Colonoscopy FAQ

What Is a Colonoscopy?

A colonoscopy is a test that lets a doctor see inside your digestive system.

Your doctor may suggest you get a colonoscopy if you're having symptoms of a disease. They also use it to screen for colon cancer or pre-cancerous growths, even when you don't have symptoms.

During a colonoscopy, the doctor inserts a flexible tube (an endoscope) through the anus to see:

• The large intestine (or colon).
• Your rectum (the part of the large intestine right inside your anus).
• In some cases. the last part of your small intestine.

The endoscope has a video camera and light on the end of it. This tool allows the doctor to see the inside of the rectum and colon on a screen in real-time.

They can also send other tools to:

• Take a tissue sample for testing.
• Remove a growth or polyp.
• Fix a tear or blockage.

At What Age Should I Start Getting a Colonoscopy?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends everyone start getting colon cancer screenings at age 45. Your doctor may want you to get one sooner if you have a family history of colon cancer.

A colonoscopy is the most common colon cancer screening method. However, you can talk to your doctor about other options.

Many people can wait 10 years before getting another screening colonoscopy.

Some people may need a follow-up colonoscopy sooner due to the results or their medical history.

If you have GI problems, you may need a colonoscopy to diagnose or treat the symptoms, regardless of your age.

What Are the Benefits and Risks of a Colonoscopy?

Colonoscopy benefits

Colonoscopies are helpful in many ways.

They allow doctors to:

• Prevent colon and rectal cancers by removing pre-cancerous polyps.
• Find cancer at an early stage, when it's easier to treat and has better survival odds.
• Diagnose a disease, such as ulcerative colitis, to start treatment.
• Find tears or bleeding in the colon or rectum.
• Fix an issue like a block or tear in the colon or rectum.

And you need a colonoscopy less often than other colon cancer screening methods.

Colonoscopy risks

As with many medical tests, colonoscopies can cause problems in rare cases.

Risks include:

• Bleeding.
• A tear or puncture in the colon.
• Pain.
• An allergic reaction to the medicine used to relax you.
• Breathing or heart problems due to the medicines.

A colonoscopy's risk of a serious complication is less than 0.1%.

If you have any problems, your care team will know and treat it right away.

Before a colonoscopy, you can ask your doctor about the benefits and risks of your specific case.

What Conditions Can You Diagnose and Treat With Colonoscopies?

At UPMC, we use colonoscopies to diagnose:

• Pre-cancerous growths ('polyps' that could turn into colon cancer).
• Cancerous growths.
• Ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.
• Diverticulosis, or inflamed pouches in the lining of the large intestine.

• The cause of pain, bleeding, diarrhea, or other abnormal symptoms.

We also use colonoscopies to pilot instruments and treat:

• Tears in the colon or rectum.
• Unusual growths (polyps).
• Colon or rectal obstructions.

What to Expect Before, During, and After a Colonoscopy

How do I get ready for my colonoscopy?

Preparing for a colonoscopy requires some work.

You'll need to do a 'bowel prep' to make sure the colon is empty for the test. This lets the doctor see the colon's lining.

The bowel prep takes one to two days before your colonoscopy.

Your doctor will let you know how many days you should prep. They'll also prescribe a laxative to empty your bowel and tell you when to take it. This medicine may be in pill or liquid form.

During bowel prep, you cannot eat food.

But you should drink liquids, including:

• Water.
• Tea and coffee (without milk or cream).
• Fat-free broth.
• Soda.
• Sports drinks, like Gatorade.
• Certain juices, like apple juice.

Let the doctor's office know about any medicine you take. You may have to stop a medicine before the procedure if it could increase the risk of bleeding, for example.

What happens during a colonoscopy?

In a typical colonoscopy, a nurse inserts an IV into your arm's vein with medicine to make you feel calm. With the sedative, you'll still be awake and able to respond to your care team, but you won't feel pain.

You will then lie on the exam table with your knees bent.

The doctor will:

• Insert the tube into your rectum and move it up, across, and down your large intestine.
• Use a machine to send air into your large intestine to inflate it slightly. This lets them see any problems or growths in the folds of the colon lining.
• Remove the tube after checking the whole colon, taking any samples, and doing any needed treatments.

Is a colonoscopy test painful?

In most cases, doctors give you medicine so you don't feel any pain during a colonoscopy. The medicine makes most people forget the process.

Some people choose not to have sedation for the test. They may need to drive right after or worry about side effects.

A non-sedating colonoscopy can be painful. Doctors skilled in doing them can lessen the pain with gentle techniques.

How long does a colonoscopy take?

A typical colonoscopy takes 30 minutes.

But you'll need to stay for one to two hours after it's over to let the medication wear off.

What happens right after my colonoscopy?

A nurse will move you to a recovery area, where you'll rest as the medicines wear off.

You'll need someone to drive you home.

And you can't drive for 24 hours after your colonoscopy. You can still be sleepy from the sedative.

Will I have any side effects?

You may have some light bleeding, especially if your doctor removed polyps. You may also have some discomfort or gassiness.

These side effects are normal and shouldn't last more than a few days.

You should call your doctor if you have any signs of a possible complication, such as:

• Heavy bleeding from the anus.
• Bleeding from the anus or blood in the stool that doesn't get better after a few days.
• Bleeding from the anus or blood in the stool that starts a week or two after the procedure.
• Severe pain.
• Fever.
• Dizziness.
• Weakness.

When will I get my colonoscopy test results?

Before you leave, we will tell you if the doctor noticed anything unusual, took tissue samples, or removed growths.

Your hospital will send tissue samples for testing to see if they are cancerous.

Your doctor's office should get your results back within 10 days and let you know either:

• Electronically through your UPMC patient portal.
• Over the phone.
• Via an in-person appointment.

Contact UPMC for Digestive Disorder Care

To learn more about colonoscopies or make an appointment for a digestive disorder, call 1-866-442-7876 or email DigestiveDisorders@upmc.edu.