On this page, you will find bowel preparation instructions if you are having a colonoscopy. There are also resources and answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about your planned endoscopy procedure.
Click on the button below for fasting instructions for patients who are having a Gastroscopy, Duodenoscopy, Flexible Sigmoidoscopy, ERCP, PEG or EUS.
Click to jump to the relevant FAQ section:
Endoscopy is a medical procedure using a long, flexible tube, with a camera on the end to examine a cavity of the body. The tube is about the width of an adult index finger. A Gastroscopy is an endoscopy of the lining of the upper digestive tract including the mouth, oesophagus, stomach and beginning of the small intestine. A Colonoscopy is an endoscopy of the lining of the lower digestive tract including the rectum and the large bowel.
Your GP will fax your referral into Monash Health’s ACCESS Department (Fax number: 9594 2273). Your referral will be sent to the Treating Team and you may be placed on the waitlist to see one of our Specialists in our Outpatients Clinic for a consultation. After you have seen one of our Specialists, they will determine if you need an Endoscopy procedure based on your symptoms, then you will be placed on a waitlist to be booked for a procedure. This process takes time and it is important to respond to phone calls with no caller ID, text messages and letters from Monash Health to avoid missing any appointments.
This letter is for your information, explaining that you have been placed onto the waitlist for either an Outpatient Clinic appointment or for a Gastroenterology procedure. This letter is not a procedure booking. One of the Endoscopy Perioperative Liaison Nurses will call you and discuss your procedure date and once you have accepted a date, the booking paperwork will be sent to you. It is important during this time that you answer phone calls with no caller ID to avoid missing out on updates and appointments from Monash Health.
Approximately 4 hours.
If you are a public patient, you will not be charged. Medicare covers this cost for public patients. For patients booked for colonoscopy, the only cost is purchasing the bowel prep sachets which is $10- $15.
An Anaesthetic Doctor will give you sedation medication via a drip in the hand or arm, monitor you closely and keep you comfortable enough to tolerate the procedure. Every patient’s experience is different; however, many patients wake up not realising the procedure is completed and do not feel anything.
Do not sip water, suck a mint, smoke a cigarette or chew gum six hours prior to your procedure, as these stimulate saliva production. Your stomach needs to be empty prior to an anaesthetic for your safety to avoid any fluids entering the lungs whilst under anaesthetic. You will be asked by the Admission nurse of the exact time you last drank fluids in the admission room.
You cannot drive, take a taxi/Uber or catch public transport home by yourself after the procedure. If you lack transport person on the day of your procedure, your booking will be cancelled- you will not be able to stay in the hospital for the night. You may be accompanied by someone that knows you (an adult who can take responsibility for you) in a taxi/Uber or public transport. You will need a responsible adult to ensure your safety for the next 12-24 hours.
You should be able to return to work after 24hours after your procedure.
24 hours after your anaesthetic.
You will receive information regarding medications. If you have not received a specific instruction on what to do with your blood thinning medication or diabetic medications, please call the Endoscopy Perioperative Liaison Nurse on 1800 786 188. If they do not answer please leave a voicemail message and quote your UR number in the message. One of the liaison nurses will call you back as soon as possible.
Yes, you will speak to the Doctor who performed your procedure before you go home. Please be aware that sometimes, due to emergency and complex cases, you may be waiting to see them after your procedure is complete and we thank you for your patience with this.
You will be notified in the recovery area of what the Treating Team saw during your procedure on the day. If biopsies or lesions have been taken, pathology results can take up to 10 working days to be finalised. You will be given these results at your follow up appointment. If more urgent results are required, your Treating Team will notify you of these. You will be given a copy of the procedure report on the day of your procedure to take to your GP.
A Colonoscopy examines the lining of the large bowel from the rectum to the caecum (the end of the large bowel). Sometimes, the terminal ileum (the last part of the small intestine) is visualised too.
Bowel preparation is absolutely essential for a quality examination and a colonoscopy cannot be performed without it. Bowel preparation is the process of cleaning out the bowel, so the lining of the bowel wall can be examined thoroughly without faecal material obscuring the view. It involves diet changes in the days leading up to the procedure and drinking sachets of powder that are mixed with water. These are designed make you pass stool frequently once taken. Once bowel prep is completed, patients are fasted completely prior to attending their procedure.  If you have any questions about the sachets in your instructions, please call the Endoscopy Perioperative Liaison Nurses on 1800 786 188. If they do not answer please leave a voicemail message and quote your UR number in the message. One of the liaison nurses will call you back as soon as possible.
