Questions To Ask After Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy is a screening examination, which is performed only after giving general sedative. This test is extremely effective in determining existing or potential issue related to colon, like polyps or cancer. It is very important to know what you eat or drink immediately after the procedure is done. Anything that can cause irritation in the rectum or colon region should be strictly avoided for quite some time. There are some important questions, which every patient should ask their doctor after the procedure of colonoscopy is done.

Patients should clearly ask the doctor about some of the basic questions related to polyps if present), such as what type of polyps were found in patient’s body? What was the size of the polyps? and how many polyps were removed? Answer to all these questions help in knowing severity of the problem and also the possibility of development of colon cancer is the coming future. After the procedure is complete patient should take a follow-up with the doctor and should also keep a proper record of all the test reports. The test reports will be of great help in future follow-up.

Asking the above mentioned questions is helpful in knowing the precautions that will help in assisting the healing process. Colonoscopy is a very critical procedure that requires a lot of preparations before the test and a lot of precautions after the test is complete. If patient fails to follow the precautions then the possibility of suffering from stomach problems and problems related to digestive system increases.

Foods to Eat After Colonoscopy

For conducting colonoscopy the entire large intestine should be completely cleaned. Hence, it is very important that one should eat and drink only such food items having gentle impact on the digestive system. During the preparation of colonoscopy the body of the patient becomes dehydrated, so it is very important that patient should intake a lot of fluid in various forms to eliminate the possibility of dehydration. Right after the procedure doctors may also ask the patient to go on a simple and low residue diet. In simple words any word item that produces very less stool should be eaten after colonoscopy. List of food that can be eaten on and after the day of procedure are:

Water
Fruit and Vegetable Juices
Soup
Herbal Tea
Eggs
Yogurt
Cooked Vegetables
Fish
Mashed Potato
Butter
Fruits

What Not To Eat After Colonoscopy?

The entire procedure of colonoscopy takes around 30 minutes to an hour, but even after the procedure is complete the body still undergo the recuperation time. This time is required before of two things, one is the procedure itself and the other is the bowel prep that a patient went through right before the test is to be performed. Food plays a very essential role in the healing process. Patients should know the food items which they should avoid after the test. List of food that should be avoided includes:

Raw Vegetables
Legumes
Coconut
Fried Food
Spices
Corn
Bread
Brown Rice
Raisins
Alcohol

These food items should avoid for at least two to three weeks after the procedure is complete. After that one can start the intake, but steadily for the digestive system should not feel pressure.

When to Undergo Follow-Up Exam?

It is also a very important question which every patient should ask their doctor. Usually, majority of patients do not need any follow-up examination for next 10 years. If the test result reveals that patient has no cancerous tissue or polyps then undergoing the test once after every decade is recommended. In case the test remains incomplete either because of the poor prep or doctor fails to reach the large intestine, then in this scenario patients are advised for a retest soon. Survey conducted by experts reveals that in ninety five percent of cases doctors suggest follow-up colonoscopy once in every decade.

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Questions To Ask After Colonoscopy