Preparing for a Colonoscopy in San Antonio

Do you have a colonoscopy coming up? If so, chances are, you are dreading it. Really, it isn’t so bad. Isn’t it better than pain or uncontrollable bowels? When you have a San Antonio colonoscopy in your future, the information that follows can help.

The Bright Side

While you may being doing nothing but thinking about how awful your upcoming procedure is going to be, why not focus on the positive side of things?

• Naps: Once the procedure is finished, you will be able to go home and get a refreshing nap.
• A clean system: Yes, the prep is not the easiest thing to get down, but once the process is over, your bowels are completely empty.
• Bragging rights: Do you have friends who haven’t had a colonoscopy yet? After your colonoscopy, whether it’s your first or tenth, you will be able to say that you’ve been there and done that.
• Solid foods: After going through the prep and the actual procedure, you finally get real food again. What’s better than solid food?
• Rest days: While you prepare for the procedure and then recover from it, you will have a couple days to do as little as you possibly can. Take some time to watch that movie you’ve been putting off or do a puzzle.

The Liquid Diet

Preparing for a colonoscopy means that you will have to follow a liquid diet. Luckily, you can enjoy some flavorful liquids.

• Soda: You can drink anything that is not purple or red and a little carbonation makes it easy to trick your stomach into thinking that it’s satisfied. Try some root beer or colas.
• Jello and Soup: For some reason, eating cold jello and then hot soup (in that order) can satisfy your appetite.
• Soups: Luckily, there are more options than chicken broth. You can take your favorite soup and strain out the noodles or other foods. It takes some work, but it gives you options.
• Frozen desserts: No, you can’t have dairy, but you can enjoy Italian ice and popsicles. There are many flavors of both and eating a mango, banana, or green apple popsicle can trick your stomach into thinking you’ve just eaten something substantial.

The Preparation

• Your preference: If you have had a colonoscopy before, you might be aware of the different prep solutions available. If not, ask your doctor for the options and discuss which you think would work best for you.
• Make it cold: The taste of the prep cocktail tastes much better when it is quite chilled. Before drinking it, let it sit in the freezer for about thirty to forty-five minutes.

A colonoscopy may not be your idea of fun, but it can be quite helpful. If you have one on your schedule or need to schedule one contact us so we can help.