Colonoscopy Preparation

COLONOSCOPY PREPARATION

The most important part of a successful Colonoscopy is the preparation. This means making sure that all of the stool in your colon is cleaned out and all that is left is some clear liquid. There are several ways of preparing the colon and you and your physician may choose the one that fits best for you.

There are two parts to the preparation. Part one is recommended for everyone. Part two will depend on what your doctor and you think is the best for you.

PART ONE: COLON PREPARATION: WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD DO!
It is very important that these rules are followed very carefully. There are two things that you need to do:

1. DRINK LOTS OF LIQUIDS. YOU SHOULD DRINK AT LEAST 6 GLASSES OF WATER A DAY STARTING 2 DAYS BEFORE THF PROCEDURE. It is important for the stool in your bowel movements to be soft. This makes it easier to be cleaned out. If you don't drink a lot of water the stool can get hard and this makes it harder for the preparation to flush it out.

2. EAT A LOW ROUGHAGE DIET STARTING 3 DAYS BEFORE THE PROCEDURE. DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF THE FOLLOWING FOODS: WHOLE GRAIN BREAD AND CEREAL, VEGETABLES THAT HAVE A LOT OF FIBER SUCH AS BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, SALAD GREENS, CABBAGE, CAULIFLOWER, CARROTS, CELERY, SPINACH SWEET POTATO AND TOMATO. AVOID FOODS WITH LOTS OF SEEDS: POPPY, SESAME AND SUNFLOWER. STOP ANY ADDED FIBER SUCH AS METAMUCIL AND FIBERCON. Fiber makes the stool firmer and more difficult to clean out. Normally you should be on a high fiber diet but for this test it is easier if your diet is low in fiber for a few days before the test. AVOID FOOD WITH RED DYES IN THEM LIKE RED JELLO.

PART TWO: CLEANSING THE BOWEL
Cleaning all of the stool out of the bowel is the most difficult and the most important part of the examination There are several ways of preparing the bowel and each one can be used depending on what you and your doctor prefer. To pick the best preparation you must answer two questions: 1. Can you drink a gallon of liquid over a 2 to 3 hour period? 2. Do you have some constipation?

ALWAYS FINISH THE PREPARARATION TWO HOURS BEFORE YOU HAVE TO COME IN FOR THE PROCEDURE USING THE STANDARD COLYTE PREPARATION: COLYTE OR GOLYTELY are liquids used to flush out the stool in your bowel. You should drink an 8 oz glass every 10 minutes until the jug is empty. If you get nauseated you should stop and walk around. Begin again when the nausea is gone. It is important to finish all the liquid. The liquid should be chilled but not cold or warm.

MODIFIED COLYTE PREPARATION: If you don't think you can drink the liquid all at once, you can divide the preparation in two parts. If you are having an afternoon procedure (After 11 am) Drink half the night before and half in the morning of the procedure. Finish two hours before you have to come in. For a morning procedure (Before 11 am): The DAY BEFORE the procedure, drink half in the morning and half in the evening.

FLEETS PHOSPHOSODA PREPARATION: This preparation is used for people who can't drink the large amount of COLYTE. You must do this preparation twice. PREPARATION: Add 1 1/2 ounces of Fleets PHOSPHOSODA (green bottle that you can buy without prescription in the pharmacy) in 1/2 glass of water. Follow this with 4 tall glasses of water over the next 1 to1 1/2 hours. If the procedure is scheduled in the morning then you should drink the PREPARATION in the morning and evening the day before the procedure. If the procedure is scheduled in the afternoon, then you should drink the PREPARATION in the evening the night before and early on the morning of the procedure.

CONSTIPATION: If you are constipated this means that it may take longer to prepare your colon. DO PARTS ONE AND TWO OF THE PREPARATION AND DRINK ONE BOTTLE OF CITRATE OF MAGNESIA (you can buy it at the pharmacy without a prescription) two days before you have the colonoscopy.