The Daily Ping

Just finished 2, 32 oz of the berry smoothie, one 2 hrs prior, one 1 hr prior. AND I had to drink each in 20 minutes or less. ICK! Necro is right, chugging is better. Now if I can just keep it down until they do the scan…UGH!!!

Boy, you guys are really cheering me up about this stuff I was just provided to drink tonight and tomorrow before some testing. I can’t wait to give it a shot.

OH MY GOODNESS…. so I’m in my hospital room and a nurse hands me this bottle… I google it and find these wonderful comments…

Lesson of the day: Do not google things you will be forced to drink BEFORE you drink them.

Your comments would’ve been grossly amusing after i drank it…but now I’m already about to puke….

Well I had to drink 3 (three) bottles, one the night before, one at 3 am and one at 8am. Well it went down, just barely. Well chilled, used a straw, chugged, used some true lemon on the tongue before drinking. Anything to help. What I’m wondering is since it’s so insoluable, dense and is not absorbed by the body, when can I assume I’ve completely flushed it out. And is there anything that will help flush it out.

I’m drinking it right now for a CT scan this afternoon. I’m dizzy and just trying to stop myself from gagging. OMG.

I’ve got two bottle of the banana smootie chillin’ in the fridge right now for tomorrow night/monday morning..gotta say you folks are not very encouraging

Im drinking the lovely banana – yeah okay – its banana all right!!!! Im thoroughly enjoying the comments as I drink a 450 ml of the stuff. Definately glad I didnt read these first. Quite enjoyable and im trying not to puke “banana” back up. This is just wrong – just wrong I say.

I had to choose among berry, banana, apple, or orange vanilla, so I figured apple, but has anyone had that one? It looks like berry and banana taste nasty, so I cant imagine apple would be much better. I am not looking forward to this, but I do not regret reading about it prior (at least that is how I feel now; I hafta start drinking it tomorrow night for my appt early the next morning). My concern is that I will get sick to my stomach and puke it up and then either have to reschedule it for later that day or even another date or else end up drinking even more at the hospital. I once had scheduled that required my bladder to be full and it wasnt. Hospital staff did not like that I was not properly prepped so my test was a bit delayed. The staff filled up a large cup and I ended up drinking more at the hospital. One last thing. I thought it funny that the staff member at X-Ray who gave me the bottles to take home told me twice that it is not an enema. Patients must have thought that it was an enema because it seems that similar things (loose stools, nausea and vomiting) will happen. Maybe they verbally attacked the hospital staff after taking the suspension.

I’ve been having a ton of intestinal problems, and I’ve got this “berry smoothie” drink. I’ve had a barium swallow before when I was 10, but it was with a little bit of the “unflavored” kind in a small shotglass-type thing. Lately, now at age 18, I’ve been having some of the same symptoms I had when I was 10 and then 16. So I’ve got this test, and two others. Based on you guys’ rave reviews, I am obviously not looking forward to drinking this!

Just a day before the Redi-Cat and I can’t wait (lol). It definitely tastes better chilled and small doses out of a juice glass. Just keep pouring till its all gone. This is my second Cat scan in 6 months. This is childs play compared to the gross stuff I had to drink before my colonoscopy. Just remember CHILL and go small.

Im having to drink 3 bottles of this ‘berry smoothie redik-cat’. 1 bottle 3 hours prior to my scan. One of the nurses and i agreed to put a packet of the ‘on the go crystal light peach tea’ in the 2nd bottle to drink. I was not as bad but still tasted horiible. Everybody is saying That ‘oh its not that bad and you can do it’

wish me luck:]

Oh, it’s definitely that bad!

It is horrible, I am drinking one 32 oz. bottle as I write and one tomorrow morning before test, omg I hope I don’t get sick from it… What does it do for the test, wondering if one bottle would be sufficent…. well here goes nothing GAG CITY….

