Pain. If you have any bloating or abdominal discomfort this may be from the air that was put into your bowel by the endoscopist during the examination. This is normal and should settle within 24 hours. If your discomfort doesn't settle, try to pass wind.
Is it normal to have pain a week after a colonoscopy? No, any pain or discomfort after a colonoscopy should resolve in a day. If you are still in pain beyond a day after your procedure, contact your care team.
Mild abdominal pain/discomfort immediately after a colonoscopy is not rare, occurring anywhere between 2.5% to 11% of the cases [2]. Though it may have a host of etiologies, it is most commonly a result of air insufflation, endoscope looping, and/or manual pressure maneuvers used during a colonoscopy.
Your doctor may use air to inflate your colon so they can get a better view. They might use water or a suction device as well as certain surgical tools to take off a polyp. All these things can move and stretch your colon, so you might feel uncomfortable for 1 or 2 days afterward.
Abdominal pain that continues for two weeks after a colonoscopy is a reason to talk to a healthcare provider. Some people may have gas, bloating, or discomfort in the first few days after a colonoscopy. Having abdominal pain that goes on for longer than that could mean there is a problem that needs to be treated.
Recently, several studies have shown that bowel preparation for colonoscopy could change the fecal microbial diversity and composition, and these effects could last up to 1 month [13-15]. Bowel preparation also affects the change of gut metabolome but this is recovered within 14 days [16].
Perforation. The patient may present directly from the endoscopy suite, but more often there is an interval lasting from several hours to days. Typically, the patient complains of abdominal pain and distension, and objective findings may include leukocytosis and fever.
Eat a diet rich in prebiotics. These are foods like fruits, vegetables, oats and whole grains that are high in fiber and feed probiotic bacteria. Avoid processed foods, wheat products, sugar, hydrogenated fats, alcohol and high fructose corn syrup for several days after your colonoscopy.
Complications related to colonoscopy include, but are not limited to, the following: Continued bleeding after biopsy (tissue sample) or polyp removal. Nausea, vomiting, bloating or rectal irritation caused by the procedure or by the preparatory bowel cleansing.
10. You may have a bloated, gaseous feeling in your abdomen after a colonoscopy. Passing gas and belching will help. Walking or lying down on your left side with your knees flexed may relieve the discomfort.
Patients with post-polypectomy electrocoagulation syndrome typically present within 12 hours following a colonoscopy with fever, tachycardia, and generalized abdominal pain. However, the onset of symptoms may be delayed by up to 5–7 days after the procedure (2).
After the endoscopy
Once you're at home, you may experience some mildly uncomfortable symptoms after endoscopy, such as: Bloating and gas. Cramping. Sore throat.
Although colonoscopy is relatively safe, a few complications have been reported. Abdominal pain after colonoscopy is one of the most reported symptoms, and acute pancreatitis is uncommon after colonoscopy.
Most colonoscopy adverse events occur within 7 days, but even more occur beyond the 7-day period.
Bleeding is one of the most common complications of colonoscopy, accounting for 0.3-6.1% of cases[35,36].
Fatty, rich foods and those with a high fiber content, for instance, should be avoided. These foods are healthy options to enjoy for about a day after your procedure: Applesauce. Yogurt.
You'll need someone to take you home because it can take up to a day for the full effects of the sedative to wear off. Don't drive or make important decisions or go back to work for the rest of the day. You may feel bloated or pass gas for a few hours after the exam, as you clear the air from your colon.
You may not have a bowel movement for several days after a colonoscopy. You should, however, pass gas normally after a colonoscopy.
If you have a gastrointestinal or bowel perforation, you may experience: Abdominal pain or cramping, which is usually severe. Bloating or a swollen abdomen.
The primary symptoms of gastrointestinal perforation are severe abdominal pain and tenderness. The abdomen may also protrude or feel hard to the touch. If the hole is in a person's stomach or small intestine, the onset of pain is usually sudden, but if the hole is in the large bowel, the pain may come on gradually.
Often, patients will not know they have a perforated bowel until symptoms are sever.
If any sign of inflammation is observed, a perforation or postpolypectomy coagulation syndrome should be considered. Diverticulitis, a very rare complication with an incidence of 0.04% to 0.08%, also can occur after the diagnostic and therapeutic procedure.
Although uncommon, the present case illustrates that it is possible for a patient without pre-existing risk factors to develop pancreatitis following colonoscopy. We suspect that difficulty in advancing a colonoscope past the splenic flexure may result in trauma to the pancreas.
Pancreatitis should be considered a rare potential complication for patients who develop acute abdominal pain after colonoscopy. Procedural difficulties particularly around the splenic flexure, transmural colonic burns, and over-insufflation of the colon may increase the risk of pancreatitis.