How do I prepare for a gastrointestinal endoscopy?

Doctor's Answers 2

Photo of Dr Wai Leong Quan
Dr Wai Leong Quan

Gastroenterologist

Depending on the type of endoscopy you plan to have, the preparations can be merely a 6 to 8 hour fasting to drinking 2 to 3 litres of bowel prep fluid overnight. In general, most doctors have their own advice on how to prepare you for the endoscopy process. Please follow their advice closely so that you will get the best outcome from your endoscopy.

One simple tip that I provide my own patients for colonoscopy is to chill their bowel prep solution in the fridge after preparing. A few drops of lime juice may go a long way in making the drink more palatable.

Do pay attention to your doctor’s advice on whether to stop any medication before the procedure. This is especially important if you are taking diabetic medicines or any blood thinning agent to minimise possible complications during the procedure.

Lastly, have a good rest before the procedure and try to relax your mind and not to get too worried. Most of my patients are surprised to find out how comfortable the entire process is after completing the endoscopy.

Photo of Dr Wai Leong Quan
Dr Wai Leong Quan

Gastroenterologist

Depending on the type of endoscopy you plan to have, the preparations can be merely a 6 to 8 hour fasting to drinking 2 to 3 litres of bowel prep fluid overnight. In general, most doctors have their own advice on how to prepare you for the endoscopy process. Please follow their advice closely so that you will get the best outcome from your endoscopy.

One simple tip that I provide my own patients for colonoscopy is to chill their bowel prep solution in the fridge after preparing. A few drops of lime juice may go a long way in making the drink more palatable.

Do pay attention to your doctor’s advice on whether to stop any medication before the procedure. This is especially important if you are taking diabetic medicines or any blood thinning agent to minimise possible complications during the procedure.

Lastly, have a good rest before the procedure and try to relax your mind and not to get too worried. Most of my patients are surprised to find out how comfortable the entire process is after completing the endoscopy.

Similar Questions

When is an endoscopy required?

Besides clinching diagnoses such as gastric ulcers, colonic polyps, or cancers, modern endoscopes can certainly be used to treat many different digestive conditions. Gastric Ulcer Small Intestine Polyp Bleeding gastric varices By removing a growth known as polyp in the large intestine through the process of Colonoscopy and Polypectomy, colon cancer death rates has been shown to be reduced by more than 50%. In cases with active bleeding from the digestive tract, endoscopy is now the first line treatment to arrest the bleeding.

Photo of Dr Wai Leong Quan

Answered By

Dr Wai Leong Quan

Gastroenterologist

How safe is an endoscopy?

Hi Si Yi, Endoscopy is minimally invasive. The risk of endoscopy is much lower than most surgery and most, if not all procedures, are carried out under some form of sedation or anaesthesia. This means that patients would sleep through the entire procedure and therefore not be aware or have no recollection of the procedure upon completion. The risk of endoscopy varies according to the type of procedure. A straightforward upper digestive endoscopy, for instance, can be completed in 15 minutes and carries very low risk of 1 in 10 thousand while colonoscopy carries a risk of 1 in a thousand.

Photo of Dr Wai Leong Quan

Answered By

Dr Wai Leong Quan

Gastroenterologist

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