What's involved with a colonoscopy?

What is involved in a colonoscopy?

How it works: A long, flexible tube with a camera and light at the tip is used to look inside your colon.

Steps:

  1. You will need to cleanse the colon of poop so the doctor can better see inside your colon. To do so, you will be on a clear liquid diet the day before the test. You will also drink a bowel prep (ie, laxative) the night before and morning of the test.
  2. On the day of the test, you go to a medical center where a nurse puts an IV into your vein so you can receive sleeping medicine.
  3. Once asleep, the doctor puts the flexible tube into your colon to look directly inside. The doctor will remove any polyps that are seen. The procedure takes about 15-30 minutes.
  4. After the procedure, you wait in the recovery room for 30-60 minutes until you are awake. Since you got sleeping medicine, a family member or friend will need to bring you home.
  5. You can expect to be in the medical center for about 2-3 hours.

How often you do the test:

  • If no polyps are seen—every 10 years.
  • If polyps are seen—depends on the number and size of the polyps that are found.

Risks: Colonoscopy is a very safe procedure. There is a very small chance (less than 0.1%) that it leads to issues where you need to go to the hospital for treatment.

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What's involved with a colonoscopy?

What is involved in a colonoscopy?

How it works: A long, flexible tube with a camera and light at the tip is used to look inside your colon.

Steps:

  1. You will need to cleanse the colon of poop so the doctor can better see inside your colon. To do so, you will be on a clear liquid diet the day before the test. You will also drink a bowel prep (ie, laxative) the night before and morning of the test.
  2. On the day of the test, you go to a medical center where a nurse puts an IV into your vein so you can receive sleeping medicine.
  3. Once asleep, the doctor puts the flexible tube into your colon to look directly inside. The doctor will remove any polyps that are seen. The procedure takes about 15-30 minutes.
  4. After the procedure, you wait in the recovery room for 30-60 minutes until you are awake. Since you got sleeping medicine, a family member or friend will need to bring you home.
  5. You can expect to be in the medical center for about 2-3 hours.

How often you do the test:

  • If no polyps are seen—every 10 years.
  • If polyps are seen—depends on the number and size of the polyps that are found.

Risks: Colonoscopy is a very safe procedure. There is a very small chance (less than 0.1%) that it leads to issues where you need to go to the hospital for treatment.

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