It never hurts to ask. Of course, it's probably too late now.

Jan

M&S are you telling me I have to drink that again for my takedown????

I sure hope not Jessica! My surgeon is pretty thorough so I had to down 2 bottles of the stuff but I could only get through 1 ( and I already told you what happened to the other one ) Other than that my takedown was a breeze. Perhaps your surgeon will be satisfied with no food and lots of water. I'll have my fingers crossed that you don't have to take it and that your takedown goes really well.

Good Luck!!

Suzanne

Jessica, I don't know if you will have to drink it for TD or not. I did. They will be cutting and reattaching the intestines, so they need to be cleaned out. I would guess you would have to do it again.

Wow, Suzanne. 2 bottles? I have read where that is a no-no with the phospho-soda. Double dosing has been known to cause kidney problems, so I'm glad you could only down one bottle.

For the record - the cherry flavor. Yeah... no better than any of the others. The problem is the flavoring hits you at the end and not at the beginning. The disgusting flavor and texture are all still there. My recommendation: throw it down your throat as fast as you can and quickly drink some water.

Aghhhh! I get the heeby-jeebies just thinking about it. At least this prep is over for you!!
Best of luck with your surgery!
Cheryl

SWEET!! I talked to my Surgeon today and she said nope just a water diet a day before and we're all good!! YAY!!

The only prep I had to do prior to takedown was clear liquids the day before surgery. Thank God my doctor wasn't a sadist.

I have been taking this stuff for years and it is harder and harder each time. For colonoscopies, I usually can only get 1 bottle down. I am having the J Pouch (Step 1) in early November, and have been told that it is very important to take both bottles (3 oz. total). I'm not sure what is worse, the thought of surgery or the prep. I read the one reply regarding the Listerine. Anyone else ever try taking it cold and straight?

I am shuddering just thinking about this sick stuff! The best thing i found was just putting it in a cup with a bit of water, plugging your nose, take a deep breath in, drink it all, quickly drink some apple juice swishing it all around your mouth, then let go of your nose. This way the most unpleasant thing is just the minor burning i always get on my tongue from the phosphosoda. I would also blast my favorite song while i was doing it to distract me from the unpleasantness of the situation.

Excellent advise. Thanks.

Don't laugh at me until you try this! Cut up a lime into quarters or halves. Get the phospho soda really cold. Take a gulp of the PS and then immediately coat your tongue by sliding that cut lime over it. Repeat until all the PS is gone. I really avoided gagging by using this method. Best wishes!

I'm willing to try anything. Sounds like a great idea. Thanks.

CeCe - Great idea!!!! I could totally see that making it much more bearable.

Rick

I have to ask - which liquid is phospho-soda? For full colonoscopies I had to drink two or three litres of a vile liquid that tasted and smelled of rotten, stagnant fish water. No manufacturer here has even attempted to mask the flavour. I threw up every time I want to the fridge to pour another glass (one glass every 15 mins - ugh). For CTs I drank a clear liquid that didn't really taste of anything, but I puked because it was too much liquid in too short a space of time - a litre in an hour, I think. For TD I had NO PREP! Just clear liquids then fasting. Bliss.

The Phospho-Soda is made by Fleet and it is a thick, saline based laxative. With all the advances in medicine and technology, why can't anyone invent a better prep solution. I wonder if they have taste testers for this stuff?