Expert Advice: How to prepare for a colonoscopy

Host Amber Smith: Here's some expert advice from colorectal surgeon, Dr. Kristina Go from Upstate Medical University. How should someone prepare for a colonoscopy?

Kristina Go, MD: What I tell my patients is, in the week leading to your colonoscopy, to avoid foods that are high in fiber or high residues, such as leafy green vegetables. (Remember to return to that after your colonoscopy, of course.)

The whole purpose of a bowel prep is to completely clean out your colon, which, in no euphemistic terms, it's really just having a lot of severe diarrhea for the day before, while you're drinking your prep. In terms of trying to tolerate this amount of liquid that you're having to drink, I give patients some pointers. Some of them work better than others. Placing your prep on ice or drinking it through a straw can sometimes decrease how unpalatable the flavor of the prep is. Sucking on lemon slices or sugar-free menthol candy drops can also decrease that feeling of nausea.

The day before your colonoscopy, make sure to drink lots of clear liquids in addition to your bowel prep. A patient needs to drink clear liquids, as in nothing that is opaque, nothing with any kind of solid components to it, for the entire day before the day of their colonoscopy. Drinking water or fluids keeps you hydrated and can also decrease the symptoms of nausea that can be associated with this type of prep.

Host Amber Smith: And on the day of your colonoscopy, take a deep breath in and out. It's a relatively painless procedure. And after you're done, you can go back to the regular diet. You've been listening to colorectal surgeon, Dr. Kristina Go, from Upstate Medical University.