Colonoscopy in Slavuta

How to prepare for a colonoscopy

The cleaner the bowel, the more the doctor can see. Starting 2–3 days before the test, you switch to low-fiber food, the day before to clear liquids, and you drink the bowel prep following the plan you get when you book. It’s often split into two parts: the first in the evening and the second on the morning of the test. The list of allowed foods and tips on how to get the solution down are in the article how to prepare for a colonoscopy.

If you take blood thinners, iron supplements or diabetes medicines, tell the doctor in advance. Some of them are adjusted for a while, but only the doctor can decide that. If you’re having the colonoscopy under anesthesia, arrange for someone to take you home: you can’t drive that day.

How a colonoscopy is done

Before the test, the doctor asks about your symptoms and medicines, and if you’re having anesthesia, an anesthesiologist sees you too. Then you lie on your left side, and the doctor gently inserts the colonoscope through the anus. To open up the folds, they put a little air into the bowel and gradually examine all of it. If an area looks suspicious, the doctor takes a biopsy, and a polyp can be removed straight away.

Without anesthesia, you may feel bloating, pressure or cramps at the bends of the bowel, sometimes painful. If you feel uncomfortable, tell the doctor. Under anesthesia you’re asleep and feel nothing. The test itself usually takes 20–40 minutes, and after anesthesia you need some more time to wake up.

For a few hours after a colonoscopy you may have bloating and a rumbling stomach as the air leaves the bowel. You can usually eat the same day, starting with light food. The doctor explains what they saw straight away, and the biopsy result will be ready later.

See a doctor urgently or call an ambulance on 103 if your abdominal pain is severe and getting worse, you develop a fever, you have heavy bleeding from the rectum or you start vomiting.

How to get a colonoscopy for free

Viva Clinic has a contract with the National Health Service of Ukraine (NSZU) for colonoscopy. The test is free with an electronic referral from the family doctor, internist or pediatrician you’ve signed a declaration with. With a referral from a specialist, such as a proctologist or gastroenterologist, a colonoscopy is free for patients aged 45 and older or in a risk group. Whether you’re in a risk group is decided by the doctor.

NSZU covers the consultations with the doctor and the anesthesiologist, local or general anesthesia, and a biopsy with histology. A diagnostic colonoscopy, meaning an examination without a biopsy or polyp removal, is covered by NSZU once every two years, and every year for patients in a risk group. Without a referral, the colonoscopy is paid. When you book, give the e-referral number, which you get from the doctor who referred you.

Colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy

Blood on the toilet paper is often caused by hemorrhoids, but an anal fissure, polyps and bowel tumors show up the same way. They can’t be told apart by eye, so the doctor may order a colonoscopy even if you’ve had hemorrhoids for years. Why rectal bleeding should be checked by a doctor is explained in the article early signs of hemorrhoids.

If it’s enough for the doctor to examine the rectum, they’ll order a sigmoidoscopy. Preparing for it is simpler, but it only shows the lower part of the bowel. A proctologist or a Viva Clinic gastroenterologist can tell you which test you need. Colonoscopy is done at Viva Clinic in Slavuta, the exact address is confirmed when you book, and you can have other tests there too without traveling to Khmelnytskyi or Kyiv.