@Drbev603 posted:CTBarrister, you provided great info for me! What does the Magnesium Citrate do?
It's a 10 ounce bottle that is consumed orally, a high powered laxative that produces explosive, watery bowel movements usually within an hour of consumption. It is designed to clear out the entire intestinal tract of fecal matter. The Fleet just clears out the Pouch. It's a standard prep I have been doing for 30 years. It maybe is not for you, but a lot of people cheat on the prep or cut out steps or do not fast, and then have to be told they have to have a do-over. I overheard some of those conversations in the Yale recovery room while waiting for my then GI and they were not happy conversations. I heard one guy being told he had numerous polyps in his colon but they could not be visualized well because his prep had been poor. He was told he had to have a do-over. He was groggy when this news was received but did not sound happy.
My legal assistant went for a colonscopy a few years ago and did not take all of her prescribed laxative because she said it made her feel like puking. She was told she had to have a do over because she was not clean.
The bottom line is cheating a prescribed prep = possible do over. And do overs are NOT free. With a J Pouch scope the prep is not as extensive as for a colonoscopy, but they do peek into the ileum and the doctor does want to see a cleansed bowel.
So I just try and do it right and not have to have multiple scopes, which I am actually having now anyway due to the dilation of my stricture, but that is a separate topic.
All of the above being said, there have been a number of threads on this board on this topic. The vast majority were started by posters spooked or intimidated by the prep. They generally received supportive answers cajoling them into doing little to no prep. I am not going to comment on that except to say, do no prep at your own risk of paying for a second procedure.