After you have seen one of our Gastroenterologists and discussed the options for your care, you and your physician may be decide that you will need a procedure to either diagnose or better manage your condition. One of our schedulers will be on hand to help you do this, but here is some information to help you receive the best possible care.
Please notify your physician if you have any heart or lung conditions. Please also notify them if you have a pacemaker or cardiac defibrillator. Finally, because some medications may need to be held for your procedure (after discussion with your primary physician and gastroenterologist), please also inform us if you are on any blood thinning medications, including:
- Warfarin (Coumadin)
- Clopidrogrel (Plavix)
- Prasugrel (Effient)
- Ticagrelor (Brilinta)
- Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)
- Apixaban (Eliquis)
- Dabigatran (Pradaxa)
- Fondaparinux (Arixtra)
- Aspirin
At the time of scheduling, you will receive written instructions about any prep you may need to take prior to your procedure. These instructions can also be found here:
Colonoscopy Prep
Miralax Prep Instructions (bought over the counter without a prescription): English and Spanish
Please make sure to get your prep from the pharmacy at least 3-4 days prior to your procedure to ensure it is ready for when you need to start the medication.
All of our procedures are performed at one of two locations. Where your procedure is performed will be decided upon by you and our gastroenterologist based on your preference, medical condition, and procedure-related requirements (some procedures, like an ERCP, need to be done in a hospital).
Trinitas Regional Medical Center
Please make sure to take all of your blood pressure medications the day of your procedure. Missing doses could cause a severe elevation in your blood pressure that may result both in severe complications (heart attack, stroke, etc…) and the need to cancel your procedure.
Because you will be having anesthesia, after your procedure has ended, you are not allowed to drive the remainder of the day. Also, you will need a responsible adult to bring you home afterwards.
Finally, we hope you have a good experience during and after your procedure. Because we are always striving to improve here at Advanced Gastroenterology Group, please let us know if there is anything in the future that we can do to make the experience better.