Colonoscopy Preparation & Diet Guide

Everything you need for the days before your scope: what to eat, and how to take your Fortrans bowel prep. A clean colon means a clearer view for your doctor, and a safer, more accurate scope.

瑞盟腸胃科中心
John Hsiang 肠胃科专科医生
胃肠病、肝病和内窥镜 高级顾问医生

MBChB(新西兰),FRACP(澳大拉西亚),MD(医学博士),FRCP(爱丁堡),FAMS(肠胃病学)

John Hsiang 肠胃科专科医生 他是新加坡一位杰出的消化内科医生,在消化健康方面接受过广泛的培训并拥有丰富的经验。他获得了 澳大拉西亚皇家内科医学院院士 他于 2012 年获得胃肠病医学博士学位,并拥有多数乙型肝炎和脂肪肝研究成果。

他为各种消化系统和肝脏问题提供治疗,将全面评估与量身定制的管理相结合,为患者的长期健康提供支持。.

向医生擅长 胃镜 (上内窥镜检查)和 大肠镜检查 调查症状,早期发现胃癌和大肠癌,并提供及时的治疗方案。.

他致力于提供个性化护理,并采用循证方法,在诊断和治疗的每个阶段都以准确性、有效性和患者舒适度为优先。

会说的语言

流利的英语、普通话和福建话

受过专科进修医生

20 多年的临床经验

Preparing for your colonoscopy - Richmond Gastroenterology Centre
Check your appointment time. Your prep depends on whether your scope is in the morning or the afternoon — pick the matching tab below. Not sure of your slot? Call us at 8228 8469.

Your bowel prep: choose your scope time

You will take all 4 litres of Fortrans the night before. Because a morning scope follows soon after, one full evening dose gives a clean colon.

2 days before
Start your low-residue diet. Eat only the foods in the green list below. Keep your normal meal portions. You do not need to starve.
Day before · 6–7 pm
Have an early dinner from the low-residue list. This is your last solid meal.
Day before · ~6 pm
Dulcolax (only if advised) If prescribed
If your doctor has told you to, take 2 Dulcolax tablets about 1 hour before you start the Fortrans. This is only for patients who tend to be constipated.
Day before · from 7 pm
Drink your Fortrans 4 sachets · 4 L
Mix 4 sachets of Fortrans into 4 litres of water and drink it steadily over about 4 小时, finishing each litre within roughly an hour. To make it easier to drink: chill it first, and if you like, dissolve the sachets in a mix of half plain water and half coconut water, sugarcane juice or honey water instead of plain water alone. If you have diabetes, please check with us before using sugarcane juice or honey water.
Day of scope
Fasting on the morning of your scope.
• You may take essential medicines (blood pressure, thyroid) with a small sip of water.
No solid food for six hoursno liquid for four hours BEFORE the scheduled procedure time

When to stop drinking (examples):

Your scope timeStop all fluids by
8:00 am4:00 am
9:00 am5:00 am
10:00 am6:00 am
11:00 am7:00 am
12:00 noon8:00 am

Admission is usually 2 hours before your procedure time. Our clinic will confirm your exact admission and scope timing.

You will split your Fortrans into 3 litres the night before and the last 1 litre on the morning of your scope. Splitting the dose this way gives the cleanest possible view for an afternoon procedure.

