Commonly Asked Questions Concerning Upper Endoscopy (EGD)/Colonoscopy

Please contact your Gastroenterologist Physician Office immediately. Make sure that you have this information at least 3 days prior to your exam so you can read all the instructions thoroughly and obtain the necessary supplies.

The Nurses from the Center will call you 1-3 days prior to your procedure. They will give you specific instructions regarding your procedure time and the Center’s location. The Nurse will also go over with you your medical history-including medications and their doses, surgeries, and allergies. The Anesthesiologist will review this information to provide you with the safest care possible. This will be a time for you to ask any additional questions you may have concerning your procedure.

The Business Office will call you for Insurance concerns, Co-pays, Deductible, and any Payments due upon arrival.

The time the Center discusses with you when calling to confirm your appointment is the time you need to arrive. This time may be different from the original time the Physician’s office gave you. This arrival time includes Admitting and the Pre-Procedure process before the actual Procedure. You do not need to come earlier than that unless you have been called by the Center and asked to come early. Please note, your procedure may be done earlier or later than the schedule time.

The approximate estimated length of time that most patients are in our Center is a minimum of 2 hours. This time includes Admitting, Pre-Procedure, Procedure and Recovery time.

We will call your Driver when your procedure is over and you are in the Recovery area. We will let them know an approximate time when you will be ready to leave and the exact location where you are to be picked up.

If you do not have someone who can drive you home, there are Medical Taxi services available. Some of these services may be covered by your insurance company. You cannot go home alone with a regular taxi, Uber®, or bus and you cannot walk home. If you need information on Medical taxi services, you can call your Physician or the Center.

You can wear your glasses, contacts, dentures, partials, and/or hearing aids to the Center. You may be asked to remove some or all of these items. Please bring a secure case(s) to put them in the event you are asked to remove any one of these items.

Plan on wearing loose comfortable clothes. A short sleeve shirt that is loose fitting around your neck is preferred and you will not have to remove it. Most long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, hoodies, and turtlenecks will have to be removed. You may wear or bring a pair of socks to keep your feet warm.

The Nurse should be made aware of any piercings, nose rings, belly rings, tongue piercings etc. that you may have. Only those, that may be a safety issue for you, will have to be removed. Please bring a secure case in the event you need to remove any one of these items.

Please continue any heart, blood pressure, seizure, and pain medications up to and including the day of the Procedure. Take these medications at least 2 hours before arriving for your Procedure with a small sip of water. If you take blood thinners, you need to verify with your Physician when and if you should stop them. This is very important as some Procedures cannot be done if blood thinners have not been stopped. Be sure your Physician is aware of any herbs, supplements, or weight loss medications that you are taking. Some must be stopped at least 1 week prior to your procedure.

A clear liquid is any liquid that you can see through and does not contain any solid particles. Examples include: chicken/beef/vegetable broth, apple juice, white grape juice, white cranberry juice, coffee or tea that do not contain cream or milk, popsicles, Jell-O®, Gatorade®. You should avoid any of these that are red, purple or orange.

Wear loose comfortable clothing. Once you start the bowel preparation, you will need to be close to the bathroom. The Bowel Preparation may have a salty taste. Cooling the preparation solution in the refrigerator may make it a little more palatable. Drinking it through a straw also may help by bypassing some of your taste buds on your tongue. Once the preparation begins to work, you will have many frequent and urgent liquid bowel movements. The colon is very long, so continue this colon cleaning process until all of the preparation solution is gone. As you are finishing your bowel prep solution, your bowel movements should be a liquid light yellow color to clear without or very few particles.

Bring with you to the Center your Insurance Card, Picture ID-Driver’s License, and a list of your Current Medications including the doses. If you use any inhalers or insulin, please bring those medications with you. Also, if you use Oxygen on a regular basis or at night to sleep, please bring your portable Oxygen tank. Cell phone, Tablets, and Computers are allowed in the Lobby and in the Waiting Room area but are not allowed in the Patient Care area.

Please leave all valuables at home.

When you step off the 2nd floor elevator, immediately in front of you is an iPAD® on a slim stand about waist high. Approach the iPAD® and it will give you step-by-step instructions on how to sign in. The first screen will ask you to type in your Name. The next screen will ask you for your Physician’s name. After you tap on the Enter button, please find a comfortable seat in the Lobby and our Receptionist will come out to greet you shortly.

Every Medical Professional involved in your care will do a Safety Identification Check which includes asking your name, date of birth, the name of your Physician and the Procedure planned. Prior to the start of your procedure your Physician will initiate a “Time Out”. A “Time Out” verifies this Identification Check. Again, this process is done to give you the safest care possible.

For your procedure, your Anesthesia care will be supervised by an Anesthesiologist. The Anesthesiologist will review with you your medical history prior to your procedure. This is an excellent time for you to ask any questions you may have regarding your anesthesia care. In the Pre-Procedure area, an IV will be placed for you to received IV fluids and the anesthetic (the medicine that allows you to sleep) that you will receive in the Procedure Room. You will have your own Nurse Anesthetist precisely administering your anesthetic. The Nurse Anesthetist will monitor your vital signs, including heart rate, respirations, oxygen levels and carbon dioxide levels. Supplemental oxygen will also be provided.

You may go back on your previous diet after the procedure. The Physician will notify you if a change in your diet is necessary.