How to do a colonoscopy

With the improvement of living standards, people's clothing, food, housing and transportation have been greatly improved, the most obvious of which is eating. It is precisely because of this that intestinal diseases are also increasing. You should know that most people in the past were simple vegetable and fruit people, with few fish and meat, while modern people's diet is a high-fat diet, which adds a lot of burden to their stomachs. For the diagnosis of intestinal diseases, colonoscopy is indispensable, so let's talk about how to do a colonoscopy?

A colonoscope is a tube that is inserted from the anus, from the rectum to the cecum, and is about 100 centimeters long. Its structure and function are basically similar to those of a gastroscope. Colonoscopy is more troublesome and more painful than gastroscopy. A complete colonoscopy takes an average of 10 minutes. For people with straighter intestines, it is easy to do and can be completed in 5 or 6 minutes. For people whose intestines are twisting and turning or even tangled, it may take a doctor 30 minutes to complete an examination.

1. Who needs colonoscopy?

People over 40 have a high chance of developing colon and rectal cancer. Therefore, people over 40, regardless of gender, should undergo a complete colonoscopy and have a thorough examination, rather than just a partial one.

In addition, high-risk groups should also undergo colonoscopy. People who have a family member who has had colorectal cancer, such as a parent or sibling, or who have had colorectal polyps or rectal polyps, or who have had colorectal cancer and are still being monitored after surgery, are all high-risk groups.

2. Preparation before inspection

Do not eat fiber-rich fruits and vegetables one day before the examination, and fast on the day of the examination; for intestinal cleaning, prepare the intestines as prescribed by the doctor. For those who take oral medications to clean the intestines, drink plenty of water after taking the medicine. The final stool should be clear water or light yellow, without fecal residue, which is the best intestinal cleaning effect; liver function and other tests are required before the examination.

3. Inspection process

Enter the examination room for examination, take off your pants as instructed by the doctor, don't feel embarrassed, and then lie on your side on the examination bed. The doctor will then insert a tube with a lens into your anus and continue to push it inward. During the pushing process, the doctor may add gas to expand the intestine, which will cause you to feel a strong bloating in your stomach. During the insertion process, the doctor will observe and ask you if you feel any discomfort, and will constantly press your abdomen to check the degree of expansion of your stomach. If you feel that your stomach is really uncomfortable, you can ask the doctor to pause. When the colonoscope enters the part that the doctor wants to examine, the doctor can check it through the instrument on the side.