2 days before
Start your low-residue diet. Eat only the foods in the green list below, in normal portions.
Day before · 6–7 pm
Have an early dinner from the low-residue list. This is your last solid meal.
Day before · ~6 pm
Dulcolax (only if advised) If prescribed
If your doctor has told you to, take 2 Dulcolax tablets about 1 hour before your first Fortrans dose.
Day before · from 7 pm
First dose — 3 litres 3 sachets · 3 L
Mix 3 sachets into 3 litres of water and drink steadily over about 3 hours, finishing each litre within roughly an hour. To improve the taste: chill it, and if you like, dissolve the sachets in half plain water and half coconut water, sugarcane juice or honey water. Diabetic patients, please check with us first.
Day of scope · morning
Second dose — 1 litre 1 sachet · 1 L
Mix the last sachet into 1 litre of water, again using half plain water and half coconut water, sugarcane juice or honey water if you wish, and drink it over about 1 hour. Time it so you finish this 1 litre at least 4 hours before your scope.
Day of scope
Fasting rules.
No solid food for at least 6 hours before your scope (you are on prep and clear fluids only).
• After the 1 litre, you may sip clear fluids up until 4 hours before your scope, then stop everything.
• Essential medicines (blood pressure, thyroid) may be taken with a small sip of water.

When to drink the morning 1 litre and stop (examples):

Your scope timeFinish the 1 L byStop all fluids by
12:00 noon8:00 am8:00 am
1:00 pm9:00 am9:00 am
2:00 pm10:00 am10:00 am
3:00 pm11:00 am11:00 am
4:00 pm12:00 noon12:00 noon

Admission is usually 2 hours before your procedure time. Our clinic will confirm your exact admission and scope timing.

What you can and cannot eat (2 days before)

A low residue diet means low fibre foods that leave little behind in the colon. It's easier to follow than a water-only diet, and cleans just as well. Simple rule: soft, plain, pale, no skins, no seeds, no vegetables.

You CAN have

  • Plain white rice, plain white bread
  • Porridge or congee (pork, fish or chicken, no vegetables or garnish)
  • Bee hoon, kway teow or mee tai mak soup (clear broth and plain noodles only). Remove all vegetables, spring onion and fried shallots.
  • Steamed or boiled fish and chicken
  • Egg (steamed, boiled or plain omelette)
  • Steamed tofu, plain steamed prawns (no sauce)
  • Plain chicken rice (no dark sauce, chilli or vegetable)
  • Plain yoghurt, butter, kaya
  • Clear soups, plain jelly (yellow/orange), steamed cake, plain bao (no filling)
  • Clear drinks: water, isotonic drink such as 100 Plus (non-carbonated / no gas), apple juice (no pulp), barley water, chrysanthemum tea and kopi-o / teh-o (coffee & tea without milk)

Please AVOID

  • All fruit and vegetables (including salad and garnish)
  • Brown rice, red rice, quinoa, glutinous / sticky rice
  • Wholemeal / multigrain bread & biscuits, chapati, oats, cereal
  • Milk, Milo, soya milk, chocolate drinks, cheese, bubble tea
  • All fried food (incl. kerupuk & fried shallots), nuts & seeds
  • Red meat, beans, lentils
  • Spicy / rich dishes: laksa, bak kut teh, tom yum, fried Hokkien mee, claypot chicken rice, mapo tofu, Korean & Thai spreads
  • Stuffed bao, garlic bread, jam, biscuits & cakes
  • All fruit (durian, avocado, kiwi, grapes, dragonfruit, banana)
  • Dark soy sauce, black pepper, heavy spices, chilli/black-pepper crab & saucy seafood
  • Red or purple drinks such as tomato or grape juice, because the colour can look like blood inside the colon
Why milk is out but yoghurt is fine: milk is opaque and leaves more residue, so it is best avoided. Plain yoghurt is allowed on your eating days, and coffee or tea is fine without milk (kopi-o, teh-o).

A picture guide to low-residue foods

Soft, plain and pale is the rule. Here are good choices at a glance.

 

Low Residue Food Options Pre-Colonoscopy

 

Your medications before the scope

Keep taking (with a small sip of water)

Blood pressure medicine and thyroid medicine can be continued as usual, even on the morning of the scope.

Stop before the scope

Blood thinners (for example aspirin/Cardiprin, warfarin, clopidogrel/Plavix, ticagrelor, rivaroxaban or apixaban). Only stop these if your doctor has told you to, and follow the exact dates given.
TCM & herbal supplements (ginseng, ginkgo, garlic, ephedra, St John's Wort, jamu, ayurvedic, etc.) and iron tablets should be stopped 1 week before the procedure, as these can raise bleeding risk if a polyp needs to be removed.
Diabetes medicine: please follow the separate diabetes medication sheet.

