Colonoscopies are the only cancer screening tests that also prevent cancer at the same time. Getting a colonoscopy will cost around 24 hours of your life. The start to finish and recovery will be done in 24 hours, but the health benefits can last up to 10 years. Only this process can diagnose and prevent cancerous polyps in your colon and rectum at the same time. No other process has these extra benefits. But still, you have to plan your life around it. To do so, you need to know how long does a colonoscopy take from step to step.
Getting a colonoscopy is painless, but you will need post-recovery time. If you have nothing wrong with your colon, the process will only take 15 to 30 minutes. If the doctor detects any polyps in your colon, the time can increase from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Your doctor will remove every polyp he discovers on the spot to prevent cancer. Every cancer grows from polyps, so no more polyps mean no more cancer. Colonoscopy is done under the influence of local anesthesia, so you won’t even know what you have gone through. You can expect some disease due to the sedation, and your gastroenterologist will recommend some precautions for the rest of the day.
Preparation For A Colonoscopy
You will need to arrive 30 minutes early before the colonoscopy to sign some paperwork. The doctor will advise your caregiver to leave you and contact the clinic after 2 hours to check the patient’s status. If the best-case scenario is as hoped, you will be free within 2 or 3 hours. Otherwise, your doctor will tell your caregiver to return later. Make sure not to eat any solid food before the colonoscopy. You can only take a liquid-only diet until you go through the process.
Time For Colonoscopy Procedure
The doctor will administer anesthesia, and you fall asleep. If any polyps are present in your colon, the doctor will perform a biopsy on the spot and remove them. This may increase your average time for a colonoscopy. The more polyps are found in your colon, the longer time you will have to spend at the clinic. If any other problem is present other than polyps, your doctor will do what he can to fix them then and there. If that is not possible, then he will suggest otherwise.
Colonoscopy Aftercare
Once the sedation wears off and you are active again, the doctor will brief you on the discoveries in your colon. If there were no polyps and you don’t have any family history of colon cancer, you may not have to return for the next 10 years to go through the same process. Your doctor will advise you to spend the rest of the day resting and recovering from the sedation. The good news is that you can have a regular diet for the rest of your day.
Conclusion
From start to finish, the average colonoscopy time is just 24 hours. Unless there is already something wrong, these 24 hours can keep you safe from colon cancer for up to 10 years. If you have any undetectable gastrointestinal problems, then getting a colonoscopy is the right choice for you. If you are looking for expert gastrologists, please get in touch with the Gastroenterology Diagnostic Center at (281) 357 1977.