Colonoscopy for a child

Be sure to tell your doctor

• All medicines your child takes, and iron supplements
• Allergies
• Heart or lung disease, seizures
• If your child recently had a cold
• Whether your child or relatives had problems with anesthesia

How to prepare

• Diet. For 1 to 3 days, food without fiber. Your doctor will give an exact list. The day before, usually only clear liquids.
• Cleansing. Your child drinks the cleansing solution as your doctor directs, and the dose depends on weight. To make it easier, it can be chilled and drunk through a straw.
• Fasting. Before sedation, your child does not eat or drink for a set time. The clinic will tell you the exact hours.
• Talking. Explain in simple words that your child will sleep while the doctor looks at the tummy.

What to bring

• The referral and past reports
• Your child's papers
• A favorite toy
• A change of underwear and diapers, if needed
• Wet wipes

How it goes

1. Your child changes clothes and a line is put in a vein, often after a numbing cream
2. A parent usually stays close while your child falls asleep
3. Your child sleeps while the doctor gently passes the tube and examines the bowel
4. If needed, tiny tissue samples are taken for testing
5. Your child wakes up in a recovery room and you are called in

What you'll feel

• The procedure itself is not felt during sleep
• After waking, there may be sleepiness, fussiness, and a bloated belly
• Preparation is the hardest part: frequent loose stools and an unpleasant taste of the solution

Afterwards

• Eating and drinking are usually allowed once your child is fully awake
• Bloating from air goes away in a few hours
• Rest at home for the rest of the day
• The biopsy result usually comes in 1 to 2 weeks