Proper preparation for intestinal colonoscopy is the key to obtaining a clear and reliable picture of the condition of the organ. The main task of the preparatory stage is to cleanse the intestines of the accumulation of feces using an enema, laxatives and a special diet.
Prepare thoroughly for a colonoscopy to get reliable results.
Indications for intestinal colonoscopy
Colonoscopy is one of the most informative methods for diagnosing pathologies of various parts of the intestine; during the procedure, a visual inspection of the internal surface of the organ is carried out using an endoscope. FCS allows you to identify diseases at an early stage of development, eliminate some intestinal problems, and take material for a biopsy, but only if all the rules of preliminary preparation are followed.
Indications for fibrocolonoscopy:
- foreign body in any part of the intestine;
- narrowing of the intestinal lumen - with the help of a probe, patency can be restored;
- the presence of neoplasms - removal is carried out directly during the examination;
- bleeding in the intestines, sudden weight loss;
- the presence of relatives in the family who had pathologies of the large intestine, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis.
The doctor prescribes a colonoscopy for patients with frequent and severe constipation and bloating, severe abdominal pain, and discharge of mucus and blood from the rectum. The examination is carried out as an additional diagnostic method before removal of a tumor of the uterus, ovary and some other gynecological operations.
Colonoscopy is prescribed for regular abdominal pain
A colonoscopy takes 20–30 minutes; the procedure is performed under local anesthesia using lidocaine-based drugs. Sometimes the method of sedation is used - the patient is put into a state close to sleep with the help of special drugs, he does not feel discomfort. Children under 12, people with mental disorders and a high pain threshold are given general anesthesia.
Is there an alternative to colonoscopy? To study the condition of the intestines, MRI is used - with this diagnostic method it is possible to identify neoplasms, areas of inflammation, bleeding, but minor changes in the mucous membrane cannot be seen. During a CT scan, detailed images of parts of the intestine are taken - this procedure is more pleasant than a colonoscopy, but its cost is much higher.
The most modern alternative to the usual FCS can be considered a virtual colonoscopy - the patient is asked to swallow a small capsule that is equipped with a camera.
After 40 years, the risk of developing various oncopathologies of the digestive system increases, so doctors recommend examining the intestines for all people at this age, regardless of the presence of severe symptoms of the disease.
Recommendation from specialists
Endoscopist surgeons and proctologists
in most cases, Fortrans is recommended, since, in their professional opinion, it helps to properly and effectively cleanse the intestinal cavity of contents and therefore reduces the risks during manipulation.
To assess the cleanliness of the cavity being examined, doctors use the Boston scale. The maximum number of points corresponding to the highest degree of purification is 9. It is with the help of Fortrans in combination with a slag-free diet that this result can be achieved.
Share with your friends
Do something useful, it won't take much time
Diet before colonoscopy
Preparation for the intestinal examination procedure requires special nutrition - you should adhere to a slag-free diet for two to three days. The menu should not contain products that contain fiber, which can provoke the development of fermentation in the body.
What you can and cannot eat before a colonoscopy
| Authorized products | Prohibited Products |
| Light soups with vegetable broth | Fresh vegetables, especially leafy vegetables and legumes |
| Lean meat and fish, boiled or baked | Sausage, fatty meat, fish |
| White yesterday's bread | Black bread |
| Cottage cheese, kefir | Milk |
| Butter, low-fat cheese | Seeds, chips |
| Biscuits, jelly | Fresh fruits, chocolate |
| Compotes, still water, diluted natural juices | Smoked, salted, marinated dishes |
| Carbonated and alcoholic drinks | |
| Pearl barley, millet, rolled oats |
On the eve of the examination, the last meal should be in the middle of the day, after which you can drink water and green tea without sugar.
Sample menu before colonoscopy
Before examining the rectum and colon, you should not overeat; you should have dinner 2.5–3 hours before bedtime, the food should be light, and the portions should be small.
Menu for 3 days
| Eating | Day I | II day | III day |
| Breakfast | · buckwheat porridge; · boiled egg; · tea | · skim cheese; · tea | Low-fat kefir |
| Dinner | · vegetable broth soup with noodles; · 150 g of lean meat or fish; · tea with white crackers | · vegetable soup; · steamed turkey or chicken cutlets; juice, half diluted with water | Broth – no more than 200 ml |
| Dinner | · salad and boiled beets with a small amount of olive or sunflower oil; · compote | Kefir | No dinner |
For snacks, you can eat cheese, grated baked apples, and low-fat natural yogurt.
