Diagnosis

Colonoscopy

The day before your test

1. You may eat your normal breakfast. Do not eat solid food after noon.
2. Drink only clear liquids for lunch and dinner. These include:
   • Water
   • Apple juice
   • White grape juice
   • Black coffee
   • Tea
   • Lemon or lime Jell-O
   • Chicken or beef broth
   • Lemon or lime Kool-Aid
   • Soda pops, including colas, 7-Up, Sprite or Fresca

You should have at least one (1) to two (2) quarts of fluid at midday, another one (1) to two (2) quarts of fluid in the evening and again one (1) hour before bedtime. You should drink as much fluid as possible, with a goal of one (1) to two (2) gallons on the day you drink the laxative.
Do not drink red, orange or purple liquids, including Jell-O.

3. In order for the doctor to see the lining of your colon, it must be free from stool. You will have to drink Kleen-Prep Laxative solution to clean out your bowel. Be sure to use Kleen-Prep Laxative, NOT an enema product. You should plan to take the laxative in four (4) separate doses approximately six (6) hours apart. We suggest you begin the first laxative dose at 2 PM to allow the effects of the prep to be completed by bedtime.
   Kleen-Prep is available with a prescription at your pharmacy. If you cannot tolerate this prep, an alternative is available by prescription. This alternative is called P.E.G. solution (trade names Nulytely, Golytely, Colyte) and is a very large volume. You will need to ask the doctor that ordered the test for a prescription for the P.E.G. prep.
   Fleet Phospho-Soda Oral Saline Laxative instructions with suggestions for laxative times.
 At 2 PM, mix one-and-one-half ounces of Fleet Phospho-Soda Oral Saline Laxative, a sodium phosphate laxative a with four ounces of water or diet soda and drink immediately. You may be able to drink the solution faster by using a straw. Have another clear liquid immediately available to “wash away” the laxative taste.
   At 8 PM, mix one-and-one-half ounces of Fleet Phospho-Soda Oral Saline Laxative with four
ounces of water or soda and drink immediately.
   Plan on being near a bathroom for the rest of the evening. Your bowels may begin to move in about 30-60 minutes. Feelings of nausea and bloating are common and resolve with time.
   An A&D type ointment applied to the rectal area can help with any irritation. The goal is for your stool to be clear or light yellow water. Drinking at least a gallon of clear liquids during the evening will improve the quality of bowel cleansing.
4. Special instructions for P.E.G. preparation: 
If you have had a heart attack or heart failure in the past six (6) months, or have liver or kidney disease, you will need to use the P.E.G. preparation. Ask the doctor who ordered the test for a prescription.