Preparing For Your Procedure
Your physician has given you individualized and strict instructions on what to do prior to your exam. Please read all instructions. For your safety, if you do not follow through entirely, your procedure may be cancelled.
If you are diabetic, taking anticoagulants, have cardiac problems, or if you are a renal patient, call your GI doctor’s office for instructions regarding taking medications prior to procedure.
If you need to change or cancel your appointment, call your GI doctor’s office.
For questions or concerns about the procedure, call Durham Regional Hospital Endoscopy Services at:
919-470-6172 7 am - 4:30 pm, Monday – Friday
919-470-4000 After hours, ask the operator to have the GI nurse on call paged.
Transportation
It is a state and federal regulation that all patients who receive conscious sedation must have a driver (18 years or older) to take them home. It is our policy that your driver must stay on hospital property for the entire length of the procedure. The driver must accompany you to our unit so their presence can be verified in order to start your procedure. We will provide the driver with instructions and a pager for their convenience, which allows freedom within the hospital and ease of communication. By law, your procedure will be cancelled if you cannot meet this requirement. Allow two to three hours from the time you arrive to the time you are discharged.
Helpful Tips for Colonoscopy Preparation
HYDRATE! HYDRATE! HYDRATE! One day prior to beginning your prep, you will need to hydrate yourself very well. Drink approximately 1 liter or more.
You must follow your doctor’s instructions for taking your preps very closely. There are multiple types, and each is specific to you alone.
Helpful tips for taking preps
- Drink all the solution.
- If you start to feel nauseated, wait 20 minutes then resume drinking slowly.
- Suck on hard candy.
- Use mouthwash between glasses.
- Use a straw to get liquid over your tongue.
- Chase immediately with a glass of juice, such as cranberry, apple or white grape juice (not prune, grapefruit, orange, lemonade, tomato or pineapple, which all contain pulp and are cloudy).
- Chill the solution.
- Add flavored drink packets (included with mix) to help disguise taste.
Additional Tips
- Sometimes the prep solution may take up to 3½ hours before you have any bowel movements. Don’t worry, it will work. If you have any doubts, call your GI doctor’s office.
- You may feel weak and/or tired from the elimination of stool. Be safe and drink as much fluid as possible to help alleviate this.
- To help with irritation, use Desitin ointment to coat your bottom before going to the bathroom and apply frequently.
- For all coffee drinkers who will not drink coffee without creamer, you may have a caffeine headache. You may take Tylenol or drink other caffeinated beverages to avoid caffeine withdrawal.
Patient Checklist for Day of Procedure
- Insurance card/information. PRE-REGISTER IF ABLE
- Driver MUST BE 18 OR OLDER to stay with you to drive you home
- Medication list/allergies. Include type of reaction (i.e.) rash, etc.
- No jewelry (including body piercings)
- No valuables
- CPAP/Bi-PAP machine if diagnosed with sleep apnea even if not used. Procedure will be cancelled per hospital safety policy if CPAP/Bi-BAP machine is left at home.
- No nail polish
- Tell us if you have an internal defibrillator, latex allergy and/or artificial heart valves
- Clear stool (for colonoscopy)
- No aspirin products, iron, ginkgo or vitamin E for five to 10 days prior to procedure, according to your doctor’s instructions
- No Olestra, Olean, seeds, nuts, vegetables or fruit for five days prior to procedure, according to your doctor’s instructions
You may wear contact lenses the day of the procedure.
Dentures may stay in until the start of procedure if you are having an upper endoscopy.
