You have been scheduled to have a colonoscopy. It is important to cleanse the colon before the procedure to insure an adequate examination.These instructions are designed to maximize the ease, safety, and success of your preparation.

You will need: 4 Dulcolax® tablets, a 238 gram container of Miralax® and a 64oz bottle of Gatorade® or any other type of sports drink/clear liquid (any color except red, orange or purple)

ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE PROCEDURE:
You may need to discontinue aspirin, plavix, anti-inflammatory medications (Motrin, celebrex, etc), or coumadin before the procedure. This will be discussed at the pre-procedure consultation. Iron pills must be discontinued 3 days prior to the procedure.

ONE DAY PRIOR TO THE PROCEDURE:
Have a clear liquid diet throughout the day. Avoid liquids/foods that are red, orange or purple in color such as purple grape juice, red jello or cranberry juice. Avoid dairy products and juices with pulp such as orange or grapefruit juice.

• Soups: Clear broth or consommé
• Sports drinks: Gatorade, PowerAde, Propel
• Juices: white cranberry, white grape, apple, limeade, strained lemonade
• Beverages: tea, coffee, kool-aid, carbonated beverages, Enlive, Boost Breeze, water
• Desserts: water ices, Italian ices, popsicles, Jello
• Supplements: Sustacal, Boost, Ensure, etc. Even though these are not clear, you make take 1 to 2 cans during the day and it won’t affect the quality of the prep.
  1. At 2 pm take 2 Dulcolax tablets.
  2. 2. At 4 pm mix the Miralax and Gatorade/clear liquid in a 2 quart or larger pitcher or container. Drink half of the prep (one quart or 32 ounces). Drink 8 ounces every 10 to 15 minutes. Save the remaining 32 ounces of prep in the refrigerator for the following day.
  3. At 6 pm take the remaining 2 Dulcolax tablets
  4. Continue drinking clear liquids until bedtime

THE DAY OF THE PROCEDURE:
Drink the remaining 32 ounces of prep – 8 ounces every 10 to 15 minutes. Finish the prep 3 hours before your appointment. Take only the morning medications that you were instructed to take at the pre-procedure consultation. Take nothing else by mouth after midnight. DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO EAT OR DRINK DURING THE 3 HOURS BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT
Arrive at the office at your scheduled time. During the examination, an intravenous sedative will be administered by an anesthesiologist. While administering the sedative, the anesthesiologist will be carefully monitoring your blood pressure, pulse and EKG pattern.
Following the procedure, you will stay in the Recovery Room for about 30 minutes, as the medications are wearing off.

Please arrange for someone to take you home following the procedure. For the remainder of the day, you may not drive a car, operate machinery, or make important decisions. Once again, you must be accompanied home after the procedure. It is not acceptable to have a taxi cab drive you home.

Colonoscopy is a very safe procedure. However, it can result in complications, such as reaction to medication, perforation (tear) of the intestine and bleeding. These complications are rare, occurring in less than 1 in 1,000 examinations, but may require urgent treatment and in limited cases, surgery.

We hope this outline has answered your questions about the procedure. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us.
Alan M. Schuller MD
Paul K Brodsky MD
Andrea Sacknoff MD

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:

Stop aspirin _____ days prior to the procedure

Stop anti-inflammatory medications _____ days prior to the procedure

Stop plavix ______ days prior to the procedure

Stop coumadin _____ days prior to the procedure

Take only the following medications the morning of the procedure:
________________________________________________________________________