How to prepare for a colonoscopy?

Intestinal health is something people need to pay special attention to, because intestinal health is of great significance to life. Problems with the intestines will not only affect the body's absorption of food nutrients, but also endanger life safety. Therefore, maintaining intestinal health is very important. The diagnosis of intestinal diseases often uses a colonoscopy. You must be fully prepared before doing it. Let's take a look at how to prepare before a colonoscopy.

You need to make an appointment and prepare for a colonoscopy about 3 days in advance. The doctor will then ask you to buy medicine. On the first day after buying the medicine, you can only eat porridge with tofu and fish. Don't eat anything else. On the second day, you can only eat very thin porridge. On the third day, don't eat breakfast. Drink all the medicines prescribed by the doctor before 9 am. You can drink more water. You will have diarrhea afterwards. Don't eat anything after 9 o'clock. You can go for the colonoscopy at about 2 pm. You need to bring a close family member with you. When the colonoscopy hurts, the doctor will ask your family to go in with you. Bring a thin coat when you go, because the doctor will ask you to change into pants without a crotch. You should also prepare steamed buns or bread. The doctor will ask you to eat it 20 minutes before the colonoscopy.

Psychological preparation: During the colonoscopy, in order to facilitate the insertion of the mirror, the doctor will fill a small amount of gas into the intestinal tract to expand the intestine. The person being examined will feel bloating and discomfort, but as long as they cooperate well, they can tolerate it. If the person being examined is particularly sensitive to pain or is particularly worried about the examination, he or she can choose to undergo a painless colonoscopy under anesthesia before the examination.

Bowel preparation: It is advisable to eat some liquid food such as noodles and porridge three days before the examination. It is not advisable to eat vegetables and fruits rich in fiber. Fasting should be started from the dinner of the previous day. Start taking polyethylene glycol and drinking water for laxatives 8 hours before the examination. When the stool is all light yellow, it means that the intestine has been emptied.

Preparation for special groups: Patients with poor cardiopulmonary function or over 60 years old should first undergo electrocardiogram and chest X-ray examination to determine whether they can undergo colonoscopy; colonoscopy during menstruation in women may induce gynecological inflammation, so it is best to wait until the menstruation is over before the examination.