Colonoscopy
LOCATION: Your exam will be at Northfield Hospital. Enter at the Emergency/Surgery Center entrance.
Arrival
Please arrive at the hospital 45 minutes before your scheduled procedure time. When you arrive, come to the Emergency Department/Surgery Center entrance on the north side of the hospital. Please check in at the Surgery Center registration desk, go through the doors to the left once you enter the hospital. Inform the registration representative of your name and the procedure for which you are scheduled. The representative will notify the endoscopy staff of your arrival.
If you have questions about this exam, please call:
507-646-1201 (Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) (After hours please call the number above and follow the prompts on the voice message)
About Your Colonoscopy
A colonoscopy is an exam that allows your doctor to get a clear, magnified view of your large intestine to see if there are any health concerns, such as bleeding, inflammation or tumors. It is the best method of detecting colon cancer, colon polyps and other diseases of the colon.
A colonoscopy is performed in a special endoscopy suite. The entire procedure, including pre-op and recovery, takes approximately 2 hours upon arrival. The actual exam normally takes 20–40 minutes. Just before the exam begins, an RN administers medication to help you relax. You’ll lie on your left side to allow your physician to pass the colonoscope, a long flexible tube, into your anus and rectum and up into your colon.
If your doctor finds abnormal tissue, he or she may take a small sample for laboratory testing. The doctor may be able to remove any abnormal tissue, polyps or small tumors from the colon during your exam.
Results of any laboratory testing are sent to your primary doctor within 7 to 10 days and will be shared with you.
Preparing for Your Colonoscopy
Good preparation is important. A thorough colon cleansing prior to the exam will enable your doctor to detect abnormal growths and it will shorten the time of your examination.
If you have diabetes, please inform your primary doctor. There are specific instructions for taking insulin and other diabetes medications in preparation for your exam.
If you take blood thinning medications, please ask the provider who manages these medications to see if you should stop taking them for a period of time before the procedure.
After the Exam
AFTER YOUR PROCEDURE, YOU CANNOT DRIVE THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE A TAXI, UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY A RESPONSIBLE PARTY THAT WILL STAY WITH YOU.
- Resume taking your medications unless otherwise instructed by your healthcare provider.
- You may resume your regular activity the next day as you feel able.
- Resume your regular diet when you feel able.
Seek medical help if you experience:
- Severe nausea or vomiting.
- Continuous abdominal or rectal pain, with or without bleeding.
- A temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or greater
Anticipating Costs
Your out of pocket expenses for your procedure are determined by your individual insurance policy’s benefits, your policy’s deductible and coinsurance amounts, and by whether or not tissue, polyps or tumors are sampled or removed. Before your procedure, we encourage you to call your insurance company to tell them the procedure is billed as a hospital (not a clinic) outpatient service and to ask:
- Whether Northfield Hospital is in network
- What you can expect to pay if the findings are normal
- What you can expect to pay if tissue, polyps or tumors are removed / sampled
Northfield Hospital + Clinics will submit charges for the services you receive to your insurance company. Your insurance company will determine how much of the bill you will pay and how much they will pay. You will receive a bill from Northfield Hospital + Clinics for the amount you owe.
MiraLax Prep Information
7 days before:
Purchase the following items. All are over-the-counter medications.
DO NOT PURCHASE ANY RED LIQUIDS
- 2 tablets bisacodyl, 5 mg each. (Dulcolax laxative, NOT Dulcolax stool softener).
- 1 bottle, 8.3oz. (238 grams) of Polyethylene Glycol. (Miralax, SmoothLAX, or generic equivalent.)
- 64oz of Gatorade. (May substitute PowerAde, Propel or clear fruit juice).
- 1 bottle of 10oz Magnesium Citrate.
If you take medication for diabetes or additional iron or anticoagulants such as Coumadin (warfarin), Eliquis (Apixaban), Pradaxa (Dabigatran), Xarelto (Rivaroxaban), Heparin, Lovenox, please contact your primary provider for instructions.
3 days before:
Begin low fiber diet.
Stop consuming all high fiber foods, including raw fruits or vegetables, whole wheat, nuts, popcorn, bran, etc.
