For that reason, doctors recommend that patients 45 or older go for a colonoscopy every ten years. If cancer is detected, screenings may be required more often. How can you help your dad get ready for this cancer screening?
When preparing your dad’s meals for a week before his colonoscopy, avoid foods that don’t digest easily or can leave pieces in the intestines during the screening. Corn, peanuts and other nuts, high-fiber foods, and dried fruits should be avoided for around a week. Fibrous fruits like oranges are also better to avoid.
Vegetables need to be cooked fully for easier digestion. Mashed potatoes, yogurt, ice cream, and winter squash are good choices. Eggs and tofu are good sources of protein. White rice is also good.
Your dad should follow the instructions his doctor gives him. It will have the timing on the prescription laxative he’ll use. Often, he starts using it a day before his colonoscopy.
He’s not going to be allowed to eat any food the day before. Nutrients come from things like white grape juice. He’ll need someone to watch him to make sure the timing is right on the water and liquids he needs to drink until his colonoscopy is over.
Your dad needs a ride to and from his colonoscopy. He will not be allowed to drive himself home. He needs a driver. His driver must stay in the waiting room while the procedure is going on.
How about your own health? If you’re 45 or older, you should talk to your doctor about a colonoscopy. It’s a test that people make out to be worse than it is. With a clear colonoscopy, you don’t have to go through it for another ten years.
Whether you need someone to stay with your dad while you prepare and go for a colonoscopy or he is about to undergo one, home care assistance services are helpful. Caregivers hired from a local home care assistance agency help your dad when you’re away. They can also help him track the timing of the water and electrolyte solution he’s required to drink.
While getting ready for his test, your dad will spend a day flushing his system. That means drinking a prescription solution every hour or so. Time passes quickly, so it helps to have someone tracking the timing. A caregiver can do that.
Sources:
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
If you or an aging loved-one is considering home care assistance in Park Slope, NY, please contact the caring staff at Touching Hearts at Home – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, Queens, Rockland today. 212-201-6139
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