Menu: slag-free diet
Preparation for a colonoscopy involves prescribing a special slag-free diet 3-4 days before the examination. It includes drinking plenty of water and limiting foods that cause fermentation and flatulence. Also, 4-5 days in advance you need to give up foods that can damage the intestinal wall, for example, berries with seeds.
The patient should drink up to 3 liters of water or other liquid per day. Recommended drinks include fermented milk products, fruit juices diluted with water, and weak tea (black or green). You should not put sugar in tea, but you can eat 1 spoon of honey per day.
Before the examination, you can eat dietary meat (chicken, rabbit, veal, lean beef), lean fish, buckwheat or rice porridge (with water or milk), white bread, cottage cheese, and some fruits are acceptable (as recommended by your doctor). The food before the examination should be easily digestible, the last meal should be in the evening of the day before the examination. On the day of the examination, small amounts of water are allowed, but it must be stopped 1-2 hours before the procedure.
The diet for preparing for colonoscopy is called slag-free, since it involves excluding from it foods that form a large amount of feces and gases in the intestines.
It is necessary to exclude legumes, mushrooms, yeast baked goods, and carbonated drinks from the diet. Before a colonoscopy, you should not eat fatty foods or overeat. The amount of liquid consumed should be checked with a doctor - in some cases, restrictions are also imposed on water consumption.
Read more about “Slag-free diet before colonoscopy” sample menu for 4 days
Medicinal colon cleansing
Cleansing the intestines at home using laxatives allows you to thoroughly prepare for a colonoscopy; often this procedure is not very comfortable, since a person needs to drink 3-4 liters of solution in a short period of time. Before use, it is necessary to study the instructions in order to avoid the occurrence of adverse reactions, you need to take medications correctly, strictly following the instructions - an overdose of such drugs is fraught with serious complications.
During the cleansing itself, eating any food is contraindicated, but you need to drink more water. Cleansing should begin 2 hours after a light breakfast; some medications should be taken on an empty stomach to avoid a gag reflex.
What drugs are used to cleanse the intestines?
| Name of medicine | Action | How to use |
| Fortrans | One of the few drugs that provides complete cleansing of all parts of the intestines, contains macrogol 4000 as the main active ingredient. Therapeutic activity occurs within 1–3 hours. | · each sachet of medicine is designed for 20 kg of patient weight, it must be diluted in 1 liter of cool water; · 2 hours before cleansing you should not eat; · prepare the entire portion of the solution, divide it into 2 parts; · drink the first part between 14-16 hours, 250 ml every 15 minutes; · take an hour break; · at 17–19 hours, drink the second part of the solution according to a similar scheme. |
| Endofalk | Contains macrogol, it differs from other drugs in its pleasant taste and the absence of increased gas formation during the cleansing process. | For 1 liter of water, 2 sachets of medicine are required, for complete cleansing you will need 3-4 liters of solution, depending on the consistency of the stool - the harder it is, the more medicine you will have to drink. You can take it in two ways: · after 16 pm, drink the entire solution, 25 ml, in 10–15 minutes; · take half the medicine at 18–20 pm; · second serving on the morning of the colonoscopy. |
| Lavacol | Osmotic agent in powder form for deep cleansing. Begins to act 2-4 hours after taking the first dose. | You need to take the medicine according to the following scheme: It is better to start cleansing at 14–19 hours: · dissolve the contents of one sachet in 200 ml of warm water, carefully place, drink in large sips; · repeat the procedure after 20 minutes; · in total you need to drink 3 liters of laxative liquid – 15 sachets. |
| Picoprep | It has a complex cleansing effect - softens feces, retains water in the intestines, and promotes the rapid movement of feces. The laxative effect occurs 2 hours after taking the medicine. | · after lunch or before dinner, dissolve the contents of the sachet in 150 ml of water, drink 1.5 liters of water: · before going to bed, repeat the procedure, drink 750 ml of water. |
| Duphalac | The drug is lactose-based, acts quickly, and is suitable for children. | The medication should be taken 3 days before the examination - dissolve 45 ml of syrup in 200 ml of water and drink immediately after meals. The day before the examination, you need to dilute 200 ml of Duphalac in 2 liters of water, drink in small sips over three hours. |
| Fleet Phospho-soda | Provokes fluid retention in the small intestine, enhances peristalsis. Bowel movement occurs 0.5–6 hours after taking the medicine. | · for breakfast, drink 250–350 ml of water, juice, tea; · dissolve 45 ml of the medicine in 120 ml of water, drink the entire portion, and wash down with 350 ml of water; · at lunch, drink at least 750 ml of green tea and water; · for dinner, drink 250 ml or more of any clear liquid; · dissolve 45 ml of the drug in 120 ml of water, drink in one gulp, followed by 250 ml of water; · drink tea and water in unlimited quantities until 12 o'clock at night. |
| D-Forject | The laxative effect occurs within 3–5 hours | One sachet is designed for 1 liter of water and 15–20 kg of weight. The solution is prepared immediately before use; it can be taken in two ways: · drink the entire amount in the evening - 250–300 ml every quarter of an hour; Take half of the medicine in the evening, the second part in the morning, 3-4 hours before the colonoscopy |
| Moviprep | After the first dose, the medicine begins to act within 3–5 hours, then the laxative effect occurs after an hour | Reception scheme: mix one bag each of A and B; dissolve the mixture in 1 liter of water; drink the solution in the evening in small portions 1–2 hours before; repeat the procedure in the morning at least an hour before the colonoscopy |
Medicines for bowel cleansing can be replaced with castor oil - the day before the examination at 15-16 hours, drink 2 tbsp. l. product, it can be dissolved in 120 ml of kefir. This method promotes complete cleansing and is considered more effective than taking laxatives.
