You should call the ER of the hospital, and they will probably let you talk to a nurse. They don't want to cancel it, so they will probably advise you on what to do. Good luck, and I hope it goes well for him.

Yeah.... He is half way through with only a liter to go. Sit him on the toilet - it comes out quickly as you know at this stage. I found fruit flavoured bottled water a little "tastier" than pure water to swallow. I found refrigerated water easier to drink. He is probably feeling the "chills" as well but that will pass. Give him a blanket for his lap and shoulders. Also loads of encouragement. Once the prep is through in a couple of hours, he should be back to feeling pretty normal and get some sleep. As you know - the prep is the worst part and what a feeling of accomplishment you have when you are done! See what the hospital says - different preps are used in different sites. I had to drink four liters after 4 Ducolax tabs, my DH only two cups but had suppositories prescribed. Sending a cyber hug.

I found the following on the Cleveland Clinic site related to colonoscopy prep:
To reduce nausea or vomiting. If you feel nauseated or vomit while taking the bowel preparation, wait 30 minutes before drinking more fluid and start with small sips of solution. Some activity (such as walking) or a few soda crackers may help decrease the nausea you are feeling. If the nausea persists, call your doctor.

Wanda, thank you so much for your suggestions. I know you always come thru for so many here.
I did call the ER. They gave some alternatives what to try, but at this point, he doesn't think he can get anymore down. He's got until midnight & then we will call tomorrow am to see if the GI Lab will let him proceed or not. I sure would hate for him to start over, though.

Thanks again so very much for your quick response!,
God Bless ~~ katclaws

Didn't see the other replies, but Thank you all for your suggestions. Really wish they could come up with a better prep someday.

The procedure itself is so simple & can save your life!

they do have different preps..in the hospital had this awful gallon jug of nasty salty stuff...but 6 weeks later (yup colon-op #2) I was given this smaller version of more kidney friendly stuff...less nasty tasting also...

you know he might tolerate some ice chips?

I am surprised that diet Coke was allowed. When I went through my colonoscopy prep, no dark or strongly dyed fluids were allowed since the dark color would interfere with the view the next day.

If you are having trouble with the 'clean out fluid' returing, don't try to drink it all at once. Drink half and wait a few minutes. The important thing is to get it all down in a reasonable time period. I, too, had a little trouble of downing the whole dose without heaving it back in a manner the would make Mt. Vesuvis jealous.

Make sure the drink is very cold and take small sips. I have done this 3 times. The first time it was awful and the second and third much easier to drink. Good luck to your husband.
Mary

I really don't understand why any doctors still use that ancient prep method. It is cruel and causes so many people to refuse to go through it again. There are many excellent preps that are NOT like that. I now always do the pills, you do have to drink a lot of water but I drink a lot of water any way. It is so much easier. If you just tell them NO I will not do that prep give me something I can tolerate or just ask for the pills.
Every single prep for this can cause damage to your body, you are literally over dosing on a medication you are not taking it in a normal manner so it is cause for concern. However taken properly with the correct amount of liquids it is less of a concern.
The reason the pills get brought up as harmful is that people have failed to follow the directions and drink the needed amount of water with them.
If I find a doctor that will not accommodate me with a prep I can tolerate that is a doctor I will not be using. All of my gastro docs have been the best and everyone of them has gone with much easier preps or pills.
You just have to stand up and say no be pro active.

My DB had to do a prep this past week and his Dr. has a much simplified one that worked well. Two days before, clear liquids only and on the first day, Sun, @10 am he drank a 10 oz bottle of cherry flavored mag. citrate and continued with clear liquids. The next day, Mon., another bottle of the mag. citrate at 10 am and and at 3 pm, 4 dulcolax pills. Could continue clear fluids rest of day and nothing by mouth after midnight and colonoscopy was done at 8 am Tue. morning.
I'm so glad this was a simplified version and worked really well for my 83 year old DB, as he is getting senile and didn't really understand what it was all about. If he had to do it the old way it would not have worked as there was no way to get him to drink that much.

Here's my view - there are people who are uncomfortable and skittish about any medical procedure or treatment. These are the same people who avoid blood draws and injections. For people who feel that way, I don't thing any "clean-out method" provides an acceptable experience.

Maybe I'm lucky because I can deal with medical things without drama. I had a colonoscopy last year. The clean out procedure was a drag but you just grin and bear it. It was too much to drink, I felt queasy for awhile, but so what.

In the real old days, the stuff you had to drink really did make one feel ill. The first time, I had to combine that with a self-administered enema - talk about an unpleasant experience!

