Things You'll Need:
- Liquid or pill form laxative.
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Step 1
To prepare for an IVP (intraveneous pyelogram) you will need to take a laxitive in the form of a pill or liquid the evening prior to your exam. This will clean out your system so the xray images are clearer.
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Step 2
Stop eating prior to the IVP exam. If your exam is early in the morning, stop eating around midnight the day before. If it is a late day intraveneous pyelogram, you will usually be allowed to eat a light breakfast.
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Step 3
You will be allowed to continue to take most medications prior to your IVP exam. But it is important to stop taking diabetic medications such as Glucophage, Metformin and others. And it is important to wait a period of time after the exam, before resuming them. Discuss medications with your doctor so you can prepare for the IVP exam properly.
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Step 4
Wear comfortable clothes to the exam and do not wear metal jewelry. Usually you will be given a hospital gown to wear, but some facilities will let you keep light weight pants on if they do not have a metal zipper etc.
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Step 5
Take a copy of your doctor's orders, your health insurance card and an ID card to the health care facility performing the exam.
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Step 6
Relax. The IVP exam is a fairly comfortable procedure. At the exam, you will lay on a table and have a contrast material injected in a vein. Most patients do not feel this material at all. The technician will take xrays and in a short time you will be finished your IVP exam.
