How to Prep for Your First Colonoscopy, According to Experts - The New York Times

When patients travel to maine for their archetypal colonoscopies, the archetypal happening I usually accidental is, “Congratulations!” As a gastroenterologist, I applaud them for doing thing important for their wellness and stock successful their joyousness that the hardest portion of the colonoscopy process — the mentation — is down them.

Whether a colonoscopy is successful your aboriginal due to the fact that your doc would similar to analyse definite symptoms similar chronic diarrhea oregon rectal bleeding, oregon you’re being screened for colorectal crab (which is present recommended for astir radical to statesman at property 45), you’ll request to prepare.

I spoke with different experts who shared tips connected however to marque the acquisition smoother.

Not your grandfather’s colonoscopy

If you’ve heard astir colonoscopies from household members oregon friends, you whitethorn beryllium amazed by however overmuch the mentation and process person changed from anterior generations.

You’ll inactive person to cleanse your colon beforehand, but determination are galore caller laxative options — successful liquid, pulverization and pill signifier — that won’t necessitate you to chug much than a twelve cups of salty look successful 1 sitting. The Suprep Bowel Prep Kit, for example, requires drinking conscionable 2 cups of liquid laxative — erstwhile successful the evening earlier your procedure, and erstwhile the greeting of. And Sutab, a precocious approved pill-based option that involves swallowing 2 doses of 12 tablets, is enticing for galore radical who privation to debar liquid- oregon powder-based laxatives (which whitethorn sensation unpleasant).

The colonoscopy process itself has besides modernized. There are present safer ways to puff up the colon to hunt for precancerous growths, better cameras to assistance successful the hunt, and more blase techniques for removing abnormal tissue.

In fact, colonoscopies person go truthful overmuch safer and much comfy for my patients that it’s communal for them to aftermath up aft the process and ask, “Is that it?” oregon “When are we starting?”

Colonoscopies, similar each procedures, tin travel with certain superior — yet uncommon — risks. And your mentation instructions volition alteration depending connected your aesculapian needs and the circumstantial laxatives you are prescribed, truthful it’s important to reappraisal everything with your doc successful advance.

Surge earlier the purge

Starting the time earlier your colonoscopy, you volition statesman the celebrated bowel preparation. This involves starting a wide liquid fare for a time earlier the procedure, and taking laxatives that cleanse your colon. Laxatives are divided into 2 doses — 1 taken the nighttime earlier the process and different taken the greeting of. A mediocre prep is the crushed up to a 4th of colonoscopies cannot beryllium completed.

“A precise important information of precancerous lesions successful the colon are rather subtle,” said Dr. Douglas Rex, a gastroenterologist and prof of medicine astatine Indiana University School of Medicine. “In bid to spot those well, the colon has to beryllium clean.”

Three days earlier your colonoscopy. Cut retired high-fiber foods similar nuts, seeds, full wheat breadstuff and earthy vegetables, arsenic they instrumentality longer to walk done your digestive tract and tin marque it harder for your doc to spot wrong your colon.

Some radical deliberation of the fewer days earlier their liquid fare arsenic their past accidental to devour well, but overindulging tin acceptable you backmost — the much you eat, the much your assemblage volition request to expel.

You’ll besides privation to marque definite you person idiosyncratic scheduled to prime you up aft the process (you won’t beryllium allowed to thrust due to the fact that of the sedation).

The time earlier your colonoscopy. When you aftermath up the time earlier your procedure, you’ll commencement a strict wide liquid fare (which tin besides see definite foods). Water, chickenhearted broth and pome foodstuff are allowed, arsenic are foods similar pulp-free Popsicles oregon adjacent Jell-O, arsenic agelong arsenic everything is wide oregon airy successful color. (Red Jell-O, for instance, tin beryllium mistaken for blood.) Black java and beverage besides number arsenic wide liquids, “so your mornings don’t person to beryllium wholly ruined,” said Dr. Audrey Calderwood, manager of The Comprehensive Gastroenterology Center astatine Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.

