Colonoscopy Procedure, Purpose, Preparation and Cost

To make sure the doctor or nurse has a clear view of your colon, it must be completely empty. Therefore, you will be asked to follow a special diet for two days before the procedure. You also need to drink more fluids on the day before your colonoscopy. 

You should aim to drink a glass of water every hour for two days prior to procedure ( aim for 2 - 3 L of water per day unless you have liver or kidney disease). 

• STOP any Iron containing tablets for 3-4 days pre-procedure. 
• STOP taking any medications that stop motions for 3-4 days pre-procedure.
• STOP any diabetic medication on the night before procedure. Do not take any until after the procedure.
• You should take you’re your regular blood pressure medication and thyroid medication on the morning of procedure with a sip of water at 6 am.

For your comfort this procedure is performed under sedation. You must arrange for a relative or friend to take you home approximately 2-3 hours after the test. This person should be 18 years of age or older. It is recommended that someone stays with you overnight. You will not be able to drive or operate any machinery for the remainder of the day and will need to rest quietly at home. Your safety is important to us, if you are unable to arrange someone to collect you, please contact us to discuss alternative arrangements 

• Well cooked, lamb or pork 
• Fish, shellfish or poultry
• White rice based dosa, idli, upma noodles or white pasta
• Cereal likes plain cornflakes 
• (not bran, museli) 
• White bread or toast 
• Marie  or other plain biscuits 
• Eggs, especially boiled or poached 
• Butter/cheese 
• Milk, cream, paneer 
• Potatoes without the skins (boiled)
• Soya and tofu 
• Water, cordial, fizzy drinks, rice water, clear strained soup or clear jelly
• Tender coconut water, buttermilk

• Fruit, including fresh, dried and canned 
• Nuts of any variety
• Brown rice , brown pasta, ragi & jowhar
• Wheat in any form 
• (roti, chappati, dahlia etc)
• Hi-fibre breakfast cereals 
• (including porridge oats)
• Pulses or lentils (any daal variety)
• Hi-fibre, multi-seeded,  or wholemeal bread 
• Vegetables
• Nuts / seeds
• Roasted, deep fried Finger chips
• Jam , Chips, Alcohol, Red jelly
• Red cordial, or fruit juice 

ON THE DAY BEFORE PROCEDURE: You are advised to have only liquids after lunch.

ON THE NIGHT BEFORE THE PROCEDURE: you are advised to take the special medication prescribed for you. This will make you have loose motions. We expect you to have 5-8 bowel motions and the last motions to be clear pale yellowish liquid. If this has not happened please inform us as you may need an additional dose.

On arrival, please give your name to the receptionist or nurse. You will be asked to change into a gown.  Please be aware that we have our endoscopy teams running 2 procedure rooms at the same time so sometimes another patient who arrived after you may be called in before you are. This does not mean you have been forgotten, but that the other person is on a different list to you. We do everything we can to avoid keeping you waiting any longer than necessary, but because every procedure takes a different length of time to complete, sometimes it’s hard to give exact timings. We’ll update you regularly as to how long you are likely to be with us. But please be prepared to be with us for the whole morning or afternoon, depending on whether you are placed on the morning or afternoon list.

Please tell the nurse if:

• You are diabetic
• You take medication for high blood pressure 
• If have had any reactions or allergies to other examinations in the past. 
• If you are taking any medicines that thin your blood, such as antiplatelet medicines (for example aspirin or clopidogrel) or anticoagulant medicines (for examples warfarin or rivaroxaban). 
• If you are diagnosed to have Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV

This test is normally performed with sedation. This means we will administer medication that makes you relaxed and puts you to sleep. The test itself only takes about 15-20 minutes.

You will be asked to lie down on your left-hand side on a couch with your knees bent. The endoscopist will start by inserting a finger into your anus to perform a rectal exam, this will help lubricate the anal passage and identify if there are any significant haemorrhoids or growths able to be felt in your anal passage. 

The endoscope will then be inserted into your lower bowel through your anus. Air will be passed down a channel in the endoscope, expanding your bowel to make it easier to see the lining. This may make you feel slightly bloated for a few hours after the procedure but will wear off soon enough. If any areas of concern like ulcers or growths are seen your endoscopist will take a small biopsy. You will not feel this. When a polyp is noted the removal may be deferred and re-booked on a specialised list after reviewing the biopsy result.

You may have some cramping and discomfort for a couple of hours post procedure. This is because of the air we have have to.

After the procedure you will be taken to the recovery area where you will need to rest quietly until your observations are stable (usually two hours). The nurse will check your blood pressure and pulse and discharge you when you are stable. You can visit our cafeteria for refreshments. 

You must arrange for a relative or friend to take you home approximately two hours after the test. This person should be 18 years of age or older. It is recommended that someone stays with you overnight. You will not be able to drive or operate any machinery for the remainder of the day and will need to rest quietly at home. Please note that your appointment will be cancelled on the day if you wish to have sedation but have not organised an escort home.

If you are unable to arrange someone to collect you, please contact us to discuss alternative arrangements. 

The sedation lasts longer than you may think and therefore you must not: 

• Drive or ride a bicycle
• Operate machinery or do anything requiring skill or judgement
• Drink alcohol 
• Go to work
• Make any important decisions, sign contracts or legal documents. 

You should rest at home following your procedure and should be able to carry out your normal activities 24 hours after the test. 

The doctor will often be able to tell you your results before you leave the hospital. If you have had a sedative, it is a good idea to have someone with you when the results are being discussed, as you may not remember all of the details afterwards, due to the sedative. If you have had biopsies taken the results may take up to one week to become available. You will usually be able to see your primary doctor on the same day.