This stuff is so nasty! I have had the craps after the 1st bottle. My tummy is churning and I just feel real nasty. Can’t find any sideeffects of this crap they say there is none I beg to differ.

I started reading the comments shortly after starting my first bottle, I got the unflavored stuff, chilled it overnight and well it’s not all that bad. I’m not saying I like it but I would say it’s just mildly unpleasent. This is far from the worse medical procedure I have had to endure. Bottoms Up!

It’s just plain DISGUSTING!!!!

So i’m drinking my first bottle right now and I’m enjoying all of these comments. It’s nice to know that others have shared this hardship and it makes me laugh. But I have to say that drinking this is bad, but not as bad as the stuff that you drink before a colonoscopy—that’s the WORST!

Just finished the first bottle of the most unflavored stuff I have ever tasted. NASTY!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t imagine the 7:00 AM bottle will be any easier.
I’ve had to drink worse stuff!!!!!!!!

It’s probably not a good idea to be reading this 2 days before I have to drink this redi cat stuff. I have heard you can mix a small amount of crystal light into it to help the flavor. Has anyone heard this before? i am tempted to cancel the scna due to my fear of drinking the junk.

Half way through my first of two bottles of the Berry without eating all day and my stomach is now starting to grumble like an angry bear. Try to imagine slightly watered down, lightly berry flavored Elmer’s glue. I will do what I must, but If I ever have to consume this again, I will chill it.

OK I just finished the last amount of the 2 bottles given to me. My thoughts are “how can we get so much out of a tiny microchip but we can’t make this stuff taste good” Also I too, had to drink a gallon of other yuck prior to my colonoscopy and although this stuff was not as bad, it was way to much. My stomach was to the point that if I swallowed it one more time, it was all coming up. I am now on the way to the hospital for the scan. Hoping things go my way.

this stuff is just absolutely awful. how is it possible that i had to drink 2 bottles (900mL) and i weigh less than 100 lbs….and a lady next to me who was about 250lbs had to drink the same amount!!? with every gulp i had to fight the urge to throw up. AWFUL. i’d rather have 30 ivs hooked up to me than drink this stuff again. ..its now 2 hours after i had the scan done and i still feel sick to my stomach.

there’s got to be a better way

I have to drink two bottles tonight and one at 8am before my 9:30 CT apt. It seems like everyone else only had to drink one in the PM and then one in the AM. I’m concerned that I’m going to down these three bottles at home then have to drink more at the place.

My advice as I’m one down two to go is to keep it in the fridge shake really well and just down it right at the fridge with your nose plugged. Mine was gone in less than a minute. I’m still burping up and re-tasting lovely banana but I guess it could be worse.

I just drank the whole bottle. I didn’t think it was bad at all. I added a package of Stevia to it, shook it up (I had it very, very cold) then drank it. I was expecting it to be really gross but was surprised it was ok. My husband recommended using a straw. I did and that was fine too. I’m really thankful that it tastes nothing like the stuff you have to drink for a colonoscopy!! Now that did almost make me puke. I will never, ever get that flavor out of my memory…ever. You can’t hold you breath either because somehow it makes it way to your nose.
But the Readi-Cat 2 #723 was really ok. I’ve drank worse protein drinks! I think it is different for everyone.

I just finished my first bottle of the Berry smoothie. This is what helped me. Take a few really deep breaths, blow all the air out of you and start drinking until you need to breath and stop drinnking. Immediately take a few sips of REALLY ICED COLD WATER, swish it around in your mouth and swallow. Walk away for a few minutes and come back and do the same thing. I got the first bottle down and it really didn’t bother me. Now I”m not saying the stuff tastes anything but discusting but…it works. Worth a try I always say.

Whats wrong? It’s great! It’s a berrylicious barium treat! I have a bottle I am saving for a special occasion. (Really, the DR gave me a bottle, then the imaging center said they would give me one on arrival.) Score!