How to determine your readiness for a colonoscopy? The patient is ready for examination if the stool has the consistency of water, it is light yellow or completely transparent.
Fortrans - description of the drug
Fortrans
You can begin preparing for a colonoscopy examination with laxatives after your doctor’s approval. Fortrans is one of the effective methods of thorough and painless bowel cleansing before examination or surgery.
Fortrans is a laxative drug with an osmotic effect, based on macrogol. The medicine retains water in the body, significantly diluting and increasing the volume of its contents, thereby having a laxative effect. Fortrans is not absorbed from the intestines and does not penetrate the blood.
Release form - powder, 4 sachets in a package, 1 sachet of powder is designed for 15-20 kg. weight and 1 liter of clean water for dissolution.
The effect of the drug begins 1-2 hours after administration and can last up to 5 hours. Cleansing with Fortrans, if the procedure is in the morning, should begin in advance, namely the day before the colonoscopy examination.
Taking Fortrans is contraindicated and prohibited in the following cases:
- Age under 15 years.
- For intestinal diseases with damaged mucous membrane;
- Use is strictly prohibited if intestinal obstruction is suspected;
- In case of disturbance in the general health and condition of the patient.
Elderly people should prepare for examination with Fortrans with extreme caution and under medical supervision. Fortrans is approved for patients suffering from diabetes mellitus, since it does not contain sugar.
The drug should not be used before colonoscopy or in combination with other medications, due to the slow absorption of drug components.
To avoid side and undesirable effects, before using the drug, you should consult a doctor; you should pay special attention to the dosage regimen for Fortrans; the instructions for use should be read before cleansing.
Enema before colonoscopy
An enema before a colonoscopy allows you to remove the accumulation of feces and cleanse the intestines; the procedure is especially indicated for patients who suffer from frequent constipation; it is carried out using an Esmarch mug.
Enema installation process
How to do an enema correctly:
- Lock the clamp in the closed position, pour 1.5 liters of water at room temperature into Esmarch's mug.
- Set the enema to a height of 1 m, loosen the clamp, remove air.
- Lie on your left side, bend your right leg towards your stomach.
- Lubricate the tip with Vaseline and insert it into the anus to a depth of about 7 cm.
- Remove the retainer.
- After all the water has entered the intestines, remove the tip and lie quietly for 10–15 minutes.
- Do the procedure 2 evenings in a row.
An enema should not be done at the same time as a castor oil cleanse.
Recognize the disease
In order to diagnose the disease in time, you will need this procedure. Therefore, it is so important to understand how to properly prepare for an intestinal colonoscopy.
Currently, this procedure takes very little time - from twenty minutes to one hour. Moreover, the patient spends a significant part of this time unconscious.
But preparation for the procedure can take a long time, at least one week. Everyone who is going to have it should have a good understanding of how to cleanse the intestines in advance, what it is, what medications should be taken first, what enema to choose, and what stages the procedure itself consists of.
Panties for colonoscopy
Colonoscopy panties are special disposable underwear with an elasticated waist and a slit in the back for inserting a probe. Such shorts allow you to hide intimate parts of the body that are not involved in the examination.
Colonoscopy panties help hide your private parts
The panties are made of special materials that allow air to pass through well, retain moisture, have a pleasant texture, and rarely cause allergic reactions. To correctly determine the size of underwear, you need to measure your waist circumference; at the pharmacy, the pharmacist will select the necessary shorts.
Panties should be put on immediately before the examination; they should not be worn in everyday life.
List of necessary things
Preparations should begin at least a week before the procedure itself. First, you should go to the pharmacy to stock up on all the necessary medications. Please note that this will be much more difficult to do later, so buy everything you need at once.
