03/11/2025
R. Fraser Stokes, MD
Southwestern Endoscopy Center
Special for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Question: What’s it like to have a colonoscopy?
Roughly 15 Million colonoscopies are done in the U.S. each year. Chances are strong that you or a relative or friend have had one in the past few years. Colonoscopy is a medical procedure whereby a physician examines the colon and sometimes the distal portion of the small intestine using a flexible lighted hose that has a camera built into it’s tip. The scope is advanced into the re**um and then gently guided through the large intestine. A real time video image is projected onto a high definition television monitor. If abnormal tissue is found, the doctor obtains small snips of this tissue with the scope via a technique called biopsy. If small growths or polyps are found, they are removed with the scope via a technique called polypectomy.
I have performed roughly 30,000 colonoscopies in my 34 year career. In addition, I have personally had 5 colonoscopies performed on me. I guess you could say that I know a little bit about this procedure.
A week or 2 before the exam, it’s advisable to avoid seeds, nuts, and corn in your diet, as these can be quite difficult to cleanse from the colon. Prior to the colonoscopy you’ll want to pick up your prep solution or prep pills (yes there is a new pill prep available that can make prepping easier), as well as an assortment of clear liquids, like apple juice, pop sickles, broth, jello, etc. The morning of the day before the colonoscopy you will start a diet that involves taking only clear liquids, no solids. That afternoon or evening – you will take your first prep dose. The next morning – you will wake up early and take your second prep dose. Following this – your stool should gradually turn to yellow liquid. A good prep is essential to a successful colonoscopy. Lastly, DO NOT rub s***f or consume cannabis in any form the day of your exam.
You then arrive at your medical facility, receive an iv, and meet your GI physician and anesthesia professional. You are taken to a special procedure room where you are carefully monitored and put into a twilight sleep. Your exam is performed for roughly 20 minutes. As a result of the anesthesia, the exam is PAINLESS. You are then taken to a recovery room, wake up (without a hangover sensation), and have a discussion with your doctor about your results and plans for your future care. You can then eat a regular meal and enjoy the rest of your day in a fairly normal way (except you can not drive a vehicle the day of your exam). If biopsies are taken or polyps are removed, you will be informed of the results if anything abnormal is found.
It's rare to have a major problem from a colonoscopy. Rupture of the bowel occurs in less than 0.1% of the cases. Severe bleeding from the removal of polyps is also uncommon. If no polyps are found on your exam, you won’t need to come back for a repeat colonoscopy for quite some time.
The nicest thing about a colonoscopy is that it can be lifesaving. It allows for finding threatening conditions, like colitis. And the removal of precancerous polyps during a colonoscopy can prevent colorectal cancer, which is found in 153,000 new patients each year in America and which kills over 53.000 citizens of our country annually. Stool tests, such as Cologuard, are notoriously poor at detecting precancerous polyps, so gastroenterologists far prefer colonoscopy as the best screening measure.
For more information about colonoscopies, check out our website swecuniontown.com or call us at 7244398906.
Southwestern Endoscopy Center provides compassionate medicine allowing patients to feel safe and comfortable.