It is really not that bad, I can see how some would find it pretty nasty. It is better than some of the old stuff and it digests better. No barium bomb. I had 2 scans a while back at 2 different facilities, they also gave me different directions for timing for the same upper GI scan. It is better at a cool temperature.

Plus anyone would have to admit it is 100x (probably more, I have never had one) better than the other path of entry.
I have had dye contrast too, that is unpleasant. Iridium or something nasty. Nasty warm rush. I was warned it may feel like I was “wetting myself”. That’s good.

Bartender, I’ll have a Redi-Cat, and one for my lady friend here.

I just downed my first dose, and I’m glad I read the comments first, because the actual experience wasn’t as bad as I expected.

I consider myself pretty sensitive to strong tasting drinks, don’t really like carbonation, think coffee is way too bitter to choke down, etc… and this wasn’t bad at all.

I have the berry smoothie stuff. It’s the consistency of Pepto-Bismol, but when chilled it has a pretty neutral chalk taste with a hint of berry flavor. Nothing too puke-inducing unless you hate the thick texture.

We’ll see how nasty the last swig is that they give me right before the scan. 🙂

It is the WORST stuff EVER!! As I finish the bottle at home I leave for the CT Scan knowing they will want me to drink more AGAIN. I always tell them to bring me a bucket also….. then they inquire as to whether I will bring any of it up. Ya think? … ok.. when I do get it down, I hold my nose tilt head back and gulp… Not a pretty picture. My parents who were with me asked the nurse at the desk if they are trying to improve this stuff … response was that they already have……

I had to get a CT scan last month, and let me tell you, that stuff is the nastiest concoction I’ve ever tasted. It is the consistency of glue but smells like bad milk. The taste is indescribable, although I got the kind that is supposed to taste like oranges, it instead tasted like bad milk with a hint of orange juice.

I puked. Four times.
I couldn’t help it. That stuff is just flat out nasty.

Hopefully I forget I read this before next Wednesday. As next Wednesday at noon I have to drink the WHOLE first bottle, then I have to drink most of the other bottle around 2. Then I have to drink the rest of THAT bottle before the scan.

My first CT scan also. Yay!

I just finished reading all these wonderful reviews of Readi-Cat… and I’m not too thrilled that I have to drink 2 bottles of it before my CT scan tomorrow!! Wow, I must be really lucky because I received 2 different flavors: Berry smoothie and Creamy Vanilla smoothie!! Awesome!!!

EWWWWWW!I am finishing the first bottle as we speak, i got berry smoothie. It is thick, yukkie and totally gross! I have to drink another tomarrow at 7 in the morning, wish me luck!

Mmmmmm yuck….. I taste no banana. Now, if only I could zap that flavor memory from my head before I drink the second bottle…

I must admit, I laughed and found many posts about drinking this stuff really amusing. It did make me a bit more trepidatious as I approached my time to drink my first bottle this afternoon…I expected it to be awful as so many posts suggested.

After drinking my first bottle, downing it in about 2 minutes without any problems…I’m wondering if many posts were written by real light-weights. Readi-Cat Berry Smoothie is not bad at all. Really, for me, it was nothing like I expected after reading these posts. It went down easily and fast and did not taste all that bad, thankfully.

If you’ve never had to drink this stuff before, and like me it is your first time..rest assured…it is an easy thing to do and is not so terrible….

Have to do Redi Cat this week, which is the best flavor? I guess I have figured the orange? Ho about the bannana?
000
Do they give you that AND the IV contrast too or just the Redi Cat contrast? I have had 2 radiologists tell me two different things.

Did you get the “Green Apple Quicksteps” from it? diarehea (sp?)

Wendy

I find it to be not such a big deal. Nothing like the gallon of poison before colonoscopy. Just finished 450ml banana.

Here’s how to do it – make sure it’s cold and use a straw. Just drink it quickly. It’s not nearly as bad I thought it was going to be.