In the end (bad pun), I think one's attitude makes a big difference. It's something to endure and get over with as soon as possible. I hope OP's husband was able to finish the job on time, the irony being that if he couldn't, he needs to go through the whole experience again. No reason to do it any more than is necessary.

Snidely, people with iron stomachs (you?) don't understand some people's inability to keep things down sometimes--it is NOT mind over matter. As with those afflicted with a needle phobia, (my dd,) it's just not possible to easily submit with an attitude change. This is the same thing as saying those with a fear of heights only think it's a problem and are just being babies. We are all different and I really get ticked off when someone who doesn't have a problem with a procedure or a fear poo-poos those who do.

Katclaws, I hope your dh was able to go through with the procedure! I was once able to only get half the stuff in and they still took me, much to my relief.

Sjerin, you seem to have missed my first two paragraphs.

What I was trying to suggest at the end is that for those who are troubled by certain situations or procedures, to think "Ewww, I don't like this but I have to do it and I'll give it my best effort" can lead to a different outcome than "Ewww, I don't like this and I'll stop as soon as I'm unhappy".

Is having needle phobia a reason to not get innoculations or to not go to the doctor regularly? Or, is having trouble dealing with the toilet or the volume of liquid for the cleanout procedure a valid reason to not have a colonoscopy?

Of course not, that's what I was trying to say with some compassion with what the person was going through. You need to do what you need to do and in some short period of time it's all over.

If you vomit the prep it will not work, no matter how much you tell your stomach to keep it in.

I'm one of those people who cannot (not WILL not) injest a large volume of liquid in a short period of time. It'll come straight up as soon as I've reached that limit. No nausea, no warning.

The three times that I've had this procedure, I just ignored the starting times, and the amounts I was to consume in a given amount of time. I got it all in by the time I was supposed to stop but started 2 to 3 hours earlier.

Hello again everyone. Just wanted to do an update. Well, DH was not able to keep the prep down at. all.

He has rescheduled for next month. Dr. is going to try a different type of prep. DH is not the type to be afraid of procedures, he donates blood, & even had a colonoscopy 10 years ago.

I'm a (currently unemployed) phlebotomist & I totally get that people have serious needle phobias. It might not be rational to those of us for who it is no big deal, but it's a serious, anxiety laden procedure for some. You have to have a lot of compassion with sensitive individuals like that.

Heck, my irrational fear is flying so I'm a white-knuckle flyer, So, not everyone can physically & emotionally deal with every single thing thrown at them. I've seen a lot when I was the one drawing the blood.
I was dx'd in July with CRVO.... central retinal vein occlusion that came out of nowhere. I lost some vision in my left eye & now I have to get injections IN MY EYE. Not fun, but I can do it. Now, if I had to go to the dentist and get a shot in my gums, you would see me running & screaming out of the dentist office. So, we all have our fears & phobias. LOL No one should be made to feel "less than" just because they fear a procedure--IT's NORMAL to not want to be poked & proded, imho.

I've had 4 colonoscopies myself, so I kind of know the ropes. One of my preps was a breeze, & one other gag-inducing one--not so much.

We also started earlier too, but he just couldn't get past the second step of liquid prep. On top of vomiting up the prep, he ended up with chills & fever & a horrific headache.

It IS a shame that he will have to repeat this in a month, but we are hoping for a much more condusive (to his system--at least ) prep.

To the poster wondering...He can't drink coffee or tea or any kind of carbonated drinks to begin with EXCEPT for Diet Coke, but did NOT drink that yesterday, due to the coloring. Everything needs to be clear as you mentioned.

I had everything in place for him.... bottled water, jello, broth, popsicles, reading materials, juice with no pulp, extra TP, soothing wipes for a sore bottom, loose jogging pants for running to the commode (even a pair of Depends if needed) -- but even with the best-laid plans, when it came to keeping it down-- it just wasn't in the cards for him.

I know the prep is a pain, but in my case during my second colonoscopy, 3 pre-cancerous polyps were removed & it may have saved my life. The small amount of discomfort for me was totally worth it. Kind of like having mammograms & pap smears etc.--not fun, but can be life-saving.

Thanks again for your interest & all your thoughtful replies!
Blessings, ~~ katclaws

Will let you know how it "goes" (pun intended) next month!

Hmm, do you think your dh is actually sick with the flu? Those are most unusual symptoms for a colonoscopy prep. If that is the case, no wonder he couldn't keep anything down! Hopefully the next time will be much easier.