About the bowel preparation

You are going to have an examination of your large bowel using a flexible tube with a camera. To carry out the examination, your bowel must be completely empty. This means you need to do a bowel preparation and follow a specific diet before the examination.

You must use the bowel preparation medicine Plenvu (powder). You can collect Plenvu free of charge from Endoskopiafsnit K (Endoscopy Unit K), Indgang 7J, Monday–Friday, 08.00–15.30 (Thursday 09.00–15.30), or you can buy it at the pharmacy.

The bowel preparation starts several days before the examination:

7 days before the examination

Do not take iron tablets

Do not take iron tablets during the last 7 days before the examination, as iron can turn the fluid in your bowel black. If you take multivitamin tablets that contain iron, you may continue taking these.

5 days before the examination

Stop eating seeds and kernels

Do not eat food that contains seeds or kernels during the last 5 days before the examination. This includes, for example, bread with flaxseeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds or sunflower seeds. Instead, eat white bread and plain crackers. You must also avoid seeds and kernels in fruit and vegetables, such as tomatoes, kiwis, grapes, strawberries and apples with cores.

Limit your intake of fibre

From 5 days before the examination, you must also limit your intake of fibre. Avoid wholegrain products and do not eat skin or peel. Skin/peel is found on, for example, peas, corn, tomatoes, oranges, apples, potatoes and chicken. You can remove the skin or peel, or avoid these foods completely.

Drink plenty of fluids

From 5 days before the examination, you must drink at least 3 glasses of fluid with each meal.

Suggestions for food and drink you can have

Breakfast: White toast with, for example, cooked cold cuts, honey, egg or dark chocolate spread. Cornflakes.

Lunch: Mashed potatoes and fried egg with ketchup. Omelette with avocado and white toast. White toast with, for example, prawns, avocado, egg or smoked salmon.

Dinner: Blended soup with white pasta or white bread. White pasta with minced beef sauce and blended tomato sauce. Chicken or fish with potatoes and cooked vegetables without skin or peel.

Snacks: Banana, plain biscuits, ice lollies, rice cakes, salted crisps and smoothies without seeds or kernels.

The day before the examination

Avoid milk products

You must continue to avoid iron tablets, seeds, kernels and fibre, and drink plenty of fluids. In addition, from the day before the examination, you must also avoid milk products. This means you must not drink or eat milk products such as milk, cream, cheese and yoghurt. You may replace them with vegan alternatives if you wish.

You must finish your dinner by 17.00

Dinner is your last meal before the examination. After that, you may only drink clear fluids, such as squash, soft drinks, sparkling water, tea and coffee without milk, juice without pulp, iced tea, milk-free protein drinks, bouillon and plant-based milk.

17.00: Take Dose 1 of Plenvu

Instructions:

• Mix Dose 1 of Plenvu in a jug with ½ litre of cold water.
• Stir the mixture well. It may take up to 8 minutes for the powder to fully dissolve.
• Drink the mixture over 30–60 minutes. It is important to take 30–60 minutes to drink it, as drinking too quickly may cause nausea or vomiting. Also drink ½ litre of another clear fluid, such as water. It is a good idea to alternate between drinking Plenvu and the other fluid. You must finish drinking Dose 1 of Plenvu by 18.00.

Plenvu usually starts working within 1–2 hours, but for some people it may take more or less time. You can expect frequent bowel movements/diarrhoea.

On the day of the examination

4–6 hours before the examination: Take Dose 2 of Plenvu

Instructions:

• It is a good idea to drink a little sugary fluid, such as squash or juice, just before you start.
• Mix Dose 2 of Plenvu (sachet A and sachet B) in a jug with ½ litre of cold water.
• Stir the mixture well. It may take up to 8 minutes for the powder to fully dissolve.
• Drink the mixture over 30–60 minutes. It is important to take 30–60 minutes to drink it, as drinking too quickly may cause nausea or vomiting. Also drink ½ litre of another clear fluid, such as water.

It is a good idea to alternate between drinking Plenvu and the other fluid. You must finish drinking the mixture within 1 hour.

Plenvu usually starts working within 1–2 hours, but for some people it may take more or less time. You can expect frequent bowel movements/diarrhoea.

Take your usual morning medicine, but wait with diabetes medicine

If you usually take medicine in the morning, you may take it once you have finished the bowel preparation. However, this does not apply to diabetes medicine, which must not be taken until after the examination.

You may drink fluids until 2 hours before the examination

It is important that you do not become dehydrated during the bowel preparation, so you should drink plenty of clear fluids. However, you must stop drinking completely 2 hours before the examination.