Most common colonoscopy side effects, like bloating, gas, and mild cramping, resolve within hours to a day, but if polyps were removed, you might see small amounts of blood in your stool for a few days, potentially even up to two weeks later; however, severe pain, heavy bleeding (more than a tablespoon), fever, persistent vomiting, or black stools require immediate medical attention as they signal rare complications like perforation or infection, notes Healthdirect, WebMD, and IPSWICH DIGESTIVE HEALTH GROUP.
One study found that 40% to 45% of individuals experienced a range of symptoms, including abdominal bloating, abdominal pain, and dyspepsia, within 7 to 30 days after colonoscopy. Gastrointestinal symptoms were more common in women and patients with longer procedure times and inflammatory bowel disease.
Eat Healthy Foods
Eating healthy foods will help keep your energy levels up while also helping with better digestion and healing after a colonoscopy. Focus on eating foods that are easy to digest, such as scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, skinless chicken, white fish, soups and broths, and fruit and vegetable juices.
After the test, you may be bloated or have gas pains. You may need to pass gas.
More serious complications, such as infection, bleeding, or bowel perforation, may not be immediately apparent and can arise within a few days after the colonoscopy. Symptoms of these complications may include severe abdominal pain, persistent bleeding, fever, chills, or changes in bowel habits.
During colonoscopy, the physician fills the bowel with gas so the lining can be more easily examined. The air can cause the patient to experience bloating and discomfort following the exam until the gas is expelled from the body, which can take up to 24 hours.
You can take your medications as normal. You may suffer from some abdominal discomfort due to the air put into your bowel during your examination. This may make you feel bloated and you may feel the need to pass wind. This usually settles within 24 hours.
Foods that are easy to digest and good to eat after a colonoscopy include:
Preparing for a colonoscopy requires clearing the bowel with fasting, a laxative drink and, in some cases, and enema. While such preparation can alter the microbiome, the rich array of microbes that are present in the gut, research suggests that the microbiome bounces back in about two to four weeks.
Red flags to watch for are fever, severe stomach pain, significant amounts of blood in your stool, difficulty breathing, or feeling faint. Call your doctor or head for an emergency room right away if you have any of these symptoms.
Between 15 – 1095 days after colonoscopy, 166 antibiotic-exposed individuals and 151 propensity-matched individuals without antibiotic exposure were diagnosed with IBS (incidence rates 3.3 versus 3.0 per 1000 person-years respectively).
Up to one-third of patients experience abdominal pain, nausea, or bloating afterward, which may last hours to several days.
The sedation lasts longer than you may think, so in the first 24 hours after your examination you should not:
FAQs about bowel resection recovery
Most patients recover in 8 weeks, but complete healing may take several months, depending on the type of surgery and the individual.
Other foods to steer clear of include high-grain/high-fiber bread, rolls, pasta, crackers, cereal with nuts or seeds, granola, raisin bran, and oatmeal. Can I eat salad after a colonoscopy? Yes, having a salad is a suitable choice for a solid food post-colonoscopy and can be beneficial.
The healing process can take up to 2 weeks. You do not need to alter your general activity during this time, however, in some situations you may have been advised by the clinical team to avoid all heavy lifting and strenuous exercise for 2 weeks after your procedure (this includes work, sport and heavy housework).
Even though colonoscopy is a common and widely performed procedure, it can cause many complications. If any sign of inflammation is observed, a perforation or postpolypectomy coagulation syndrome should be considered.
Patients frequently describe abdominal distension and bloating, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, anorexia, fever, and obstipation. Lower chest or abdominal pain following recent instrumentation—such as colonoscopy, endoscopy, or abdominal surgery—should raise particular concern for iatrogenic perforation.
After a colonoscopy, patients are typically monitored in a recovery area until the effects of the sedative or anesthesia begin to wear off. It is common to feel drowsy or slightly groggy during this time.