Bottoms up! What’s involved in a colonoscopy

What is a colonoscopy?
A colonoscopy is a procedure that screens for colon cancer (colorectal cancer). A thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera is guided through the large intestine to look for abnormalities – such inflamed tissue, ulcers, growths – inside the colon and rectum.

If a patient is experiencing a change in bowel movements, stomach pain, bleeding and weight loss, the colonoscopy could provide some answers.

Who should get a colonoscopy?
Doctors recommend routine colonoscopies for anyone aged 50 or over. But you should have one earlier if you have had inflammatory bowel disease, a family history of colon cancer, or other risk factors. Consult with your doctor.

How to prepare for a colonoscopy
Preparing for a colonoscopy, called a bowel prep, can take as little as one day, or possibly even a week, because it may take that long for all solids to vacate the gastrointestinal tract.

A common bowel prep is the clear liquid diet. The rules are:
• Do not consume dairy products, including milk, cream, or even coffee creamer.
• Do not consume beverages containing red, blue or purple dye. They can interfere with the test results.
• You can consume: water; fat-free bouillon or broth; strained fruit juice; plain coffee; plain tea; sports drinks (like Gatorade) or gelatin (JELL-O, that is – but again, not the red, blue or purple ones).

According to the Harvard Medical School, your doctor may also ask you to avoid eating nuts, seeds, hulls, skins or other insoluble fibre a day before you start the clear liquid diet.

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Laxatives and enemas may also be used prior to a colonoscopy. Laxatives loosen stool and increase bowel movements, while enemas, used with a special bottle, flush out the anus with water or a mild soap solution.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) or oral sodium phosphate (OSP) may also be ingested for a bowel prep.

Bowel prep can be an uncomfortable process. As the Harvard Medical School says, “You’re going to be experiencing high-volume, high-velocity diarrhea.” Ouch. As a result, the institution recommends you pick up some medicated wipes, or flushable wet wipes with aloe and vitamin E for your delicate derrière. A moisturizer, like petroleum jelly (Vaseline), may also be beneficial to your behind. In other words – moisture is key. Plain, dry toilet paper will further irritate your bottom. Toilet paper moistened with cold (not warm) water can also help when wiping.

Also, if you’re taking any medications, vitamins or supplements – let your doctor know ahead of time.

How is a colonoscopy performed?
A lot of people wince at the mere thought of getting a colonoscopy. But don’t worry, you’ll be sedated during the procedure. The doctors and nurses will try to make you as comfortable as possible.

Patients get up on an examination table, and lie on their left side during the procedure. The doctor then inserts a colonoscope into your anus.

The colonoscope is a long, flexible tube containing a camera and a light, so the doctor can see what’s going inside your rectum and colon. To improve visibility, the scope also uses carbon dioxide to inflate your large intestine.

You won’t necessarily have to lie still through the procedure. The doctor may ask you to move as the scope is adjusted.

Doctors say puncturing and bleeding of the large intestine are possible during the colonoscopy, but these are “uncommon” complications.

If any growths – called polyps – or abnormalities are spotted, they can be removed during the colonoscopy (the scope also holds snipping and retrieval tools) to be examined for cancer. While polyps are actually common and usually harmless in adults, according to the National Institutes of Health, “most colorectal cancer begins as a polyp, so removing polyps early is an effective way to prevent cancer.”

Luckily, removing polyps is painless, because there aren’t any nerve endings in the colon lining. But if there is any bleeding, it can be stopped with medication or an electrical probe passed through the colonoscope.

The colonoscopy usually takes anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. Following the procedure, patients will have to stay at the clinic for an additional hour or two.

Patients are advised not to drive for 24 hours after the colonoscopy because it takes time for the sedative to wear off.

Sources: The Harvard Medical School, The National Institutes of Health, and The Rhode Island Cancer Council, Inc.