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.
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.
Contact your GP or go to your nearest emergency department (A&E) if: you have severe, persistent or worsening tummy pain. you have a fever (temperature above 37.5⁰c) you have black or red poo (known as melaena)
After the test, you may be bloated or have gas pains. You may need to pass gas. If a biopsy was done or a polyp was removed, you may have streaks of blood in your stool (feces) for a few days. Problems such as heavy rectal bleeding may not occur until several weeks after the test.
You may feel gassy or bloated for a while after the procedure because of the air that was injected into your intestine during the colonoscopy. As you release the air, the feeling should begin to subside. You should feel back to normal in that regard within 30 minutes to an hour.
Up to one-third of patients experience abdominal pain, nausea, or bloating afterward, which may last hours to several days. Fortunately, severe complications including hemorrhage, perforation, and death are rare, with a total incidence of 0.28%.
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.
Why does my abdomen hurt after a colonoscopy? Your abdomen may hurt after a colonoscopy due to bloating — air is pumped into your colon during the procedure to help your doctor better see the inside of your colon.
Bleeding is one of the most common complications of colonoscopy, accounting for 0.3-6.1% of cases[35,36].
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.
Avoid taking aspirin, products containing aspirin, or anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen, Advil, Naprosyn, Indocin, or Motrin) for one week after the procedure. You may take acetaminophen (Tylenol) if needed.
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.
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.
Acute diverticulitis as a rare complication can occur following prolonged colonoscopy or colo- noscopic polypectomy, especially in those with additional risk factors such as obesity and smoking.
SESSILE SERRATED POLYPS
For one to two polyps, a five- to 10-year follow-up colonoscopy is recommended. This interval is three to five years with three to four sessile serrated polyps and three years with five to 10 polyps.
Physicians should therefore suspect a CP if a patient has fever, abdominal pain or distention following the colonoscopic examination, even if the patient presents with these symptoms several days after the procedure.
The main symptom of acute pancreatitis is a severe, dull pain around the top of your stomach that develops suddenly. This aching pain often gets steadily worse and can travel along your back or below your left shoulder blade. Eating or drinking may also make you feel worse very quickly, especially fatty foods.
The main symptom of pancreatitis is pain felt in the upper left side or middle of the abdomen. The pain: May be worse within minutes after eating or drinking at first, more commonly if foods have a high fat content. Becomes constant and more severe, lasting for several days.
"It's extremely rare. I can't stress the fact enough that it is very, very rare to get pancreatitis after a colonoscopy."
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.
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).
Colonic biopsy collection during colonoscopy is standard practice for patients with IBD, and it results in mild trauma to colonic mucosa [13]. This may set off an inflammatory response and trigger IBD flare-ups.
Septic shock after colonoscopy is rare, especially in young adults. The authors considered the possibility of opportunistic infections after PEG bowel preparation, and clinicians should monitor patients for the possibility of such complications.