Usually by the day oregon evening, you’ll beryllium instructed to instrumentality the archetypal dose of your prep, truthful program for a cozy nighttime successful and enactment adjacent to the bathroom.

Some radical find the sensation of definite preps unpleasant, truthful if you get queasy easily, inquire your doc successful beforehand for anti-nausea medication. Drinking your prep solution with a straw tin assistance bounds however overmuch of it you smell; sucking connected mints oregon menthol lozenges betwixt sips tin besides assistance blunt immoderate atrocious tastes. Chilling the prep successful the refrigerator tin besides assistance with the taste; conscionable debar utilizing crystal if you aren’t going to portion it quickly, Dr. Calderwood said. When the crystal melts, it volition dilute the mixture, resulting successful much measurement to drink.

And immoderate you do, don’t portion intoxicant the time earlier your procedure. While it technically mightiness beryllium a wide liquid, intoxicant tin origin dehydration and interfere with sedation, which tin marque for a unsafe combination.

The purge volition hap anyplace from a fewer minutes to a fewer hours aft starting your laxative, truthful banal up beforehand connected gentle toilet insubstantial oregon bedewed wipes with soothing witch hazel oregon aloe vera. (Just don’t flush your bedewed wipes, even if they accidental “flushable” connected their packaging, due to the fact that they tin harm the situation and clog pipes.)

The greeting of your colonoscopy. Several hours earlier your procedure, you volition apt beryllium instructed to instrumentality the 2nd dose of the prep. You volition besides request to halt drinking each liquids astatine slightest 2 to 4 hours earlier your scheduled procedure, arsenic directed by your physician.

By this point, your stools should beryllium liquid and see-through. If they’re not, beryllium honorable with your doctor. “The past happening you privation is to enactment successful each this effort, instrumentality clip disconnected and past the occupation doesn’t get done,” Dr. Rex said. It’s mean for patients who person definite conditions (like chronic constipation) oregon who are connected definite medications (like opioids) to instrumentality longer to prep adequately, truthful beryllium definite to reappraisal your aesculapian past with your doc earlier getting started. Sometimes, simply taking the bowel prep for 1 much time volition lick the problem.

Don’t hide to battalion a snack for the car thrust location — you’re going to beryllium bare and whitethorn privation much than the salt-free crackers the nurses mightiness connection you successful the betterment area.

It’s precise important that you travel your doctor’s instructions cautiously successful beforehand of your procedure. If you don’t, you’ll person to spell done the process again overmuch sooner — wrong 1 twelvemonth arsenic opposed to up to 10 years, arsenic is recommended for astir radical with a mean introspection and a cleanable prep.

“I deliberation everyone would alternatively conscionable bash a ‘one-and-done’ and bash it well, than person to travel backmost again truthful quickly,” Dr. Calderwood said. “Often, we won’t cognize however atrocious the prep is until aft the diligent has already been sedated and we instrumentality a look.”

The bottommost line

For galore people, Dr. Calderwood said, the intelligence aspects of preparing for a colonoscopy are much challenging than the carnal ones. You’ll person to contend with (a batch of) diarrhea, a deficiency of coagulated nutrient for 24 hours and sedation for a process — each of which tin consciousness overwhelming.

“It’s astir similar gearing yourself up to tally a marathon,” Dr. Calderwood said. But conscionable remember, it’s not an insurmountable task. “Lots of radical earlier you person done it and are doing it each day,” she said.

Try to chopped yourself immoderate slack and consciousness bully astir wherefore you’re doing this procedure, adjacent erstwhile it’s hard. After all, getting a colonoscopy is an enactment of self-care that tin springiness you and your loved ones bid of caput erstwhile it’s over.

“Any unpleasantness earlier the colonoscopy is going to beryllium finite,” Dr. Calderwood said. “And past successful each likelihood, you aren’t going to person to deliberation astir it again for respective years.”

Dr. Trisha Pasricha is simply a gastroenterologist astatine Massachusetts General Hospital and a contributor to The New York Times.