep, because the way in which the GLP-1 agonists slow down the digestive tract interferes with cleaning you out). I recently went up in Mounjaro dose, not because I needed it for glycemic control, but because I have constant, inappropriate hunger that interferes with my ability to concentrate/do anything, and was hoping for more of an appetite suppressant effect. But I'm probably going to have to drop back down because the nighttime lows have been worse since I went to the higher dose and I haven't been able to figure out what to eat at night to prevent them.
Ah so Type 2? It does sound like your dose needs to be lowered if you’re experiencing consistent lows, something to discuss with your endo for sure. Otherwise (after the colonoscopy) you could try eating a bed time snack with complex carb + fat
Another vote for chicken broth.
Broth, Jell-O, and fasting
Yea that’s going to be rough! I inadvertently did it for 24hrs because I had to do a ct scan. I was only suppose to only have clear liquids four hours prior but my meals landed weird. And I was about to crash so hard while I was on the table. I had a goody bag for as soon as I finished up. And then when and got a chili relleno burrito.
I was hurting.
But your mouth was happy for a few precious moments?
Yeah, I took more broth for a day or so, and THEN a slice of pizza. And
You can water down the apple juice to manage your carb intake. You may want to use some vaseline on the other end before you start the laxatives, trust me, you’ll need it. Reapply after each motion.
I’m T1. Endo said cut basal in half the night before. The liquid part was beef and chicken broth and sugar free jello and Gatorade in the allowed colors. My prep was pills. Next time I’m cutting my basal more.
I had a mix of juice, italian ice, jello and diet dr pepper (also, gummy bears, though some GI docs don’t allow those, so check with yours. They really are just extra concentrated jello).
You can also do broth, tea or coffee (no cream or milk). Basically any liquid or jello you can see through that isn’t red, orange or purple is a “clear” liquid. These things are also fine if they are frozen (so popsicles and slushes and such).
I didn’t have any big issues with my glucose, but YMMV. Also, spiking a bit for a day or two due to colonoscopy prep is fine. It’s not going to make a difference to your long-term management.
You’ll be OK not having liquids for four hours. I mean, what do you do when you sleep at night? We can survive a few hours without water. If you need to take meds,
Honestly I just rode it out. Not eating sucks but it is one day. I had sprite for the bit of a low I got.
I also did the coloniscopy with no anesthesia or anything sedating me at all. This meant I was in control of my sugar 100% of the time. It was not really painful just uncomfortable at times and it is mostly psychological. I am not easily embarassed or get uncomfortable easily so it was fine for me. And to just get up and walk out like nothing happened was fantastic.
I did white grape juice and had no issue.
Yep, nothing’s more fun than having spiked glucose levels and then puking up the prep into a bucket whilst crapping on the toilet. Thankfully my bowels had cleared enough for the procedure.
Ye spoke the purest truth, there.
Sorry that happened to you. Happened to me too for my first colonoscopy. I think that it was aggravated by acid reflux. Didn't happen for the second one if that helps. I used Brioschi for some of my liquid intake second time.
The day before, I made some bone broth with a couple of chicken carcasses, and all my favorite seasonings, and then strained it really well. I then had a very gelatinous broth to heat up and it was delicious. Parentheses I also had some store-bought bone broth to lean into, but I didn’t end up using it all.)
That plus a sizable amount of sugar-free Jell-O in lime, lemon, orange, and pineapple (which wasn’t sugar-free, but I figured I could handle a little bit of sugar) helped me get through the day. I discovered that melting an outshine sugar-free popsicle into the Jell-O gave it more flavor.
I used the Welch, sugar-free lemonade, drink mix for my prep beverage and drank it throughout the day as well.
Type 2 and I had my first colonoscopy last May. I drank chicken broth, clear diet soda, and clear regular soda. At one point I did start to go low and had a few sips of apple juice to bring me back to my normal range. I just kept testing and they tested me before and after the colonoscopy. Going between diet soda and regular soda kept me balanced. There was no way I was drinking plain water while drinking the prep. The taste wasn't awful, but got old pretty quickly. I bought a few different flavors of soda and Sprite won out to cover the prep taste lol.
You can mix Sprite with the prep?