The hospital does not send out the bowel preparation sachets. These are purchased over-the-counter at your local chemist. No script is needed. The average cost is between $10-$15.
Give yourself a small break from drinking the bowel prep for about 30 minutes, while continuing to drink hydrating clear fluids. Try mixing some of the bowel prep with light coloured cordial, sip it through a straw to bypass taste buds and chilling it in the fridge. Do your best to complete it.
Remain fasted and please contact the Endoscopy Perioperative Liaison Nurses to discuss this on 1800 786 188 and please leave a voicemail message if there is no answer, remembering to quote your UR number. They will call you back as soon as possible. You should still present for your procedure if not directed otherwise and your doctor will decide if the procedure can proceed.
Wait, walk around (which should stimulate gut movement) and remain fasted. The bowel preparation will have an effect, but can take longer in some patients. If you still have not had a bowel movement on the day of your procedure please contact the Endoscopy Perioperative Liaison Nurse immediately to discuss on 1800 786 188 and please leave a voicemail message if there is no answer, remembering to quote your UR number. They will call you back as soon as possible.
If you have given informed consent for the polyps to be removed prior to having your procedure and they are of a safe size to be removed endoscopically by the person performing your procedure, then they can be removed during your colonoscopy. Speak to your Proceduralist on the day of your procedure about this. Polypectomy (removal of polyps) does not cause pain.
Do not eat solid food after breakfast, the day of drinking your bowel preparation drinks. This assists with the efficacy of the bowel prep sachets and avoids cancellation, due to poor bowel preparation. Please follow the Bowel preparation instructions for best results.
Patients who are on a fluid restriction for their heart or kidneys will be given bowel preparation instructions containing Colonlytley/ Golytley. The large volume of bowel preparation is not absorbed into the blood stream and is safe for renal and cardiac patients. Each sachet is mixed in to one litre of water.
Patients should return to normal bowel function 2-3 days after their colonoscopy, though everyone’s bowel responses a little differently to bowel preparation.
You can still have your colonoscopy during menstruation. Please notify the Admission nurse on the day of your procedure.
Iron supplements darken your bowel motions and make it difficult to clean your bowel out- risking cancellation due to poor prep. However, you may not need to cancel your procedure. Please stop taking them immediately and notify the Endoscopy Perioperative Liaison Nurse to discuss on 1800 786 188, if they do not answer please leave a voicemail message, remembering to quote your UR number. They will call you back as soon as possible.
A Gastroscopy will examine the mouth, oesophagus, stomach and the first part of the small intestine (duodenum).
An Anaesthetic Doctor will give you sedation medication via a drip in the hand, monitor you closely and keep you comfortable enough to tolerate the procedure. Every patient’s experience is different; however, most patients wake up not realising the procedure is completed and do not feeling anything.
You will feel drowsy and your judgement may be affected for up to 24 hours post the endoscopy procedure. You may have a sore throat because of the instruments used in your procedure. You should only need Paracetamol to ease this. It is important that you do not drive a car, operate machinery, make important decisions or sign legal documents within 24 hours after your procedure.
There is no drink preparation required for Gastroscopy or Upper Gastrointestinal endoscopy procedures. You must only be fasted for six (6) hours prior to having the procedure.
ERCP stands for Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography. It is an examination that allows a Doctor to image and access the bile and pancreatic ducts. It is also a form of endoscopy using a long, flexible tube, the width of an adult index finger. X-rays are also used during the procedure to assist with imaging.
Not every patient having an ERCP experiences pain and depending on what is done during the procedure will dictate how you will feel when you wake up. If pain relief is required, your Gastroenterologist, Anaesthetic Doctor and Recovery nurse will administer this to you, to ensure you are comfortable and safe.
Occasionally patients can get pancreatitis following an ERCP (~5%). If this occurs patients may experience pain in the upper abdomen and or upper back. The pain can be quite severe. Pancreatitis may be mild, moderate or severe. You will usually need to be admitted to hospital if you develop pancreatitis and you are not already admitted. The treatment is focused on providing excellent pain relief, replenishing fluids and supportive care. The length of time it takes for pancreatitis to resolve is dependent on the severity of the episode and ranges from 24 hours to one week (and rarely many weeks in hospital, if severe).
