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Colonoscopy

Schedule Your Appointment

Call (402) 717-9800 to schedule at the following locations:

  • Creighton University Medical Center - Bergan Mercy - including at the ambulatory surgery center
  • Immanuel
  • Lakeside - including at the low-cost endoscopy center
  • Mercy Council Bluffs
  • Midlands - including our low-cost endoscopy center

Please have your primary care physician order.

Call (641) 322-3121 to schedule at CHI Health Mercy Corning.

Call (308) 384-4600 to schedule at CHI Health St. Francis. Please have your primary care physician order.

Call (308) 865-2370 to schedule at CHI Health Clinic Good Samaritan. Please have your primary care physician order.

Call (402) 219-7123 to schedule at CHI Health St. Elizabeth. Please have your primary care physician order.

Call (402) 873-3321 to schedule at CHI Health St. Mary's.

Call (402) 582-4245 to schedule at CHI Health Plainview.

Call (402) 352-2441 to schedule at CHI Health Schuyler.

What to Expect During Your Colonoscopy

A colonoscopy is a procedure in which your physician will insert a thin, flexible tube with a light and a camera on it into your rectum and run this camera the entire length of your colon, looking for polyps. Your physician will then remove any polyps so they can never turn into a cancer.

This procedure is done with the help of medication to make you very sleepy and very comfortable. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a painful procedure thanks to the medications that we use.

Preparing for Colonoscopy

To prepare for this colonoscopy, we will need to clean all the stool out of your colon. To be frank, we know what stool looks like. We need to know what you look like. The best chance for us to find small polyps is for you to be very well cleaned out.

This clean-out begins the day before your colonoscopy, at home. You will begin by drinking clear liquids the entire day before the procedure, followed by a liquid medication the evening before the procedure. This medication will give you diarrhea, but will clean you out and give us the best chance of finding any small polyps and then reducing your chance of those small polyps of ever turning into a cancer.

More About Colonoscopy

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in America, with over 100,000 new cases diagnosed every year. It is the second leading cancer killer in the United States after lung cancer.

Colorectal Cancer is One of the Most Preventable Cancers

Over 33% of colorectal cancer deaths could be avoided if people over 50 had regular screenings. The risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age.

Most colorectal cancers begin as polyp, which are growths on the inner wall of the colon or rectum. Some types of polyps are cancerous or could become cancer. Someone could have polyps or colorectal cancer and not know it, because there may not be symptoms, especially at first.

Anyone 45 or Older Should Have a Colonoscopy

Like most cancers, early detection is the best defense and can improve outcomes dramatically. That’s why the American Cancer Society recommends regular colonoscopies for all men and women, age 45 and older, whether or not you have any symptoms. Colon screenings are designed to detect polyps and colon cancer in its earliest stages, when it’s most treatable.

Colorectal Screening is an Outpatient Procedure

Colon screening or Colonoscopy is an examination of the entire length of the colon using a small camera attached to a flexible tube. Polyps usually can be removed during colonoscopy and tested.

Colon Screening is Offered at All CHI Health Campuses

At CHI Health, our state-of-the-art screening technology and diagnostic methods provide highly accurate results. Colon screenings are performed at all CHI Health hospitals.

Includes content from the National Institutes of Health and Medicare.gov