Ready For Your First Colonoscopy?

It’s a milestone many adults don’t want. The first colonoscopy appointment often brings a mix of anxiety and dread – and that’s just for the lead-up to the exam.

Amy Long, RN, an endoscopy nurse navigator with Franciscan Health, explains how adults in their 40s and 50s should prepare for their first colonoscopy and what to expect with their exam.

Why Should Adults Have A Colonoscopy?

“People really need to get a colonoscopy because colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in America,” Long said. “Early detection is the key here. It can take 10 to 20 years for a small polyp to become cancer. So if they can find that polyp in the beginning and remove it, then you don't have to worry about it growing.”

What Is The Recommended Age For A First Colonoscopy?

For most adults, 45 is the age when you should expect your first colonoscopy. These guidelines have changed in recent years, noting the earlier occurrences of colon cancer.

Other factors, such as race and a family history of colorectal cancer, may lead to that first colonoscopy happening earlier in life.

“What we have learned is that if you've got a family history of colorectal cancer, you need to start and get a colonoscopy for yourself 10 years before your family,” Long said. “So say, your father had colorectal cancer at 50, you need to be screened at 40.”

How Do I Prepare For A Colonoscopy?

Preparing for your first colonoscopy may mean a mix of temporary diet changes and medications to help with bowel cleansing, to allow your physician to better able to find any polyps in the colon.

“There's different kinds of prep,” Long said. “The physician that's going to do your procedure will order your prep. They will pick what is best for you.”

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy advises on preparing for a colonoscopy:

• A day before the procedure, limit foods to clear broth, tea, gelatin desserts, ginger ale, sherbet and clear fruit juices.
• But avoid recommended desserts and liquids that are red or purple.
• Avoid dehydration by drinking more fluids than usual.
• Speak with your doctor about any medications you take, to determine if they could interfere with the colonoscopy.

“Typically, what your prep time will look like, the day before your procedure, you can't have any solid food or dairy products the whole day,” Long explained. “So when you wake up, no solid food or dairy. You will have your clear liquids that day. They will give you a list of what you can have and what you cannot have. And then you will be given times of when to start the actual prep.

“Most likely, there'll be two times. You'll be given, for instance, five o'clock that evening and then you'll do another prep. So then the next day, when it's colonoscopy day, you won't have anything so many hours before the procedure because of the anesthesia or your sedation that will be involved.”

Do I Need To Take Time Off Work?

“You wouldn't want to work the day of your procedure,” Long said. “Because of the sedation, you can't drive yourself home. You will be kind of down and out for the day. If you're going to be sedated, you can't do any physical or mental task for the remainder of the day following your procedure. So, if you had it done on a Friday and you don't work Fridays, that works for you.”

How Long Does A Colonoscopy Take?

A colonoscopy may take 30-60 minutes. Whilethe prep leading up to it is much more time-consuming, the actual procedure itself is quite fast.

Are There Complications Of A Colonoscopy?

“Most likely all they're going to experience afterwards would be gas because sometimes they put air in the colon so that they can inflate it, if you will, to see the lining, to notice any kind of polyps that are there,” Long said. “So you might be a little gassy after your procedure.”

When Do I Need To Return For My Next Colonoscopy?

Most adults will return every 10 years for their next colonoscopy.

“So it's about every 10 years, unless you were told by your doctor, ‘We did find a polyp. I want to bring you back in five,’” Long said.

Despite the temporary discomfort of colon prep and the exam, screening for colon and rectal cancer is worth it.

“You need to put this in your own hands and you need to help yourself,” Long said. “Early detection is the key and we can remove a polyp and save you from developing one of the most treatable cancers that is out there.”