Yes, you can mix it with any liquid that you’re allowed to have.
My prep was lemon flavored. I ended up squeezing a ton of fresh lemon juice into it. It wasn’t great, but it was more bearable.
Wow, wish I had known this lol. I ended up canceling mine because I couldn't do the water with it after the first one. 🤦♀️ Now I don't have anyone to go with me so I'm out of options. Sheesh. But at least I know just in case I can ever manage to get it done. Thanks!
You really should get one if you can figure it out. You also can do it without the anesthesia. That sounds horrifying to me, but I guess it’s actually standard in some parts of the world.
They found and removed a weird polyp at mine, so I’m glad I had it done before the polyp had a chance to turn into something sinister.
I would definitely do it without anesthesia if that was an option. It wasn't offered previously, but I'll have to ask about it. I agree that I should get one. It's been worrying me actually.
I found that using a large straw helps down that crap.
I would drink the prep and then sip the Sprite. It helped chase away the prep taste.
I did apple juice before cataract surgery. Same deal of clear liquid 12 hours prior and nothing the few hours before. The trick is to fight the urge to chug an entire juice box. Little sips throughout the day.
I used sugar free lime jello, chicken broth, stuff like that. Had to cut my basal A LOT.
Oh and like sugar free clear juice popsicle type things. There are options but not much.
I talked to my Endo, they recommended I not dose at meals since it was not much carbs. Drink broth, keep some sprite if you go low, and the rest was jello or sugar free.
Had to do this twice. Sugar free Jello and the doctors gave me the yellow sugar free gatorade oh and few ice chips. After 12 I had to fast so I just slept.
Pick up a quart of broth at your favorite pho restaurant.
Make a batch of sugar free jello in an approved color.
I did chicken broth, Zero Sugar Gatorade, maybe sugar-free Sprite. My appointment was at 2 pm on a Monday, and I had to start fasting at midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning. I think I could drink water up until an hour or so before the appointment.
I think you’re allowed to do clear popsicles, and there may be some that are sugar-free. I can’t remember for sure.
I was starving, but my blood sugar was 88 on the morning of my procedure. I don’t think it’s been that low since then. Good luck.
No sugar jello and gatorade zero helped me till the no eating or drinking point. It sucks but you can eat right after. I was also on a 20-4 split for fasting so I didn’t have to do the whole prep the day before. If you have a clean diet, less you have to drink of that shit solution. No pun intended lol
Stop or take meds as per Doctor's advice for the scopy.
I cannot understand this discussion. In India we do the'wash' by taking some peg/glycol solution, like 250ml every 15 mins for about 2 hours and then the flush works. Your entire alimentary canal will be flushed clean and there will be nothing in the system. Add another 1-2 hours for complete flush clearance and you should be ready for your scopy.
No? Or am I missing something here.
In the US they want you on a liquid diet the day before you take the prep solution to make sure you’re all cleaned out.
A 5$ 'drink' sorts you out. Sharing a link more out of academic interest. And wonder why the long drawn out battle over diet for 24-36 hours. As I said- maybe I am missing something
Colonex-Peg Lemon Flavour Bowel Preparation Oral Solution 2 x 177 ml | Uses, Side Effects, Price | Apollo Pharmacy
IDK, the standard in the US is a liquid diet the day before, and then the bowel prep. Supposedly that should result in empty colon. We are also told to eat a low fiber diet the week before.
If you are a non-insulin dependent type 2 like me, this is what I did: made 2 batches of pineapple jello (not sugar free) that was my food source. I also made 2 batches of lime jello as back up in case I was still hungry (also not sugar free) I drank broth, about a quart just for some variety. I think it was beef. Chicken will work also. I also used the yellow Gatorade sugar free to mix with the liquid laxative they gave me. I’m sorry but I can’t remember the name of it. I think there were 2 bottles. Drank lots and lots and lots of water. Hope this helps. Edited to add: highly recommend baby wipes over using toilet paper
Coconut water diluted into regular water. White Gatorade diluted into regular water. You won't spike. You'll just be very bloated with a lot of water. 😂 You don't have to drink a big thing of apple juice all at once. If you're thirsty have water. If you feel like you're going low, have a single glass of apple juice.
