Colonoscopy

About Your Colonoscopy: A colonoscopy is an exam that looks for polyps and colon cancer and/or to investigate abnormal gastrointestinal symptoms. It allows your doctor to get a clear evaluation of your large intestine and rectum with a thin, flexible tube called a colonoscope. 

Why Its Done:

• Screen for colon cancer – Starting at age 45, you should get a colonoscopy every 10 years if you are at average risk.
• Investigate intestinal problems – If you are having abdominal issues, rectal bleeding, chronic diarrhea or other intestinal problems, a colonoscopy can help discover what is going on

About the Procedure: The procedure is performed in a special endoscopy suite. The entire procedure including pre-op and recovery takes approximately 2 hours. Just before the exam begins, an anesthesia provider administers sedation. 

If your doctor finds abnormal tissue or polyps, they will remove or take samples during the exam and send them to a lab for testing. Results of any laboratory testing are sent to your primary doctor within 7 to 10 business days and will be shared with you. 

Planning:

• Make sure you have your bowel preparation and instructions at least 48 hours before your procedure. If you do not, call 507-646-1201 Monday through Friday between 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
• Arrange a ride for after your procedure. You will not be able to drive or work until the following day. You will not be able to take a taxi or ride-hailing service unless accompanied by a responsible party. If you do not have a ride, your procedure will be cancelled.
• If you take GLP-1 agonists such as Trulicity, Ozempic, Wegovy, or Zepbound please hold these injections 1 week prior to procedure.
• For your safety, medications may need to be stopped or changed prior to your scheduled procedure as they can cause complications. Please contact your prescribing provider if you take any blood thinners (such as Warfarin, Jantoven, Eliquis, Plavix etc.) or Insulin or a diabetic medication, (such as Novolog, Humalog, Metformin etc).
• Stop taking iron and fiber supplements 7 days before your procedure
• Stop consuming all high fiber foods 3 days before the procedure including raw fruits or vegetables, whole wheat, nuts, popcorn, bran, any seeds, beans, lentils, and corn.

Prep: This is the process of ingesting clear liquids along with a strong laxative bowel-cleansing solution leading up to your colonoscopy. The prep is taken in “split-dose". This means you take the first dose the day before the procedure and second dose the day of the procedure. This prep is especially important to clear the colon of all waste so the surfaces can be carefully inspected. A suboptimal prep may result in your procedure being rescheduled, more frequent procedures or missed lesions.

Arrival: When you arrive, come to the Emergency Department/Surgery Center entrance on the north side of the hospital. Please check in at the Surgery Center registration desk, go through the doors to the left once you enter the hospital. Inform the registration representative of your name and the procedure for which you are scheduled. The representative will notify the endoscopy staff of your arrival. If you have questions about this exam, please call: 507-646-1201 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).

Anticipating Costs: Your out-of-pocket expenses for your procedure are determined by your individual insurance policy’s benefits, your policy’s deductible, and coinsurance amounts, and by whether tissue, polyps or tumors are sampled or removed. Before your procedure, we encourage you to call your insurance company to tell them the procedure is billed as a hospital (not a clinic) outpatient service and to ask:

• Whether Northfield Hospital is in network
• What you can expect to pay if the findings are normal
• What you can expect to pay if tissue, polyps, or tumors are removed / sampled

Northfield Hospital +Clinics will submit charges for the services you receive to your insurance company. Your insurance company will determine how much of the bill you will pay and how much they will pay. You will receive a bill from Northfield Hospital + Clinics for the amount you owe.