Patient Information

Colonoscopy bowel preparation instructions for PLENVU 

(Dose 1 & Dose 2 sachets) (SAME DAY) 

Introduction 

You have been given this leaflet so that you can prepare for your colonoscopy. To be able to get a  clear view of the lining of your bowel it is very important that you follow the bowel preparation and  dietary advice below to clear out your bowel before the procedure. 

If you have questions about bowel preparation or your regular medications, please email us at info@dhillongastro.com 

Bowel preparation 

The Plenvu box contains a single treatment and is supplied as Dose 1 & Dose 2. Dose 2 contains sachet A & sachet B (stuck together). This comes with instructions inside the packaging, however,  please follow our instructions below which have been designed by Dr Dhillon in order to provide the  best results to carry out your colonoscopy successfully. 

Two days before your colonoscopy 

Food and drink: 

• Try to drink two litres of clear fluids (eight – ten glasses) per day until the day of the  procedure. Examples of acceptable “clear fluids” are tea or coffee (with a small amount of  milk only), diluted fruit squash, water, clear soups (without bits in) Bovril, Oxo, fizzy drinks  e.g. Lucozade/ lemonade, hot honey and lemon. 

• You may eat normal meals but Avoid High Fibre Foods such as fruit, vegetables, wholemeal  bread etc (see table below) 

Choose 

Cereals: Cornflakes, Rice Krispies, Ricicles,  Frosties, sugar Puffs, CocoPops – (DRY)

Bread: White Bread 

Pasta/ Rice: White pasta, white rice

Flour: White Flour 

Meat/ Fish: chicken, turkey, white fish (no skins) 

Dairy: cheese, eggs, plain/natural yogurt

Fruit and vegetables: Potato/ sweet potato/  pumpkin squash – no skin. Cauliflower/asparagus  – tips only. Ripe cantaloupe and honeydew. Ripe, peeled apricots and peaches

Puddings/ Pastries/ Cakes etc: Jelly (not red),  sponge cakes, madeira cakes, rich tea biscuits,  sugar, honey, lemon curd 

Soups: Clear or sieved soups 

Misc: salt, vinegar, salad cream, boiled sweets, jelly babies, mints

 Avoid

All wheat-based cereals i.e. Wheat bran, All  Bran, Weetabix, Shredded Wheat & Porridge

Wholemeal, high fibre white, soft grain or granary bread, oat bread

Wholemeal pastas, brown rice

Wholemeal or granary flour, wheat germ

All red meat, pink fish

Milk (few drops in tea/coffee permitted)

All other fruit and vegetables not listed above

Desserts containing wholemeal flour, oatmeal,  nuts, dried fruit etc, fruit cake, Ryvita,  digestive or hobnob biscuits.

Chunky vegetable, lentil or bean soup

Nuts, Quorn, pepper, hummus

One day before your colonoscopy 

• Have a low residue breakfast and lunch and a light dinner of foods taken from the permitted list  above before 8pm. 

• After 8pm in the evening do NOT eat any solid food until after your examination but drink plenty  of acceptable clear fluids. Clear jelly (not red coloured) and boiled sweets or mints are allowed if you  are hungry. 

On the day of your colonoscopy 

Starting Bowel Preparation; 

• At 8-9am on the day of your colonoscopy commence the bowel preparation as follows: 

• Empty the contents of DOSE 1 into a jug containing 500mls of cold water and stir until  dissolved. 

• Start to drink the 500mls of solution – each dose must be sipped slowly over 30 minutes. 

• Once completed drink at least 500mls of water or clear fluid over a further 30 minutes  (Please note this is Mandatory). 

Continued: 

• At 10-11am empty the contents of DOSE 2 (both sachets A&B) into a jug containing 500mls  of cold water and stir until dissolved. 

• Start to drink the 500mls of solution – each dose must be sipped slowly over 30-60 minutes. I  suggest sipping some cold water along with this as the second dose can be quite sickly sweet. 

• Once completed drink at least 500mls of water or clear fluid over a further 30 minutes  (Please note this is Mandatory) 

• Continue to drink clear fluids until 2 hours before your colonoscopy. 

Tips 

• Please expect to have frequent bowel actions and eventually diarrhoea starting within 1-3 hours of  taking the first dose of bowel preparation medicine. We would strongly advise that you stay within  easy reach of a toilet once you start taking the preparation medicine. If you need to, please use a  barrier cream such as Zinc and Castor oil on your bottom to prevent soreness. 

• If you do not drink enough fluids you may get dehydrated, feel dizzy, faint or get a headache 

• Some stomach cramping is normal. Drinking slowly and siping cold water are key. Sometimes sucking a lolly pop helps. Sipping fruit squash, carbonated drinks, lemonade and coca cola are permitted.

• If you vomit up the preparation medicine at any time, or you have any other concerns regarding side effects please email us. Although rare, in our experience even after vomiting, enough of the bowel prep is absorbed to clean the bowel. It may help to slow down how quickly you sip the preparation or we may consider an alternative.

What are polyps?

Polyps are abnormal growths that arise from the cells lining the bowel. Pedunculated polyps are attached to the bowel wall with a stalk, while sessile polyps have a broad base and protrude directly from the lining of the bowel. Whilst most polyps are benign, they often have the potential to become malignant (cancerous) if left untreated.

What are the symptoms of polyps?

Most polyps produce no symptoms and often are found incidentally during endoscopy or imaging of the bowel. However some polyps can produce bleeding, mucousal discharge, alteration in bowel function or rarely abdominal pain.

How are polyps diagnosed?

Diagnosis of colonic polyps is by colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy or CT-colonography (also known as ‘virtual colonoscopy’).  Research has demonstrated that removal of polyps dramatically reduces the incidence of subsequent colon cancer.

What is polypectomy?

Polypectomy is the medical term for removing polyps. Small polyps can be removed by an instrument called a biopsy forceps, which snips off small pieces of tissue. Larger polyps are usually removed by putting a noose, or snare, around the polyp base and burning through the tissue with an electric current. Neither of these procedures is painful and you will usually not be aware that they are being done. Rarely a polyp is too large to be removed by colonoscopy and requires surgery for removal. 

Polypectomy is very safe, but all procedures entail some risks, which you should discuss with your endoscopist. Potential serious complications of polypectomy include bleeding and perforation (creating a hole in the colon), however they are rare. Bleeding can usually be controlled by colonoscopy, during which the bleeding site is cauterized, although surgery is sometimes required. Surgery is usually required for perforation. Other complications have been described but occur much less frequently.

You should follow your endoscopist’s instructions carefully following polypectomy, you may be advised to not take certain blood-thinning or anti-inflammatory drugs for a defined period after the polypectomy. In addition, you will be informed about how to find out the results of the tissue analysis of your polyps and if a repeat examination should be performed.