Not sure which pills to stop or keep? Please call the clinic at 8228 8469 before your prep day. Do not guess.

Getting through the prep comfortably

Fortrans is safe. It is not absorbed by the body and works simply by flushing the bowel with water. For most people the volume is the hard part, not the medicine itself. The taste and temperature tips are built into the drinking steps above, and a few more things help.

  • Drink each litre steadily, aiming to finish it within about an hour.
  • If you feel nauseous, pause for 20 to 30 minutes, walk around and gently massage your tummy, then continue more slowly.
  • Keep drinking until you have finished all 4 litres and the liquid you pass runs clear.

Chilling and flavouring make the prep easier to finish, which is what matters. They do not change how well the medicine cleans the bowel.

How do I know when I'm ready?

Keep drinking until what you pass into the toilet is a clear, light yellow or light orange liquid with no solid bits. Deep brown or amber, or anything with particles, means you should keep going. Use the chart below to check your progress.

 

Bowel Prep Readiness Chart

 

When to call us

Call the clinic at 8228 8469 如果你
• Keep vomiting and cannot keep the prep down
• Have severe stomach pain or bloating that will not settle
• Pass no stool at all after several hours of drinking the prep
• Feel very dizzy, weak or passing very little urine (signs of dehydration)

On the day: a few reminders

• Bring your NRIC. Leave jewellery and valuables at home and remove nail polish.
• You will be sedated, so arrange a responsible adult to take you home.
• After the scope, do not drive, operate machinery, sign legal documents, exercise or drink alcohol for the rest of the day.
• Please be punctual. Admission is usually 2 hours before your scope.

Planning your colonoscopy?
Read our guide to the cost of colonoscopy in Singapore, including MediSave coverage and what affects the price.

患者信息

How many days before a colonoscopy should I change my diet?
Start your low-residue (low-fibre) diet 2 days before your scope. On the final evening, move toward mainly clear fluids as directed. A low-residue diet is easier to tolerate than a clear-liquid-only diet and cleans the bowel just as well.
Can I drink kopi or teh before my colonoscopy?
Yes. Black coffee and tea (kopi-o, teh-o) without milk are allowed, including as clear fluids. Just avoid adding milk, which is opaque and leaves residue.
Can I drink milk or eat cheese?
Please avoid milk, Milo, soya milk, chocolate drinks and cheese. Plain yoghurt is allowed during your low-residue eating days, but milk itself is not, because it is opaque and higher in residue.
What Singapore hawker foods can I eat?

Good choices include plain porridge or congee, bee hoon or kway teow soup (clear broth and plain noodles only, no vegetables or garnish), steamed fish, boiled chicken, steamed egg, steamed tofu, plain steamed prawns and plain chicken rice without dark sauce or vegetables.
How do I make the Fortrans easier to drink?
Chill it or drink it at room temperature. Drink each litre within about an hour. To improve the taste, dissolve the sachets in half plain water and half sugarcane juice, honey water or coconut water. If you feel nauseous, pause for 20 to 30 minutes and continue more slowly.
What if I vomit or can't keep the prep down?
Stop for about 30 minutes, then resume drinking more slowly. If the vomiting continues and you truly cannot keep it down, call us at 8228 8469.
How long does Fortrans take to work?
Most people start passing watery stool within 1 to 2 hours. Keep going until your motions are a clear, pale yellow liquid, which means the colon is clean.
Should I stop my TCM herbs or supplements?
Yes. Stop TCM and herbal supplements (ginseng, ginkgo, garlic and similar) and iron tablets about 1 week before the procedure, as they can increase bleeding risk if a polyp is removed. Follow your doctor's advice on any blood thinners.
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