It’s not all that bad.. One bottle down and one to go in an hour The taste isn’t as bad as the consistency to me.. very thick. I keep burping up the yummy stuff lol!!!!! Cold is definetly better…I am glad I drank before I read all this, or gag reflex would have been in motion at first drink! Wish me luck!

I’m supposed to use the Berry Smoothie for a CT soon. However, I have had a “bug” for the last two weeks and am concerned about whether this stuff will reignite the diarrhea I’ve been dogged by or cause constipation. I’ve read that it can cause BOTH on the web????

Also, I’m lactose intolerant. Does anyone know if there is any lactose in the premixed Berry Smoothie?

I’d ask my radiology dept. but they are not too thrilled that I have postponed my appt already because I am still not “gut normal”.

Drinking it with a straw is the only way I can get it down. I put the straw as far back in my mouth as I could and take as big of sips as possible. It isn’t pleasant, but it is better than trying to gulp it down. I tried that to hurry up the process and I ended up gagging, so I went back to the straw method. Much easier, even though it might take a little longer. As you are struggling to finish the bottle, just remember that others have gotten it down…so can you! Good luck.

Ok, Got lots of comments from you all, I’m drinking tomorrow and am going with the straw approach. I was told that chilling it would thicken it,so I am going to chill just a little ,then go for it. I hope it’s not as bad as some say. AAHH!

Had to drink 2 bottles this morning for a CT scan. Had it with contract (dye) as well. I left mine in the frig and got it nice and chilled. I guess I had bananna because it kind of tasting like a bland pinana colada to me. It wasn’t horrible. Not great, but not horrible either. The dye contract does give you a quick warming effect, and a funky taste in your mouth, and you do kind of feel like you are wetting yourself, but you’re not. My problems are afterwards; diarrhea and horrible gut noises with lots of gas for a few hours. Anybody else get that after?

My husband has to take this med before his CT scan. I didn’t have to when I had my pelvic CT. What does this drink supposed to do? They are doing an abdominal CT on my husband.

Any thoughts from you guys? Thanks!

Yes! I just had too drink some today…I didn;t even get all but too spis in and it came back up with a vengance mine was some kind of orange stuff that tatsed like purfum…it was te grossest thing I have ever drank. Needless too say i’m not going too my appointment today!

Well as part of my prep, i also had to drink citro-mag as well as redi-cat, and the redi-cat is by far the better of the 2!

Drinking it right now.. it is nasty crap

Drinking it right now wondering if it has carbs

I did this 3 years ago and the only way I got it down was to put it in a cup with ice & crunch the ice as I drank it. It really works, trust me. I’m horrible with this stuff. Just thinking of having to do this again soon is making me gag… yuck! It took me 4 hours to get 2 bottles down…

I had my 1st bottle last night (apple smoothie) at room temp., not so bad if you just keep chugging it. Although, definitely not tasty, it is like a protein shake gone horribly bad. Belching that it causes makes you have to focus on not throwing it back up by accident with a passing belch, thou. My diarrhea started as soon as I was up the next morning. Not severe and without abdominal pain. Other that seems no other side effects for me. My 2nd bottle starts in an hour, looking forward to it, (NOT) lol.

Drinking a bottle of it now in preparation for a 8am appointment in 10 hours.
Smelled okay at first. tasted okay. now half way through and I’m online now trying to find ways to keep it down. this stuff is disgusting. but hey! if it detects a problem in my liver, it’s totally worth it.

Just finished my Berry Smoothie Readi-Cat 2, it was delicious. They must have made some improvements over time.

Okay, just finished my first bottle of “Banana Smoothie”. I found it clever that the radiology guys at the hospital didn’t give me any specific instructions, so I googled, and here I am. It wasn’t bad, but it is sitting heavy in my stomach. Seriously, it was way better than what has been described a couple of years ago.

