Patient preparation
Everything you need to prepare for your surgery or procedure — fasting guidelines, colonoscopy prep, and who to call about your medications.
Before your operation
After your operation
Fasting & carbohydrate loading
AHS Pre-operative Fasting Guideline · Based on Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society 2019
Why carb load? Drinking a carbohydrate-rich fluid before surgery puts your body in a metabolically fed state, reducing surgical stress and accelerating recovery. Evidence supports reduction in post-operative nausea, fatigue, and hospital length of stay.
Carb loading is recommended but not mandatory. Missing it will not delay or cancel your surgery. A personalised timetable is provided at time of booking.
Colonoscopy preparation guide
AHS Calgary Zone · Your endoscopy location will be confirmed when your procedure is booked
Download and follow the Alberta instruction sheet for the bowel prep you were prescribed. If anything on this page differs from your sheet, follow your sheet.
4-litre prep sheet in other languages: Arabic · Chinese (Simplified) · Chinese (Traditional) · Dari · Punjabi · Somali · Spanish · Tigrinya
Prescribed a different prep? Follow the instructions you were given with it, or call our office at 587-392-0370. Sheets are published by the Alberta Colorectal Cancer Screening Program.
Stop iron tablets and fibre supplements (such as Metamucil or Benefibre). Buy your prep from a pharmacy — ask the pharmacist. For Pico-Salax, also buy four 5 mg bisacodyl tablets (e.g., Dulcolax). Baby wipes or barrier cream can help with soreness.
Eat only low-fibre foods until the day before your test.
- OK: white bread, pasta and rice; eggs; chicken, beef, pork, fish or tofu; plain yogurt and cheese; smooth nut butters; cooked vegetables and canned fruit without seeds, skins or peels
- Avoid: nuts, seeds, corn and popcorn; raw vegetables (including tomatoes) and raw or dried fruit; beans, lentils and quinoa; oatmeal; whole-wheat, whole-grain or high-fibre breads, pasta and cereals
Pico-Salax only: take 2 bisacodyl tablets with water at 8 p.m. three days before and again two days before your test.
Eat a light low-fibre breakfast before 10 a.m. (e.g., plain white toast, tea or coffee without milk). After that, no solid food until your test is done. Afternoon appointment: you may have a light snack such as toast exactly 24 hours before your arrival time.
Drink plenty of different clear fluids through the day:
- Water, clear soda (ginger ale, lemon-lime), coconut water
- Clear pulp-free juice (apple, white grape, white cranberry, lemonade)
- Clear broth; tea or coffee without milk
- Sports drinks, gelatin or popsicles — yellow, orange or green only
Avoid: red, purple or blue fluids; milk and milk substitutes; meal replacements (Boost, Ensure); alcohol.
Bi-PegLyte only: take all 3 bisacodyl tablets at 2 p.m.
| Evening before, 8 p.m. | Day of test, 5 hours before arrival | |
|---|---|---|
| 4-litre prep | Drink 2 litres over 2 hours (a 250 mL glass every 15 min) | Drink the last 2 litres over 2 hours |
| Bi-PegLyte | Drink the first 1 litre over about 1 hour | Drink the second 1 litre over about 1 hour |
| Pico-Salax | First packet in 250 mL cold water, then 2 litres of clear fluids over 3 hours | Second packet, then 2 litres of clear fluids over 3 hours |
Diarrhea usually starts 1–4 hours after the first dose, so stay near a toilet. The second dose always starts 5 hours before your arrival time (e.g., start at 5 a.m. for a 10 a.m. arrival). On the day of your test, eat nothing and avoid coffee and dark tea.
By the end, your stool should be liquid and look yellow and clear, like urine. If it does not, call our office at 587-392-0370.
Stop drinking completely 2 hours before your arrival time. If you must take a prescription medicine in this window, take it with a sip of water unless told otherwise.
- Arrange a driver. If you have sedation, you cannot drive for at least 8 hours, and a responsible adult must come into the clinic to take you home — not a taxi or bus alone.
- If you choose not to have sedation, still arrange a driver in case you change your mind.
- Bring your Alberta Health Care card, photo ID, your medication list and any medicines you were told to bring (e.g., an inhaler or insulin).
- Leave valuables at home.
Upper GI endoscopy (gastroscopy)
Upper endoscopy (esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy; EGD) examines the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum using a flexible camera passed through the mouth. It is performed under sedation and requires fasting. No bowel preparation is needed.
Nothing to eat for at least 6–8 hours before your procedure. Fasting times for a gastroscopy can differ from those for surgery — the Day Surgery team will tell you exactly when to stop eating and drinking when they call to confirm your appointment.
Call our office at 587-392-0370 with your list of medications before your procedure — especially blood thinners, aspirin, diabetes medications and GLP-1 medications (e.g., Ozempic). Do not stop or change any medication unless you have been told to.
Sedation is administered and you cannot drive for 24 hours after the procedure.
Bring your Alberta Health Care card and photo ID. Allow approximately 2–3 hours for the visit.