Please arrange for a ride for the day of the procedure. If you fail to arrange transportation with a responsible party, your procedure will need to be cancelled and rescheduled.
2 days before:
Continue low fiber diet.
NO SOLID FOODS AFTER 11:45 P.M. AND NOT UNTIL AFTER THE PROCEDURE
Drink at least 8 glasses of water throughout the day.
If you have had issues in the past drinking the prep, please call 507-646-1201.
Day before procedure:
Begin clear liquid diet for the day.
DO NOT DRINK ANY RED LIQUIDS
12:00 p.m. Take the 2 bisacodyl tablets.
Between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. Mix 1 bottle of the Miralax with 64oz of Gatorade in a large pitcher. Drink one 8-oz glass of solution and continue drinking one 8-oz glass every 15 minutes until this mixture is gone.
If you experience nausea, slow down and drink a glass every 30–45 minutes or use a straw.
Examples of clear liquids: Coffee, water, tea, clear broth, Gatorade, carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks (Sprite, 7-Up), fruit juice (apple, white grape), jello, popsicles. (No alcohol or dairy)
Procedure day:
4 hours prior to your procedure, drink the one 10-oz bottle of Magnesium Citrate.
You may continue to drink clear liquids up to 2 hours before your procedure time. NO SOLID FOOD
You may take your morning medications.
If you followed the instructions, your stool should be clear or yellow liquid. If you are unsure whether your colon is clean, please call us at 507- 646-1201.
AFTER YOUR PROCEDURE, YOU CANNOT DRIVE THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE A TAXI, UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY A RESPONSIBLE PARTY THAT WILL STAY WITH YOU.
GoLytely Prep Information
7 days before:
- Discontinue fiber supplements and medications containing iron. This includes multivitamins with iron, Metamucil® and Fibercon®.
- Confirm a driver for your procedure.
3 days before:
- Begin a Low-Fiber Diet. A low fiber diet helps make the cleanout more effective.
- Examples of a low fiber diet include (but are not limited to): White bread, white rice, pasta, crackers, fish, chicken, eggs, ground beef, creamy peanut butter, cooked/steamed/boiled vegetables, canned fruit, bananas, melons, milk, plain yogurt cheese, salad dressing and other condiments.
- The following are not allowed on a low fiber diet: Seeds, nuts, popcorn, bran, whole wheat, corn, quinoa, raw fruits and vegetables, berries and dried fruit, beans and lentils.
2 days before:
- Continue the low-fiber diet.
- Drink at least 8 glasses of water during the day
- Stop eating solid foods at 11:45 pm.
1 day before:
- Begin clear liquid diet. (Clear liquids include things you can see through).
- Examples of a clear liquid diet include: Water, black coffee or tea (no milk or non-dairy creamer), clear broth or bouillon, Gatorade, Pedialyte or Powerade, carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks(Sprite, 7-Up, Gingerale), strained fruit juices without pulp (apple, white grape, white cranberry), Jello-O and popsicles
- Avoid red liquids, alcoholic beverages, dairy products, protein shakes, cream broths, juice with pulp and chewing tobacco.
- 4-6pm: Drink 1 (one) 8 oz. glass of GoLytely or NuLytely® solution every 15 minutes until 1/2 the bottle (approximately 8- 8 oz. glasses) is gone. Keep the solution refrigerated. Do not drink any other liquids while you are drinking the GoLytely or NuLytely solution.
- Over the course of the evening, drink an additional ½ liter of clear liquids and continue clear liquid diet.
Day of your procedure:
- 6 hours prior: Drink 1 (one) 8 oz. glass of GoLytely or NuLytely® solution every 15 minutes until the remaining solution (approximately 8 - 8 oz glasses) is gone. Keep the solution refrigerated.
3 hours prior to your procedure:
- You may take all of your morning medications including blood pressure medications, blood thinners (if you have not been instructed to stop these by your physician or our office), methadone, anti-seizure medications with sips of water 3 hours prior to your procedure or earlier. If you have diabetes, contact your monitoring provider for further direction on insulin and-or blood sugar management.
2 hours prior to your procedure:
- STOP consuming all liquids.
- Do not take anything by mouth during this time