What is a colonoscopy and how to prepare for it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Anesthesia is usually used, so it shouldn't hurt.

What is colonoscopy

Colonoscopy Colonoscopy / U. S. The National Library of Medicine is a method of examining the colon, in which a flexible tube with a video camera - a colonoscope - is inserted through the anus through the anus.

When to do a colonoscopy

It is worth talking to your doctor about the need for a colonoscopy if the following symptoms appear. Colonoscopy / U. S. National Library of Medicine:

• abdominal pain;
• weight loss for no reason;
• blood in stool or black and tarry stools;
• frequent diarrhea or constipation;
• causeless anemia.

Also, a colonoscopy is done if the proctologist, upon examination, found a small outgrowth on the mucous membrane (polyp) or has previously been diagnosed with inflammatory diseases of the colon. For example, ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.

The American Cancer Society also recommends Colon cancer screening / U. S. National Library of Medicine All healthy women and men from 45 years old have a colonoscopy every 10 years. This is necessary to detect colon cancer at an early stage.

What are the complications of colonoscopy?

The procedure is considered safe, complications are rare Colonoscopy / Mayo Clinic:

• Adverse reaction to pain relievers.
• Bleeding from where the biopsy was taken or the polyp was removed.
• Rupture of the intestinal wall (perforation).

How to prepare for a colonoscopy

When making an appointment for a colonoscopy, it is important to immediately warn which medications you are taking regularly. Blood thinners can increase the risk of bleeding, so you will need to reduce the dosage or stop taking them temporarily after consulting your doctor.

The rest of the preparation takes place in stages and lasts 5 days. Here's what to do with Suprep Bowel Preparation Instructions / Cleveland Clinic:

For 5 days

• Do not take medications for diarrhea.
• Do not use dietary fiber supplements.
• Do not drink vitamin E, multivitamins and medicines with iron.
• Buy a drug prescribed by your doctor for bowel cleansing from the pharmacy.

In 3 days

Refuse fiber-rich foods. Do not recommend eating:

• legumes;
• sunflower seeds, flax;
• quinoa;
• grain bread;
• nuts;
• greens and vegetables;
• fruits, including dried ones.

For 1 day

You cannot eat solid food. And immediately after waking up and then every hour you need to drink a glass (200-220 ml) of liquid. It can be:

• pure water;
• coffee and tea without milk or cream;
• carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks;
• fruit juices without pulp.

Alcohol, milk and cream, juices with pulp and any non-transparent drinks are prohibited.

On the same day, at 6 pm, you need to take a Colonoscopy / Mayo Clinic laxative prescribed by your doctor. It can be liquid or tablets.

On the appointed day

In the morning, you need to take a laxative again. Although sometimes proctologists recommend Colonoscopy / Mayo Clinic to have an enema, it cannot be the main preparation method because it only cleans the lower colon.

Do not eat on the day your colonoscopy is scheduled. And you must stop drinking no later than 3 hours before the study.

How is a colonoscopy performed

Before the procedure, doctors give a Colonoscopy / U. S. National Library of Medicine is a sedative, and a pain reliever is injected into a vein. The patient is asked to lie on a couch, bend the legs and pull them up to the chest.

A colonoscope is carefully inserted into the anus and slowly pushed inward to the small intestine. This is about 1.5 m. Then air is pumped through the tube to straighten all the folds of the intestine. At this moment, unpleasant sensations, a feeling of fullness in the abdomen and cramps may appear.

Then the proctologist begins to slowly remove the colonoscope while simultaneously turning it and examining the intestinal wall. Sometimes gases are released during this process.

During the procedure, the doctor may remove the polyp or take a biopsy - a sample of suspicious tissue for examination under a microscope. If Colon polyps / Mayo Clinic detects precancerous lesions, a second colonoscopy or special treatment will be required. If cancer is found, surgery is likely to be needed.

Is it possible to do a colonoscopy without anesthesia

It is possible, not all people find the examination painful or uncomfortable. In general, it all depends on the individual sensitivity.

But doctors tell Colonoscopy Periprocedural Care / Medscape that without anesthesia, colonoscopy takes longer and is more likely to miss a cancer or polyp. The fact is that the patient can begin to move if it hurts, and this will interfere with the study.

What will happen after the colonoscopy

When It's Over Colonoscopy / U. S. National Library of Medicine, you need to lie down for about an hour and move away from the action of the anesthetic. Some people feel dizzy and weak when doing this. Gas leaves the intestines for a few more hours. Then you can go home, but it is better for someone to help do this.

After colonoscopy, it is advised to rest and eat. You should drink plenty of fluids and not drink alcohol for 24 hours. And the next day you can return to your normal life. In this case, the state of health should be normal. An urgent need to see a doctor if Colonoscopy / National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases appear:

• heat;
• headache and weakness;
• severe bleeding from the anus;
• acute abdominal pain;
• bloody stool that does not go away for 2 days or more.