I was given 2 450 ml bottles of Readi-Cat (non smoothie) to drink this morning and it had the consistencty of watery glue and tasted like a very bad version of tang. It also made my acid reflux go crazy making it even harder not to puke. I added strawberry syrup to it and it made it slightly better, but I still couldn’t make it through the first bottle due to the high amount of citric acid in it. I had my wife call the imaging facility and tell them I was going to puke if I took another drink and they said to stop drinking it and come in early. I went in and they gave me 2 16 oz cups of a red watery (no thickness) liquid that tasted like crystal light with a slightly bad aftertaste (still 100000X better than the readi-cat). So if you are afraid of the readi-cat just ask for the other liquid. I have found out that they wont tell you about it in the beginning, but you are allowed to ask for it. Also, I cannot stand needles in my veins (normal shots are fine), in fact I have a phobia about needles in my veins. I however, much preferred the IV contrast over the nasty Readi-Cat. The warm sensation was legit though, it spreads across your whole body for about a minute and feels funny.

OK…..NOW, I’m terrified. Thank you.

I just had a CT scan w/contrast this morning. The smoothie was vanilla and not too bad, but now I don’t get very far from the toilet.

Drinking some right now – Vanilla Smoothie. To me it isn’t nearly as bad as the posts I am reading here. It isn’t delicious but it really is not that unpleasant. I am really hungry and thirsty so I am actually kind of looking forward to my next 250 ml bottle in another 10 minutes. Plus the CT scan I am having could help extend my life so I don’t think I should complain.

So I’m waiting to schedule my CAT scan and decided to look up more info on the procedure. As i’m reading through the comments I realize most of them talk about the flavors of it. I check my bottle to find out what flavor it is and guess what? It doesn’t have one. Tell me, please, is this a good or bad thing?

You can safely assume “Chalky Ass” flavor unless stated otherwise.

Had to drink two 450ml bottles of it this morning within the 2 hours before my appointment at 10:30am. Was told to drink 1 bottle an hour and take it slow. It was vanilla flavored and they gave me a grape kool-aid packet to mix with it if I needed. The vanilla didn’t taste that bad, but the kool-aid packet definitely made it better. The first bottle was easy to drink, but the second bottle was a different story. My stomach started getting full to the point I wanted to vomit. Drank about 3/4 of the second bottle and they had me take a big gulp before the CT scan. Only bad part about it is having to run to the bathroom every few minutes after a couple hours of having the scan.

I was given the berry flavor. Had to drink 2 of te 450 mL containers. First one 2 hrs prior to my appt and one 1 hour prior to test. I had them in the fridge overnight and drank them with a large straw. I read this the night before the test, so needless to say I was scared to drink this crap. Anyways, after a night of almost no sleep completely petrified, I am here to put your mind at ease. I finished both drinks within a minute of starting them (I was told I could chug them, which I did) and I didn’t think it was chalky, although it was a thicker consistency… Like melty soft serve ice cream. It didn’t have all that much of a flavor, it smells really potent of berry though, so it just tastes like it smells. I think the sense of smell beats out the sense of taste in this case. I’ve had 3 colonoscopys and had to drink 3 jugs of golytely(I’m 28 yrs old) and this was nothing. They also made me drink the contrast koolaid when I got to my appt which tastes like Mediciney koolaid, and had the iv with iodine contrast, which really does make u warm starts in ur throat like u just took a high alcohol proof shot, then travels down ur arms, chest, and pelvis… Where once it hits ur “naughty bits” it’s so warm it does feel a little like u peed urself, but u can tell u haven’t lol. It’s not bad…. Don’t freak out. I did end up having some diarrhea after but it was about 3 hours after I got home from the test that it started and it only lasted a couple hours…. With intermittent trips to the restroom. I wasn’t glued to the toilet. I wouldn’t make any plans away from quick access to a toilet though after the test, just in case, because it came on suddenly and was pretty urgent when it would intermittently sneak up on me.

