Patient Resources: Preparation, Portal and Trusted Information

Start with the instructions we hand you

The written instructions you receive from Digestive & Liver Center of Arkansas always come first. Prep is tailored to you, your procedure and your other medical conditions, so your sheet may differ from a general guide, and your sheet wins. The overview below tells you what to expect and what questions to ask. If anything on your sheet is unclear, call us at (479) 242-2888 before your procedure day. A five-minute call is far better than a canceled appointment.

Getting ready for a colonoscopy

Colonoscopy prep takes planning, from your diet the day before to arranging a driver for after sedation. Full step-by-step instructions live on our colonoscopy page.

Getting ready for an upper endoscopy

An upper endoscopy examines the esophagus, stomach and the first part of the small intestine. Preparation is simpler than a colonoscopy but just as important.

• You will be asked not to eat or drink for a set number of hours beforehand, so your stomach is empty and the exam is safe and accurate.
• Sedation is typically used, so you will need a driver here too.
• Tell us about any swallowing difficulty, since that can change how the day is planned.

Getting ready for a FibroScan

A FibroScan needs almost no preparation. It is painless, takes about 10 minutes, uses no needles and no sedation, and you can drive yourself home or go straight back to work. You will usually be asked not to eat for a few hours beforehand, because food can affect the reading. Wear something that lets us reach the right side of your rib cage easily, and bring recent bloodwork and any imaging reports with you.

Getting ready for hemorrhoid banding

Hemorrhoid banding is one of the easiest appointments we offer. It takes about a minute, requires no fasting, no sedation and no anesthesia, and most patients return to normal activities the same day, avoiding vigorous activity until the next day. If you are taking a blood thinner, tell us before the visit. That does not automatically rule out banding, but we need to know.

Medications: what to tell us before any procedure

Never stop a prescribed medicine on your own. Call us and let your care team decide. Tell us if you take:

• Blood thinners or antiplatelet medicines, such as warfarin, clopidogrel, apixaban or rivaroxaban. Instructions vary depending on why you take them.
• Diabetes medicines, including insulin. Fasting changes your dosing needs, so you will get specific guidance.
• GLP-1 medicines such as semaglutide or tirzepatide. These slow how quickly your stomach empties, which matters before sedation. Your team will tell you what to do.
• Iron supplements, which can coat the colon lining and obscure the view.
• Aspirin, anti-inflammatories, herbal supplements and vitamins. People often forget these. List them anyway. Also tell us about sleep apnea, heart or lung disease, prior reactions to sedation, and any allergies.

Your patient portal

Ask our front desk about setting up portal access. Once you are enrolled, the portal is a convenient place to review results, check upcoming appointments, request refills and send non-urgent questions to our staff. The portal is not the place for emergencies or for symptoms that are getting worse quickly. For those, call the office, or call 911 if the problem is severe.

Health information you can trust

There is a great deal of poor information about digestive and liver health online. When you want to read further, stick to sources that publish evidence-based guidance for patients:

• The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) publishes patient guides on colon cancer screening, GERD, IBS and inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Ihab Herraka is an ACG member.
• The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) sets the standards used in fatty liver, MASH, hepatitis and cirrhosis care. Dr. Herraka is an AASLD member.
• The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) explains endoscopic procedures in plain language, including what to expect and possible complications.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) covers colorectal cancer screening, hepatitis and vaccination.
• The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) publishes the national screening recommendations, including the recommendation that colon cancer screening begin at age 45 for average-risk adults. If you are researching a specific condition, our page on celiac disease testing Fort Smith covers diagnosis and management. Anything you read is general information. It cannot account for your history, your medicines or your test results, so bring your questions to your visit rather than acting on an article alone.

How to ask a question between visits

You do not have to wait for your next appointment.

• Call the office at (479) 242-2888 with any question, whether it is about GI or liver care, procedure prep, appointments or billing.
• Send a non-urgent message through your patient portal.
• Use the online request form for scheduling. We respond within one business day. When you call, have your medication list and your pharmacy name ready, and describe what changed and when it started.

Cost & insurance

Coverage questions are welcome at any point, including before a procedure is scheduled. We verify benefits ahead of time and quote self-pay pricing up front. See our insurance and billing page, and complete your new patient forms before your first visit so check-in goes quickly.