You can so do diluted chicken broth or bone broth. GREAT for maintaining hydration and electrolytes without carbs. That's my go to when I'm sick.
You can also do the white Gatorade zero or powerade zero which will maintain electrolytes without carbs. Pedialyte white was my go to before, they don't have as many carbs as Gatorade.
During prep the risk is dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. You don't need carbs for that so electrolyte beverages or powders that have lit
I had my worst low while I was on the last 24 hrs liquid only diet. 2.8 or so. I drank some juice and was ok but had family monitoring me just in case. Its doable just a pain in the ass. They usually schedule you first thing in the morning so that you can get food in you as soon as possible.
Worst part of the whole thing is the diuretic they make you drink in the last part of the prep. Made me nauseous as hell.
Zero sugar Ginger Ale or Sprite
I'd talk with your endo's office and see what they suggest as well.
Oh. Nobody suggested this yet. Excellent idea.
I got also insuline instructions from the hospital. Lower basal insuline and no fast insuline when not eating.
Get a jar of Vaseline.
Before your first poop, take some Vaseline on your finger and insert it into your rectum to the first inch or two going in.
Your poop will eventually turn into liquid fire that will burn like you wouldn’t believe. The Vaseline will protect you.
Reapply after each poop.
I just did this last Monday and it sucks. Honestly, get your favorite broth and drink for breakfast, lunch & dinner. I drank 7UP zero sugar in between. Tea with a teaspoon of honey at bedtime. Lots of water all the time until you’re suppose to stop.
I am T2 so I just water fasted. No stress and a bit of weight loss. If yo are T1 or on insulin probably not a good startegy.
There are some low sugar apple juices are pretty good.
I used Gatorade Zero for prep. I can't remember which flavor I used, but it couldn't be red or purple.
I was also allowed broth or sugar-free jello.
I am a diabetic and had a successful colonoscopy. What you are describing is NOTHING like I was instructed to do. My instructions started at 2:00pm the day before my 8:30am appointment. I was prescribed an over the counter pill form laxatives as well as a fiber based ( mix with gator-ade) laxative that was consumed over a 2 hour period. If what you describe is true…..then you need to go to a different gastroenterologist. Something is wrong here…. My doctor was a top guy at this and my blood sugar was monitored throughout…..I had zero problems….
Maybe some Dr's are using old instructions.... still they want you cleared out and they know their way works. Maybe they just don't accommodate for diabetes?
These are doctors……accommodating all health conditions is their job. The AMA sets standards for treatments and medical procedures……doctors just don’t “wing-it”. Unless you are in Outer Mongolia …..something is wrong with your doctor….
Thanks, I wasn't exactly defending, didnt make it clear. I've read so many comments though, where diabetics dont feel their condition is given consideration. And women generally.
It's not that doctors "wing it", not at all, but that they follow and give guidelines from several years ago not necessarily taking in more recent research or the patient's experience in that practice. And they leave it to the patient to work it out with their condition. To patients this feels like no accommodation.
Great shade throwing BTW.
I am curious how you determined that doctors "give guidelines from several years ago not necessarily taking in more recent research"......I respect someone's opinion.......,.but not an opinion based on ??!!??.....I don't know what........Can you sight the research or article this factoid came from. My Gastro-guy literally called my Endocrinologist before my procedure to discuss my condition to make sure his treatment conformed to MY circumstances. Don't throw out random "opinions" to prove your own point unless you have facts.
'K. Here: https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(24)00396-6/fulltext Title: Medical Gaslighting: A New Colloquialism
From the PDF: "To be clear, unlike other forms of gaslighting, the intent of the “gaslighting” medical practitioner is typically not purposeful manipulation of the patient due to a deceitful motive. On the contrary, “gaslighting” in medical contexts is often due to the physician's lack of awareness or understanding of disease entities, preconceived notions about specific clinical presentations, subliminal/unconscious bias toward certain patient populations, or simply arrogance in presuming physician superiority in clinical knowledge and decision-making. Ultimately, most of the undesirable gaslighting behaviors are driven by systemic constructs and biases."
