Colonoscopy when do you stop eating

But requiring clear liquids might also contribute to the fact that screening for colorectal cancer lags behind screening for other cancers. In , more than one in four Americans 50 to 75 had never been screened for colorectal cancer, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Many people find that preparing for a colonoscopy--subsisting on only clear liquids and drinking a large quantity of a bowel-cleansing solution or taking special laxatives--is worse than the procedure itself. Patient dissatisfaction spurred him to examine whether a clear liquid diet before a colonoscopy was really necessary, Samarasena said. He and his collaborators randomly assigned 83 adults to a clear liquid diet or a low-residue diet "residue" refers to undigested food, such as fiber, that makes up stool for the full day before they underwent a colonoscopy at either of two hospitals, one of which was a Veterans Affairs medical center.

The patients assigned to the low-residue diet were told they could eat moderate amounts of such popular foods as eggs, lunch meat, white bread, plain bagels and cream cheese, ice cream, butter, chicken breast and white rice. They weren't supposed to eat whole grain bread or cereal, fruits, vegetables, nuts, popcorn and other high-fiber foods.

Not surprisingly, the patients assigned to the low-residue diet reported being less hungry the evening before their colonoscopy and less fatigued the morning of the procedure. Best of all, the low-residue diet group actually had cleaner colons, as judged by doctors not otherwise involved in the study who watched videotapes of the procedures without knowing which diet the patients had followed the previous day. Samarasena speculates that people on clear liquids might end up not drinking a lot of liquid.

In March, a couple of Samarasena's collaborators, Dr. Douglas Nguyen and Dr. Mazen Jamal, coauthored a meta-analysis of nine other studies comparing clear liquids only with a low-residue diet on the day before a colonoscopy.

They concluded that those studies showed patients preferred the low-residue diet, which was just as safe and effective in clearing out the colon as the clear liquids. It's really like night and day. However, this new study found that those who ate a limited amount of low-fiber foods were happier and didn't suffer any negative effects during their exam.

In fact, their bowels were actually better prepared for the procedure than those of the patients who stuck to traditional clear-liquid diets, the researchers said. The clear-liquid diet is very restrictive, and probably too restrictive," said study author Dr. Jason Samarasena. He is an assistant clinical professor of medicine with the division of gastroenterology and hepatology-interventional endoscopy at the University of California, Irvine. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than , cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year.

But while colonoscopy screening is recommended at age 50 for most adults and even earlier for those at high risk , many don't undergo the procedure. The required preparation is simply too much for some to bear, the researchers said. The clear liquid is designed to keep the colon clear during a colonoscopy. Enter the idea of a low-fiber diet. The concept is to allow patients to eat foods that aren't likely to stick around in the bowel and disrupt a physician's examination of the intestines.

In the new study, researchers assigned 83 patients to undergo a colonoscopy after a day on a clear-liquid diet or a day in which they were allowed to eat a small number of low-fiber foods like macaroni and cheese, yogurt, white bread, lunch meats and ice cream. At this time, you should start adjusting your diet to include foods that are easier to pass through your digestive system. Switching to a soft-food diet at least 48 hours before the colonoscopy may make your preparation easier.

Soft foods include:. During this time, you also need to avoid foods that can be hard to digest or get in the way of the camera during your colonoscopy. These include:. Ask your doctor whether you should continue to take any prescription medications during your prep or if you should stop until after the procedure.

Be sure to also ask about any vitamins, supplements, or OTC medications you use daily. No matter your diet in the days before your colonoscopy, you must switch to a liquid-only diet the whole day before your exam. To do this, your doctor will prescribe a strong laxative. Most doctors now recommend a split dose of laxatives: You take half the mixture the evening before your exam, and you finish the second half six hours before your exam.

You may also take pills at the beginning of the process. The laxative may be difficult to swallow because of a bitter taste. Try these techniques to make it easier:. Once you take the laxative, your intestines will begin pushing out any remaining waste very quickly. This will cause frequent, forceful diarrhea. It can also cause:. If you have hemorrhoids , they may become inflamed and irritated.

Set up shop in the bathroom. Bring a computer, tablet, TV, or other device that can help you pass the time. Use comfort products. You should have purchased moist or medicated wipes, as well as creams and lotions, prior to your prep. This step is important to help prevent you from getting sick after your procedure. People who drink right before the procedure risk getting sick and breathing vomit into their lungs.