A lot of the anxiety surrounding the entire process of being screened for colorectal polyps, or just regular checkups on our bodies has to do with the 24-hour period prior to the actual tests. Instead of reading about the prep phase, or listening to their doctor, people often assume the worst with regards to how their bodies are going to act and react to the flushing process.

What will actually happen is never the horrorshow we work up in our minds. The reality of prepping for a sigmoidoscopy or a colonoscopy is very simple, though many people consider the bowel preparation (often called the bowel prep) the worst part of these tests.

For the doctor to see your insides clearly and get good pictures, your bowels need to be as cleaned out as possible. You probably will be told to avoid certain foods and medicines and might be put on a clear liquid diet for one or more days before these exams. You will take very strong laxatives and you might also need enemas to clean out your colon. If you can choose a day for your exam, pick one that will make it easy for you to be at home the day or evening before the test, when you do the preparation.

You will get instructions from your doctor’s office ahead of time. Read them carefully since you will probably need to buy special supplies (like clear liquids, soups, and gelatin) and get laxatives or enemas. If any of the instructions are not clear or you do not understand them, call the doctor’s office and go over them step-by-step with the nurse. This is your chance to discuss any concerns about the bowel prep you might have.

Spoiler alert, as if you didn’t already know:

Preparing for colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy makes you to go the bathroom a lot! As soon as you take the laxatives, you’ll need to stay close to a bathroom. They usually start working pretty quickly. They might still be working the next morning when you go for your colonoscopy appointment. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for a bathroom when you get there. People have to ask this all the time and the staff is used to it.