If you have a history of colorectal cancer or an inherited disease that raises your risk, your doctor may recommend a colonoscopy. The procedure is common, and medical insurance typically covers the cost.
During the test, doctors use a long tube with a light and camera that sends pictures to a monitor. They also use instruments to take tissue samples (biopsies) and remove small growths called polyps. Contact Colonoscopy Phoenix now!
A colonoscopy lets your doctor look inside your large intestine (colon). It’s a safe, effective way to screen for and treat abnormal growths called polyps. Polyps can sometimes become cancerous. A colonoscopy can also help find the cause of unexplained symptoms, such as abdominal pain or rectal bleeding.
To prepare for the exam, you may have to follow special diet instructions or take a laxative that cleans out your bowel. You should begin your bowel preparation 1 to 2 days before the procedure. If you are still trying to figure out what to do, talk with your doctor.
You can usually eat liquids the day before your colonoscopy, but the night before the test you should stop eating solid foods and drink only clear fluids. During the procedure you lie on your back, and your doctor puts a long flexible tube with a light and camera at one end — called a colonoscope — into your rectum and up into your colon.
Your doctor may put a little bit of medicine into your arm or hand to make you sleepy and free from discomfort. Then, he or she will start moving the colonoscope through your rectum and into your large intestine. The doctor can also remove tissue or polyps during the procedure.
As the doctor moves the colonoscope, a video of your colon’s lining is displayed on a monitor. The lining of the colon looks different in everyone. The lining is made of tight, small cells that produce gas and absorb water and other liquids. These cells also produce short-chain fatty acids that help your body digest food. The colon also reabsorbs water that was once in the stool.
You may feel bloating or cramping for a few hours after the colonoscopy. You can help reduce these symptoms by walking around or taking a hot shower or bath. It is also normal to have a small amount of blood in your first bowel movement after the exam. But if you see blood or blood clots in future bowel movements, tell your doctor. Bleeding can be a sign of a tear in the bowel wall, which would need surgery to repair.
Preparation for a colonoscopy
Before a person has a colonoscopy, they must follow a specific preparation plan. This is important because the doctor needs to empty the colon of fecal matter so they can see clearly. If a person doesn’t prepare properly or follows an incorrect plan, they may have to cancel the test.
Usually, the day before the test, a person must stop eating solid foods and drink only clear fluids. They also need to take a laxative. This causes diarrhea and makes a person very uncomfortable, so they should stay at home or close to their toilet and not go out or make any plans that day. They should continue to drink the liquids until a couple of hours before the test.
They should also avoid medications that cause diarrhea, such as Imodium and Kaopectate, as well as anything containing iron. If a person is taking blood thinners, they must tell their doctor, as these can interfere with the results of the test.
A doctor will insert a long tube-like instrument, called a colonoscope, into the anus and down into the large bowel. It has a light and a camera on the tip to allow the doctor to see the colon’s lining. It also has a channel that allows the doctor to pump in air or carbon dioxide to inflate the colon and improve their view of its lining. This lets the doctor check for a colon polyp, which are abnormal growths on the lining of the colon that can sometimes be cancerous.
The colonoscope has a small snare at the end of the tube that the doctor can use to take tissue samples for tests and to remove any polyps. The doctor can also inject sedatives or anesthesia through the intravenous (IV) line in their arm or hand to make you relaxed and sleepy during the procedure.
After the procedure, a person must have someone available to drive them home, as they will be groggy from the bowel prep and sedation. For safety reasons, they should not operate a motor vehicle for 24 hours after the procedure.
During a colonoscopy
The procedure itself is short, and you’re likely to be asleep or deeply sedated. You’ll lie on an exam table with your knees drawn up toward your chest. The doctor will insert a long, flexible tube called a colonoscope into your rectum. This has a light and a tiny video camera on the end that allows them to see the inside of your colon, including the lining.
The scope also has a small snare that the doctor can use to take tissue samples for testing (biopsies) and to remove abnormal growths, such as polyps. If you have a colon polyp, your doctor will probably remove it right away. They may also remove a biopsy of any other abnormal tissue they find.
Depending on what they find, your doctor may also be able to treat things like a narrowing of the large intestine (stenosis) or a pouch in the intestinal lining that doesn’t close properly (diverticulitis). Your gastroenterologist can’t tell you right away how the results will turn out, but they will be able to describe what they found and talk about any biopsies or polyps they took.
You’ll most likely have some cramping or pain in your tummy after the test, which is due to the air or carbon dioxide that they put into your bowel. This should go away in a few hours. You may also pass a little blood with your first bowel movement after the procedure. This is usually nothing to worry about, but it’s important that you talk to your doctor if you have any concerns.
It might take 15 minutes to advance the colonoscope all the way to the end of your large intestine, and another 15 to return it to where they started. If they find something that they need to remove or treat, it will add more time. In about 30% of all colonoscopies, doctors find polyps. These are typically benign, but they need to be removed and analyzed to be sure. Bleeding during a colonoscopy is rare, but it can happen and needs to be treated quickly.
Post-colonoscopy care
A colonoscopy is an important screening tool to detect early colorectal cancer. It is also a useful test for identifying polyps, which are clumps of cells that can develop into tumors. If the doctor removes all the polyps, the risk of colorectal cancer is significantly reduced.
During the procedure, you will lie on your side, and your doctor will insert a scope called a colonoscope into your rectum. The scope is a thin tube with a small video camera on the end that allows your doctor to see inside your colon and rectum. The doctor may take tissue samples of any polyps that are found. Polyps are usually benign (not cancerous), but they can sometimes be precursors to cancer, so it is important that the polyps are removed.
You will be sedated for the procedure, so you won’t feel any pain or discomfort during the exam. It will probably take about 20 to 60 minutes for the doctor to examine your colon’s lining. If your doctor finds polyps, it will probably take them about 15 more minutes to remove and treat them.
After the polyps are removed, your doctor will talk to you about your results. It is important to tell your doctor if you have any pain or bleeding after the colonoscopy, especially if it lasts more than 24 hours.
It is also important to follow your doctor’s recommendations for diet after the procedure. You should eat light foods, such as eggs, white toast, applesauce, lean chicken without skin and soft cooked vegetables. You should avoid foods that are high in fat or that contain seeds, grains or nuts, because they can irritate your bowel.
If you have a biopsy done during the colonoscopy, your doctor might recommend that you drink extra fluids to prevent dehydration. You might have some cramping and bloating in the first few hours after the procedure, which is caused by the air or carbon dioxide that your doctor blew into your colon during the procedure.
You will need to stay in the recovery room for about an hour after your colonoscopy. This gives your doctor time to make sure you don’t have any immediate complications from the sedation. You will need someone to drive you home because it will take up to 24 hours for the anesthesia to wear off.