A good bowel preparation allows your doctor to clearly see the lining of the bowel and thoroughly examine the colon. The procedure is then more likely to be accurate and complete. If the bowel is not completely clean and empty the procedure may need to be postponed or repeated. Potential complications may also occur, or potential cancer lesions could be missed.
You will be instructed to use either PicoPrep or Glycoprep-C by Dr Jamnagerwalla before your colonoscopy. These may be purchased from our Practice or from any chemist without a prescription.
The following instructions should be followed to ensure your colon is clean for a successful colonoscopy.
Diet
Two days before your colonoscopy, commence a low residue diet (see the table below). You may also eat eggs, cottage cheese, plain yoghurt, fish and chicken. Ensure you drink plenty of clear liquids.
|
Food groups |
Foods allowed |
Foods not allowed |
|
Bread / cereal
|
White bread, white rice, white pasta with oil or cream sauce. Breakfast cereals low in fibre (e.g. Cornflakes, Special K, Rice Bubbles). White flour, plain biscuits, plain rice cakes and crackers. |
Wholemeal, multigrain, rye bread or white bread with added bran. Brown rice, wholemeal pasta with “chunky” sauce. Wholegrain breakfast cereals (e.g. muesli, rolled oats, porridge, All Bran). Wholemeal flour. Biscuits, cakes and crackers made on wholemeal flour or containing fruit and nuts.
|
|
Fruit
|
Honeydew, rockmelon, watermelon, grapes, peaches, pineapple, paw-paw, apple, apricots, bananas, tinned peaches and pears. Note:
|
All other fruit. Dried fruit. |
|
Vegetables
|
Potato, carrot, pumpkin, onion, cucumber, tomato without skin, cauliflower. Note: |
All other vegetables. |
For morning procedures
The day prior to your procedure:
Have your breakfast as normal in the morning. This will be your LAST solid meal. After this, you may only have CLEAR FLUIDS. Continue clear fluids until 2 hours prior to your admission time the following day. After this you must remain fasted.
Clear fluids are any types of fluids you can see through. These include:
- Tea / coffee, but no milk.
- Clear soups or broths.
- Clear fruit juices eg. apple juice
- Plain jelly.
Glycoprep-C
Add the contents of 3 Glycoprep C 70g sachets to 3 litres of water. You may make 3 separate 1L drinks, ensuring you mix one 70g sachet per 1 litre. If you prefer to have this cold, mix it up the day before and leave in the fridge overnight. Drink 1 litre at:
- 4pm.
- 7pm.
- 9pm.
One full litre should take no more than 1 hour to drink. Ensure you continue to maintain an adequate intake of fluids, otherwise you may dehydrate.
PicoPrep
You will be required to take a total of 3 PicoPrep sachets. Dissolve each sachet of PicoPrep into a 250mL glass of water. Drink at least two glasses of water or clear fluid during the hour after every sachet of PicoPrep. Drink one sachet at:
- 2pm.
- 4pm.
- 7pm.
For afternoon procedures
The day prior to your procedure:
Have your breakfast as normal in the morning and then have a light lunch. This will be your LAST solid meal. After this, you may only have CLEAR FLUIDS. Continue clear fluids until 2 hours prior to your admission time the following day. After this you must remain fasted.
Clear fluids are any types of fluids you can see through. These include:
- Tea / coffee, but no milk.
- Clear soups or broths.
- Clear fruit juices eg. apple juice
- Plain jelly.
Glycoprep-C
Add the contents of 4 Glycoprep 70g sachets to 4 litres of water. You may make 4 separate 1L drinks, ensuring you mix one 75g sachet per 1 litre. If you prefer to have this cold, mix it up the day before and leave in the fridge overnight.
On the day prior to your procedure, drink 1 litre at:
- 4pm.
- 7pm.
- 9pm.
On the morning of your procedure, drink 1 litre at:
- 7am.
One full litre should take no more than 1 hour to drink. Ensure you continue to maintain an adequate intake of fluids, otherwise you may dehydrate.
PicoPrep
You will be required to take a total of 3 PicoPrep sachets. Dissolve each sachet of PicoPrep into a 250mL glass of water. Drink at least two glasses of water or clear fluid during the hour after every sachet of PicoPrep.
On the day prior to your procedure, drink 1 sachet at:
- 4pm.
- 7pm.
On the morning of your procedure, drink 1 sachet at:
- 7am.
You may experience mild abdominal cramps or “wind-pain”. You may also experience some nausea, in which case, slow down or stop drinking the bowel prep for one hour. Should you experience severe abdominal pain or vomiting, contact your GP or Dr Jamnagerwalla’s rooms on (02) 8578 2805.