I wouldn’t say it is all that bad mine tastes like a chalky version of tang. So far so good no vomiting hasoccurred nor do I feel like I might. Drank it cold and have had no issues but we will see later on today good luck all and I pray for good news for you !!!!

Thanks for the heads up everyone. Funny how the docs and pharmacist didn’t say a word about what to expect. I’m still tryin to figure out if my whole day will be ruined cuz i have to be runnin to the bathroom. They oughta tell u if u should plan on taking the rest of the day off work.

I sure am glad I didn’t do any searching on my Berry Smoothie before my appointment today or I never would have made it after reading all these scary comments. I had to drink 1 450 ml bottle 90 minutes before my appt and it didn’t taste bad at all. Are we talking the same stuff? I am very sensitive to weird foods and there is a lot I won’t eat but there was no problem with this. It was chalky but was nowhere near as disgusting as others make it sound. I only had 1 bottle and I read that many have had to have 2 or more bottles. I might have a problem with that, not because of the taste but because that is a lot to put into my small tummy at once. My opinion is that this is pretty close to a piece of cake. It is 1 million times better than the fleet phoso soda I had to drink for the colonoscopy. That I’ve done twice and I don’t think I can ever do it again.

I’m never drinking this junk again. I’m supposed to drink half of it at 11am (done) and half of it at 1pm (I don’t think so!) I have a huge headache, my stomach feels like it’s getting eaten away, and my legs feels so weak I’m having trouble walking around my house.

This stuff isn’t really all that bad. I got the Readi Cat 2 in Moccachino smoothie. Tastes like kind of a watery hot chocolate flavor mixed into a weak coffee flavored milkshake my one suggestion is to drink it quickly and very very cold. Like in the freezer for 15 minutes cold. Had to do one bottle 4 hours before testing, one more half hour before test, and another half bottle 10 minutes before test. It’s a lot to drink, and you feel kinda bloated, but it’s really really not as bad as a lot of these older posts would have you believe. Fear not.

For the vanilla flavor, it helped a lot to add ice, a little unsweetened cocoa powder and a little coffee before shaking it up. Then drink with straw. Adding this small amount of flavor and ice makes much more tolerable.

Clearly, they have made some major improvements in this stuff. I was dreading it and. . it’s not bad at all. Mine doesn’t state a flavor, but it’s definitely orangey. Really, it reminds me of coconut milk with a little orange flavor. And I love coconut milk so, it’s almost tasty! I just hope I’m doing it right. Lost my instructions and going off memory – half tonight, half in the morning. I see so many different recommendations online it must not matter too much.

For those who asked why drinking the contrast is required, it outlines your intestinal tract and makes it visible to the radiologist who reads your scan. The IV contrast shows blood flow to the area being scanned; abnormal areas may have increased/decreased blood flow. The thinner oral contrast also contains iodine and in some cases does not work as well as the barium sulfate in the RediCat, so drinking the barium will provide a more accurate result. People always complain about drinking contrast but without it your scan would be inconclusive so suck it up buttercup!

It really wasn’t that bad. I refrigerated it overnight and used a small 6 0z cup Just keep shaking it. I took about 7 little cups over 1/2 hours. I held my breath and put it down. I have put down health food supplements that were worse. I have the Berry flavored.

I had my CT scan this morning and it was a non event. Took the first bottle of erry RediCat at 6:00am and the second at 7:00am. Finished both by 8:00am. The consistency is that of almond milk and no gross taste, in fact no taste at all. I chilled both bottles overnight, shook well and placed in a container of crushed ice to keep cold. I sipped it slowly through a straw. I stopped about a quarter way through and put a few chips of crushed ice in my mouth and let them melt. Did this 8 time through the course of the procedure. It was very easy to take, no gagging or puking. Beware that about 10 minutes after the first bottle bathroom trips will start. Did not last long and were finished by the time I arrived at the center two hours later. Please don’t get all worked up, truly it was not bad t all.