Diet Guide for Colon Surgery

If your doctor has recently scheduled you for a colonoscopy, you most likely were sent home with a series of paperwork detailing the colon surgery diet that you should follow in the days before and after your procedure.  Making sure that your colon is cleaned out and prepared for the trauma that it will have to handle during the surgery is important for not only you, but for the surgeon performing your procedure as well.

Colonoscopies are a relatively safe procedure, most often done on an outpatient basis.  It is minimally invasive with very little recovery time.  This procedure is performed by inserting the proper scopes inside on your navel instead of making an incision, so there aren’t any stitches that you need to recover from.  Your colon and intestines are filled with gas to inflate them which will allow your surgeon to see more clearly the areas that he needs to focus on.  Colonoscopies are given for many reasons; fertility issues (to check for endometriosis, for example), rectal cancer diagnosis as well as many other issues.

In the days up to your procedure, it is important to stick to a low residue diet, completely staying away from foods that are difficult to digest, such as nuts, popcorn and seeds.  Sticking to starchy foods such as white breads, rice and potatoes is a wise choice, staying away from green leafy vegetables and fibrous foods.

Your colon must be completely empty and free of any food in order to make your procedure safe and run smoothly.  The days leading up to your surgery, you will have to adapt to a liquid-only diet consisting of broth, diet soda, bouillon, tea and gelatin.  Thoroughly cleansing your bowel is of the utmost importance with a colon procedure.  Your doctor will most likely ask you to take a laxative a night or two before your colonoscopy in order to completely clean out your bowel and colon area.  If you or your doctor feels that the laxative may not have completely cleaned out your system, he/she may ask you to do an enema.  An enema is a bottle filled with warm water that is attached to a thin tube with holes at the end.  The tube is inserted into your anus and the bottle is squeezed, essentially flushing out whatever excrements are found in your colon cavity.

When your procedure is done, you will be given juice and something light to eat, such as toast or a granola bar.  You will need to pass gas before the doctor will release you to go home.  Your post colon surgery diet should not be too restrictive, unless otherwise noted by your doctor.  You should, however, stay away from gassy foods such as broccoli, beans and melons for a few days as they can cause unnecessary cramping and bloating.