Pre-preparation
COLONOSCOPY PREPARATION
- Things to do
- Please make plans to bring a responsible adult (over the age of 18) with you the day of this procedure. They will need to stay here in our office the entire time that you are here and will drive you home.
- Please bring your insurance card to your procedure.
- Please do not bring any valuables with you such as jewelry, cell phones, and electronic devices because we cannot be responsible for lost/damaged.
- Wear comfortable clothing that you are able to change out of easily. You may wear a warm pair of socks during your procedure.
- After your procedure, you should plan to relax and take it easy for the remainder of the day. The day of the procedure, you will be unable to return to work or may any legal business decisions due to the sedation you will receive.
- Remember nothing to eat or drink four hours prior to your procedure start time.
- Your Perfect Prep with Clenpiq
5 days prior to procedure
Stop all blood thinning medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Example – Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, BC Powder, Aleve, Fish Oil, Vitamins, Iron.
3 days prior to procedure
Begin the Low Fiber Diet starting at breakfast and continue all day
See examples of acceptable foods on the following pages
2 days prior to procedure
Continue the Low Fiber Diet all day
The day before your procedure
Clear Liquid Diet All Day
See examples of clear liquids on the following pages. Please stay hydrated today by drinking at least 8 ounces of clear liquids every hour.
May refrigerate Clenpiq. It’s easier to drink when it’s cold.
At 5pm, drink first dose of Clenpiq. Drink Clenpiq right from the bottle.
You must drink the whole container of Clenpiq, followed by 5 cups (8 ounces each) of clear liquid over the next hour. It may be helpful to suck on a hard candy while drinking your prep, sipping the prep through a straw, and drinking the solution slowly to prevent nausea. You may continue to drink clear liquids during the evening.
Procedure Day
Beginning at least 5 hours prior to your procedure start time, drink the 2nd dose of Clenpiq right from the bottle. You must drink the whole container of Clenpiq followed by at least 3 cups (8 ounces each) of clear liquid. You must have nothing to drink 3 hours prior to your procedure time. After this dose, the color of your bowel movements should be clear liquid/yellow.
Low Fiber Diet
Fiber is the part of vegetables, fruits, and grains that cannot be digested by your body. A low-fiber diet restricts these high fiber foods. As a result, the amount of undigested material passing through your colon is limited and stool bulk is lessened. This is the start to your bowel prep.
Foods low in fiber:
- White bread
- White Rice
- Plain white pasta
- Crackers such as saltines (no multigrain)
- Cream of Wheat
- Grits
- Cold cereals with less than 1gram of fiber per serving
- Pancakes and waffles made from white flower
- Most canned or well-cooked vegetables and fruits without skins or seeds
- Fruit and vegetable juice with little or no pulp, fruit-flavored drinks, and flavored waters
- Pork, poultry, fish, eggs, and tofu
- Milk and foods made from milk such as yogurt, pudding, ice cream, cheeses and sour cream
- Butter, margarine, oils and salad dressings without seeds
- Canned soups without corn, beans, peas, or grains such as barley (example Chicken Noodle Soup)
Foods to Avoid:
- No Fresh Fruits
- No Fresh Vegetables
- No Salads
- No Red Meat
- No Whole Grains
- Whole-wheat or whole-grain breads, cereals, and pasta
- Brown rice, wild rice and other whole grains, such as oats, kasha, barley and quinoa
- Oatmeal
- Dried fruits
- Raw fruit, including those with seeds, skin or membranes, such as berries
- Raw or undercooked vegetables, including corn
- Vegetables that have seeds
- Dried beans, peas, and lentils
- Seeds and nuts and foods containing them, including peanut butter and other nut butters
- Coconut
- Popcorn
- Red Meat (beef)
Clear Liquid Diet
A clear liquid diet consists of only liquids that you can see through. Clear liquids may be colored as long as you are able to literally see through them. The clear liquids are easily digested and leave no undigested residue in the colon. You cannot eat food while on a clear liquid diet. A colonoscopy requires that no food be in your intestinal tract.
The following foods are allowed on a clear liquid diet:
- Water (plain, carbonated or flavored)
- Popsicles (no red or purple)
- Italian Ice
- Clear fruit juices without pulp (apple juice, white grape juice, white cranberry juice, peach juice)
- Fruit-flavored beverages (lemonade without pulp, Kool-Aid: no red or purple)
- Carbonated drinks, including dark soda (Coke, Pepsi, and Root Beer are acceptable)
- Any clear sodas (Ginger Ale, Sprite, 7 Up)
- Sweet Tea
- Tea or coffee without milk or powdered creamer
- Sports drinks (no red or purple)
- Clear, fat-free broth (bouillon, consommé)
- Honey or sugar
- Hard candy (lemon drops, jolly ranchers, lifesavers)
Any foods not on the above list should be avoided.
We ask you to avoid any liquids with red coloring as this could be mistaken for blood in the colon.
No gelatin, no dairy and no alcohol while on this clear liquid diet.
For Certain Patients
Diabetic Patients:
Please make sure you have regular drinks available (not just “Diet and Sugar Free”) in case you develop low blood sugar while you are prepping for your procedure.
- Check your blood glucose the morning of your procedure.
- If you take a pill to lower your blood sugar, do not take the evening dose the night before your procedure or the morning dose the day of your procedure.
- If you are insulin dependent, we will try to schedule your procedure in the early part of the day. DO NOT take Humulin, Regular or NPH insulin the morning of your procedure.
- If you take any other insulin such as Lantus, Humalog, or 70/30 insulin, you must contact your prescribing physician for further instructions.
Asthma Patients:
Please use your inhalers the morning of your procedure.
- Bring your inhalers with you to the procedure.
Heart, Blood Pressure, and Seizure Patients:
Please hold your morning dose of blood pressure medications
- Please take your anticonvulsant medications the morning of your procedure with sip of water
- You may take your beta blocker the morning of your procedure with a sip of water
(Examples of beta blockers: Propranolol, Metoprolol, Atenolol, Carvedilol, Timolol, Labetalol, Acebutolol, Esmolol, Metoprolol Succinate)
Blood Thinner Patients:
If you are on a blood thinning medication or aspirin prescribed by a physician, be sure to notify us as soon as possible. We will need to contact the prescribing physician for further instructions.
- There may be risks involved in stopping your blood thinning medication. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact the prescribing physician.
- Warfarin/Coumadin, Plavix, Xarelto, Pradaxa, Lovenox, Eliquis, Pletal, Heparin, Effient, Ticlid, Aggrenox, Aspirin 325mg are some examples of these blood thinners
Sleep Apnea Patients:
Please bring your CPAP machine with you to your procedure
For those who take Herbal Supplements, Fish Oil, Vitamins, and Aspirin 81mg:
Stop these supplements and Aspirin 5 days prior to your procedure. Each of these has blood thinning elements and will need to be stopped in preparation for your procedure