Because you have been given sedation to make you drowsy for the test, it is important that you:
1. Rest quietly for the remainder of the day, with someone to look after you overnight.
2. It is also very important that for the next 12 hours:
Do not :
• Drive a car
• Drink alcohol or smoke
• Take sleeping tablets
• Operate any machinery or electrical items (including kettles, hot saucepans)
• Sign any legally binding documents
• Work at heights (including climbing ladders or onto a chair)
Sedation can impair your reflexes and judgement. It is advisable to take a light diet for 24 hours after the investigation as the effects of the laxatives
that you took before the test may still cause you to have a loose motion. In order to visualise the bowel properly and make a thorough investigation it is necessary to inflate it with air. This may give you some abdominal discomfort due to flatulence and ‘wind’ type pain. Any discomfort should settle down within a few hours. However, if the pain becomes more severe, changes in character or is accompanied by bleeding please contact your doctor. It is not unusual to pass a small amount of blood following this investigation, especially when you first open your bowels again. However, if this becomes excessive, persistent or is accompanied by pain, please call for advice.
If you have any problems or queries about your test please contact your doctor.
A report will be sent to your GP within the next few days or offered to you to take personally.
Any specimens that were taken will need to be reported on by the laboratory which takes approximately 10 days.
NB: You may have been told that you require further surveillance colonoscopy in the future i.e. to look for further polyps, a family history of bowel cancer or to assess inflammatory bowel disease.