Specific to
broth and clear fruit juices to keep up your sugar level. reduce or stop your BS medicine
I’m 47, I’ve had issues since I was 20 and have to do a colonoscopy about every 5 years. The prep sucks, but yours is 36 hours? Fuck no. 20 years ago, you had to drink a gallon of prep water and pee out of your butt all day. Recently, prep is you just don’t eat anything the day before and drink a laxative after noon.
Add: sip chicken or vegetable broth. It’s salty and smells hearty, so you can sike yourself out and think it’s a meal.
Such a barbaric prep. The gastros need to vacuum up all the money from colonoscopies that they can, because that whole procedure is soon gonna be replaced with blood tests and highly specific poop tests.
This is relevant to my interests. I need to schedule my first one, and I keep procrastinating because of the fear over exactly this.
I have T1DM and (for unrelated reasons) have to get yearly colonoscopies. It’s no fun. You’d be surprised with how easy it is to low during your prep. For example, for me, sometimes I start shivering or shaking/am cold after I start the prep, and I heavily rely on Sprite to help keep me steady - and somehow I never spike from it. Prep time is weird and your body will not be used to it, don’t assume it’ll function “normally” - you’ll be stressing your body in a way it hasn’t been stressed before and everyone’s body is so different. Happy to answer any questions!
I was able to find sugar free Gatorade. It is a LOT of artificial sweetener but little to no spikes.
I kept my electrolytes up. Force Factor drink mix into water. Nurse said it was okay.
I always read about this, but I never had to prep for it. They just gave me a liquid up the bum that instantly cleared everything for the colonoscopy. It took me 30 minutes to clean myself, with wet paper towels even. Please bring wet wipes with you and don't stress too much. If it is without anesthesia, it's fine. Uncomfortable mostly, maybe some pain from the cramps from the air the blow in your bowels to see properly, but you can let the doctor know this and they will suck some air back and the pain will be gone. Good luck!
I'm MDA, my procedure is less 4 units long acting (thats my situation, worked it out ahead of time with my endo the first time I had a scope) and no rapid (unless I'm spiking, then I'll just take a single unit and monitor, don't want to overdo it) and I basically just fast and keep tabs on my b.s. If I need a bit of sugar I just take a single packet of plain white sugar. And just monitor.
Apple juice? Yikes, no sugar unless you need to bring yourself up from a low.
Clear chicken broth for when you are allowed some fluids is okay. Jello, which they say you can have if its the light colored stuff (no cherry for instance), but f-me, I tried the sugar free stuff one year, that stuff is utter crap. Personally, I prefer the no eating at all and go full on fast with just having the broth a
I just had my colonoscopy! I drank Sprite and water during the day and switched to Powerade and water after taking the Pico Salax. Night before took a half dose of Tresiba. Procedure went really well but my sugars were all over the place for about 24 hours.
56 male here with one clean colonoscopy behind me. (I was happy to get good news.)
Make sure your prep is set up for your diabetes. Mine was different than the standard.
Prep is 100% harder than the procedure. They'll give you really good drugs and it was quick and painless.
As far as blood sugar, chicken broth and Sprite were my clear liquids of choice.
Talk to your doctor about emergency blood sugar protocol. They should be able to offer guidance in case you go low.
I used the white Gatorade Zero for my prep.
Worked great.
I used bone broth. Protein and low carb. There are discussions on whether or not it's a "clear" liquid but it worked for me and the scope was fine.
I drank a lot of hot, clear broth and sugar free drinks that had no red dye in them. What time of day is your colonoscopy scheduled for?
Drink clear fluids right up until 2 hours before the procedure is the usual advice. If your sugars are high they don’t care, if your sugars are too low they’ll advise jelly and clear glucose shot
You can also supplement your intake with clear chicken broth with no food pieces. There’s Gatorade and other electrolyte drinks that are not red, orange, blue or purple that you can have, as well as coconut water. And if you’re diabetic, some of the electrolyte drinks have zero sugar drinks that taste pretty decent.
Thanks; but this is an answer to a different question than the one I've asked.
I got the greenlight to use IsoPure. It's clear protein powder. That plus homemade chicken broth helped me tremendously as I was clear liquids only for 48hrs prior to colonoscopy.