Review the instructions about the colonoscopy process at least two weeks ahead of time to ensure that you know what to do with your diet and medications, especially if you have diabetes, hypertension, heart, kidney, or vascular problems, require blood thinners, or have other serious medical problems. Providing information about your health to your colonoscopist well ahead of the colonoscopy, understanding the information about your bowel preparation, and following the specific plan provided to you by your colonoscopist are your primary responsibilities throughout the entire colonoscopy process.
Before scheduling your colonoscopy, you need to discuss with your colonoscopist how fasting, dehydration, and potential removal of pieces or parts of your bowel may affect any underlying medical conditions and medications. Only under your colonoscopist's instruction should you stop or change the dose of certain medications and supplements, such as anti-platelet agents, aspirin and other anti-inflammatories, blood thinners, diabetes medications and hypertension medications.
Even over-the-counter medications, herbal supplements and vitamins can impact the potential risk of colonoscopy. These things need to be fully discussed with your colonoscopist and thought about well ahead of a colonoscopy. Public or private? When your GP refers you for a colonoscopy, you can choose to have the examination in a public or private facility. Regardless of where you have your colonoscopy performed, the examination will be conducted in a private area.
If you have private health insurance and are planning to have your colonoscopy as a private patient, you should talk with your colonoscopist about where the procedure will take place and whether there will be any gap or out-of-pocket cost for you to pay to the colonoscopist or ancillary staff for the procedure.
You should also check with your health fund before the procedure to find out what your health insurance will cover. Speak with the colonoscopist if you have concerns as to where and how the procedure will be done. What I need to ask my colonoscopist? Make sure your colonoscopy will be done by an experienced colonoscopist who is interested in constant improvement in the quality of colonoscopy that he or she provides. Will my colonoscopy report include photographs of my caecum?
This will illustrate if the full extent of the bowel was examined. Do you use split-dosing of bowel preparations? Effective bowel preparation requires that at least half the preparation is ingested on the day of colonoscopy. Will my colonoscopy report include details about the quality of my bowel preparation? To ensure effective examination of the bowel it must be prepared according to the instructions accompanying the bowel preparation, otherwise polyps and cancers can be missed, and the colonoscopy may need to be repeated.
Will my colonoscopy report include the colonoscopy withdrawal time? Longer colonoscopy withdrawal times have been shown to improve polyp detection rates, whereas rapid withdrawal of the colonoscopy may miss polyps and reduce the effectiveness of bowel cancer prevention.
What you can expect from your colonoscopist: they are well trained in the procedure and meets agreed standards for competence there will be skilful and thorough examination of all parts of the large bowel risk factors e.
Meeting your colonoscopist. For your safety, it is important to discuss your medical history and conditions, as well as the medications you are taking with your colonoscopist, so they can determine the bowel preparation that is best for you. Several different types of bowel preparations are currently available, so be sure to ask your colonoscopist about the various options and the risks and benefits of each. Certain medications, including over-the-counter items, may need to be adjusted prior to colonoscopy, because they can make the procedure more hazardous or increase your risk if polyps need to be removed.
If you are taking iron tablets, aspirin or anti-arthritis drugs, or any blood thinning medications e. Warfarin , it is essential that you tell your colonoscopist. Special arrangements may be necessary if you have diabetes or heart valve disease or have a pacemaker implanted, so it is important to discuss this with your colonoscopist before the colonoscopy is organised. Providing consent. Your colonoscopist or a staff member of the facility where you are having the procedure will discuss the benefits and risks with you before you have a colonoscopy and you must give your permission before the procedure can be performed.
As with any invasive healthcare procedure or examination, there are risks associated with colonoscopy and with preparation for the procedure. Before you can provide informed consent for colonoscopy, your colonoscopist must provide a clear and realistic explanation of the procedure, possible associated discomfort, the benefits, and a clear explanation of the risks and potential adverse events including: sedation reactions, bleeding immediate and delayed ; perforation; and missed pathology.
You have the right to withdraw your consent at any stage of the colonoscopy process and this should be understood by all members of your medical team. Information about the risks and adverse events associated with bowel preparation for a colonoscopy can be found in the bowel preparation materials or Consumer Medicines Information CMI supplied by the manufacturer and from your pharmacy. If you can choose a day for your colonoscopy, select one that allows you to be at home the day or evening prior to the procedure so that you can be near a toilet while you complete the bowel preparation.
Regardless of what time of day you plan to have your colonoscopy, if your bowel is not properly cleansed the examination will have to be rescheduled. The time of day the colonoscopy is performed does not impact whether you have polyps but may play a role in whether they are detected. Findings from several studies suggest that having a colonoscopy in the morning results in better polyp detection rates than those performed in the afternoon. Researchers believe this may be due to inadequate bowel preparation in patients who must wait until later to have the procedure done.
Examples include blood thinners, such as warfarin and clopidogrel, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs , such as ibuprofen. The gastroenterologist will work with the individual during the consultation to decide how long they should suspend using a specific medication before and after the colonoscopy.
The consultation also is a good time to ask any questions about the procedure, including the risks and benefits. At this point, people should drink plenty of water or other liquids to ensure that they do not become dehydrated when they begin their bowel prep.
Drinking around eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day can help reduce the risk of dehydration. Here, get some tips on following a clear liquid diet. In general, if it is possible to see through the food or drink, it should be acceptable within a clear liquid diet. However, a person should always consult their doctor if they have any questions about specific foods. A doctor will often prescribe an oral solution to drink to help clean out the colon.
This solution will cause the person to have frequent bowel movements until there is no fecal matter left in their colon. These solutions are likely to have different dosage methods. Sometimes, a doctor will prescribe drinking the entire solution the night before the colonoscopy.
Other times, they will recommend drinking one portion of the solution the night before and the remainder on the day of the examination. The solution is intended to make a person go to the bathroom. Their bowel movements will turn into diarrhea.
The bowel prep can sometimes make a person feel nauseous, bloated, thirsty, or dizzy. If this occurs, the individual should give themselves a break of at least 30 minutes from drinking the prep and slowly sip on clear fluids.
If they can tolerate returning to drinking the prep, they should. The bowel movements will eventually turn clear or yellow. In case of problems with constipation , a doctor may also recommend using a stool softener to make stools easier to pass.
By the time of the colonoscopy appointment, a doctor will expect a person to be passing only clear to yellow-tinted liquid from the bowel.
The person will also meet the nursing staff who will be in the room with them during their colonoscopy, as well as anesthesia representatives who will be providing sedation. The person will then go to the colonoscopy suite.
An anesthesiologist who is part of the procedure team will administer sedatives to the person via the IV and be responsible for keeping their airway safe throughout the procedure. You can read about some common bowel preparations approved by the American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology, and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
Contact your clinician to discuss the one that is best for you. Preparing for a colonoscopy may be uncomfortable and time-consuming, but it needn't be an ordeal. Here are some things you can do to help it go as smoothly and comfortably as possible:. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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