Here's how to prepare for a colonoscopy at home. To do this, buy good toilet paper or wet wipes, laxatives, food, and an anti-inflammatory moisturizer to apply to the skin. You will also need medications. They should only be purchased on the recommendation of a doctor.
The issue of toilet paper is quite sensitive. The fact is that after several visits to the toilet, simple cheap paper will begin to irritate and scratch the skin. And if an urgent urge takes you by surprise far from home, wet wipes will come to the rescue. The most preferable option is to use vitamin E wipes or aloe juice to soothe inflamed skin.
Since preparing for an intestinal examination or colonoscopy is an extremely important and responsible task, you should be especially careful about your anus, regularly lubricating it with cream. This will allow you to minimize the likelihood of developing inflammation due to unpleasant toilet paper or diarrhea, and will relieve irritation.
At later stages, you will need to follow a special diet, since you should prepare for an intestinal colonoscopy in full accordance with your doctor’s recommendations. It is advisable to think through your menu in advance these days, stock up on a sufficient amount of easily digestible food that will not cause constipation, as well as a sufficient amount of liquid. These can be clear, light-colored liquids or sports drinks.
General recommendations
To get reliable results, you must strictly follow the doctor’s recommendations - follow a slag-free diet for at least 3 days before the procedure, drink more water, do not be nervous and do not be afraid of the examination. During the preparatory stage, you need to stop smoking and drink strong coffee.
Drink more water before the procedure
The patient should be informed about all medications that he is taking on a regular basis; he may have to stop taking them for a while.
In case of improper preparation or severe intestinal bleeding, the procedure is not performed. You should not do a colonoscopy even if you feel unwell - in such cases, using anesthesia is not recommended, and without it, the diagnostic result will be inaccurate.
Important!
Colonoscopy is not performed on pregnant women due to the increased risk of premature onset of labor.
Additional recommendations from doctors
To achieve the best result, follow the advice of specialists - the rules will help you prepare for the procedure without side effects.
- After the first portion of the solution, an unpleasant aftertaste will appear that can cause vomiting. Whenever a sensation occurs, place a slice of lemon on your tongue each time and the discomfort will disappear;
- Instead of toilet paper, wash with warm water - this will prevent irritation of the anus;
- Do not take other medications on the day of Fortrans cleansing - they will not be able to be fully absorbed into the bloodstream.
These are the main recommendations that you need to take note of. Additional advice can be obtained by consulting a doctor.
Diet before fibrocolonoscopy
As mentioned earlier, three days before the scheduled procedure you must adhere to a slag-free diet. Patients need to avoid fatty foods, foods with a lot of fiber, coffee and sweets. If the patient is taking medications for diarrhea, they should be stopped for a while.
The following products are allowed to be consumed:
- low fat kefir;
- lean fish or meat, steamed or boiled;
- fruit juices, jelly, compotes;
- buckwheat, rice;
- bread made from coarse flour.
Conducting the FCC
Menu option allowed before conducting the study:
| Eating | Dishes | Image |
| Breakfast | Steamed vegetables, bread with low-fat cheese, weak tea | |
| Dinner | Vegetarian soup, lean meat broth, compote | |
| Afternoon snack | A glass of low-fat kefir, yogurt | |
| Dinner | Boiled fish with rice, low-fat cottage cheese, jelly, compote |
It is worth remembering that fasting on the eve of fibrocolonoscopy is a necessary condition for a successful diagnostic procedure. This will help enhance the effect of using other methods of colon cleansing.
Diet before colonoscopy
Proper preparation for the FCS is mandatory in order for the results of the study to be informative. Colonoscopy is an unpleasant procedure. Therefore, it is better for the patient to spend energy on sufficiently cleansing the intestines and following a diet for several days than to undergo the test again later. Study the pain under the ribs on the left front at the link.
Video - Colonoscopy. Questions and answers
Is a colonoscopy possible without preparation?
Without preliminary measures, endoscopic diagnostics are carried out only in an urgent manner. If a person experiences acute bleeding or intestinal obstruction, immediate medical attention is required. In such cases, there is no time to evacuate waste. For emergency endoscopy, special colonoscopes are used that have a wide channel and are equipped with an intensive irrigation system. It will not be possible to conduct a detailed examination of the mucous membrane, but therapeutic manipulations are possible.
Important! Routine endoscopic diagnosis is always carried out after preparation. During the manipulation process, the doctor must collect as much information as possible and get answers to diagnostic questions. You need to take your preparation seriously; this will allow you to undergo the examination without any discomfort.
