Looking after your well-being in day surgery
Patient Information
Colonoscopy is a procedure which enables the doctor to see inside your large bowel. Unlike X-Rays which take "photographs", colonoscopy allows the doctor see the surfaces inside the bowel directly and can provide far more detail and accuracy than X-Ray.
Your doctor will usually request a colonoscopy when he/she suspects that something may be wrong with your bowel. Bleeding and diarrhoea are the most common reasons. The results will reveal exactly what is wrong, and help the doctor to treat you in the most effective way. In certain cases, treatment is possible through the instrument, thereby avoiding an operation. For example, biopsies or removal of polyps can be performed during colonoscopy. However, increasingly this procedure is being used for screening of persons at higher risk of bowel problems.
The procedure is performed in the Endoscopy Suite, which is part of the Day Procedure Suite.
Preparation
For a successful colonoscopy it is very important that the bowel is thoroughly emptied, so that the lining can be clearly seen. You will usually be advised not to eat for 24 hours before the colonoscopy, that is you will be on a fluid diet. Your doctor will give you exact instructions regarding the preparation he/she wishes you to have.
The Procedure
In the procedure you will be given a sedative, through a small needle placed in the back of your hand. This will cause you to become slightly drowsy. It is not a general anaesthetic such as you would have for an operation. With this sedative you will recover easily and quickly after the procedure, and feel no after effects.
The colonoscope itself is a plastic type tube, that is flexible and contains optic fibres which carry the picture from the tip to the viewing lens. It even has a miniature "windscreen washing" system so that the doctor's view is always clear. The tube is passed into the rectum and gently manoeuvred along the bowel.
Afterwards
The procedure will take about 40 minutes. The sedative will wear off quickly, and you will be returned to the Day Surgery Suite/your room for observation. You may have fluids immediately, and a light diet approximately one hour after the procedure, avoiding fluids that produce wind.
Advice to the Patient
For the first 24 hours...
- Avoid alcohol
- Avoid driving a vehicle
- Eat a light diet (avoid salads and high roughage foods)
- Report any excessive bleeding to the doctor immediately
You should have arranged for a friend or relative to drive you home after the test is completed (approximately 3 hours after appointment time). Although the sedative wears off quickly, legally you must wait for a period of several hours before driving, using machinery or signing legal documents.
Further information about colonoscopy is available from the nursing staff of Western Hospital, or from reception ((08) 8356 1222).