General instructions for use
The drug in the form of Fortrans powder is packaged in small bags. They can be purchased individually or as a whole package. The amount of powder used depends on the patient's body weight. For every 20 kilograms there is one sachet.
According to the instructions, clean water without gas is used to prepare the solution. Its temperature should be slightly above room temperature. The quantity for one procedure is liter per 1 sachet. The product is prepared immediately before use.
Once the powder has dissolved, the liquid can be drunk. Doing this in one gulp is strongly not recommended. Ideally, you should take a glass of solution every fifteen minutes. It is also impossible to stretch the procedure too long, as this will significantly reduce its effectiveness.
To make the process more pleasant, you can add a little lemon or orange juice to the water. If nausea occurs, a short break of about thirty minutes is allowed. During this time, the unpleasant sensation usually goes away. The intestinal contents expelled at the very end of the procedure should resemble ordinary water in color and consistency.
A light beige tint is allowed. The presence of solid particles in feces is a sign of insufficient cleaning. The effect of the drug ends six to ten hours after the start of the procedure.
Attention!
Usually Fortrans begins to “work” approximately 90-120 minutes after taking the first portion.
If the result is not observed even after three hours, you need to massage your stomach a little in the intestinal area. It happens that at the end of the procedure, patients are left with a feeling of incomplete cleansing, even when the feces are no longer different from water. There is no need to worry about this. The action of Fortrans is so powerful that if all the rules are followed, nothing unnecessary should remain in the intestines.
The only exception is people suffering from severe constipation. Such patients may be advised to begin preparation several days before the colonoscopy. This means that the Fortrans cleaning procedure will have to be carried out twice.
General dietary recommendations
Since colonoscopy examines the lumen and mucous membrane of the colon, for a thorough diagnosis this organ must be “empty”, without excessive accumulation of gases. Maintaining a certain diet on the eve of the procedure will help the patient avoid constipation, flatulence, and reduce discomfort after the examination.
Optimal dietary preparation for fibrocolonoscopy of the large intestine begins 3 days before the scheduled manipulation. These days, doctors recommend excluding the following foods from your diet:
- Fresh vegetables, herbs, mushrooms. You must stop eating boiled vegetables 2 days before the test; cabbage is prohibited in raw, boiled, stewed form.
- Fresh baked goods, confectionery, chocolate. It is also not recommended to eat rye bread or puff pastry dishes.
- Legumes: peas in any form, beans, etc.
- Fresh, especially sour, berries and fruits. However, the diet is allowed to be varied by peeled, grated and boiled apple, banana or pureed peach.
- Coarse cereals: pearl barley, barley and corn.
- Fast food, semi-finished products, various sauces, carbonated drinks.
Before the study, you can eat lean boiled meat, fermented milk products, oatmeal, buckwheat porridge, durum wheat pasta, honey, and jelly. Boiled eggs, fish, compotes, vegetable or chicken broths are not prohibited.
Enema
Sometimes the doctor may recommend an enema. In this case, it is better to place it the evening before the examination or literally a couple of hours before it. As a rule, they take an enema of one and a half liters. It should be repeated until clear and clean drain water is formed.
Two hours before the colonoscopy, it is forbidden to eat or drink anything, even plain water is prohibited. This is no coincidence, since due to fluid in the stomach, a colonoscopy can provoke vomiting, which can cause the patient to choke while remaining under general anesthesia. Some medical institutions require a longer period of abstinence - up to eight hours. Please clarify this point in advance.
Features of preparation for the procedure
In order for fibrocolonoscopy to be sufficiently informative, the patient is required to properly prepare for it. It is necessary to take measures aimed at cleansing the intestines. To do this, use laxatives or an enema.
A comparison of the main methods of bowel cleansing before colonoscopy is presented in the following table:
| Characteristic | Cleansing enema | Laxatives |
| Safety of use | If you have some intestinal diseases, using an enema can lead to complications | Fewer contraindications |
| Execution speed | About two hours to complete several procedures | Five to six hours |
| Price | Low | Relatively high |
Colonoscopy procedure
Important! In order for cleansing procedures to be most effective, it is recommended to adhere to a slag-free diet three days before the scheduled diagnostic procedure. The evening before and the morning before a colonoscopy, absolute hunger is indicated.
Special diet
You should start eating right about five days before the procedure. Initially, it is important to adjust your own diet to include foods that will first be easily digested and then successfully excreted from the intestines naturally. This recommendation will be especially important for patients with constipation.
First of all, you should eat foods with minimal fiber content. This can be pasta, light bread, eggs, rice, vegetables without peel, lean meat, fruit without skin and seeds.
