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.
You can return to your normal activities 24 hours after your colonoscopy. When can I start taking my regular medicines? You can start taking your regular medicines when you get home, unless your doctor gave you different instructions.
The effects of the sedation could last up to a day, so you should not drive or operate any machinery until the following day. 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.
The First Week after a Colonoscopy
After polyps are removed it can take up to a week for the patient to fully recover. During this time, patients should avoid all strenuous activities, which includes lifting anything over five pounds.
You may experience abdominal pain or a headache it is fine to take paracetamol or similar analgesia.
Tylenol is your safest best to relieve post-colonoscopy headaches. Because ibuprofen can irritate the bowels and also works as a blood thinner, we recommend patients take Tylenol or an equivalent off-brand acetaminophen – as directed on the bottle – when experiencing mild headaches after their colonoscopy.
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.
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.
Colonoscopy recovery is usually quick with most people resuming normal activity the next day. Even so, it is important not to rush back to work. It is best to take the remainder of the day to rest, recover from sedation, and replenish fluids and nutrition. The results of your exam should be available within a few days.
In fact, most patients feel up to returning to normal activities within 24 hours. It's highly recommended that patients take it easy with scheduled activities for the first week after to allow enough time to get back to normal, especially if your doctor found and removed polyps during the procedure.
Since the menu is low in fiber, protein, and fat, many experts now say you should resume your normal eating habits within 24 hours. Still, eating exclusively bland foods does allow your digestive system to rest and recuperate following the events of the last few days.
Liquids to avoid after a colonoscopy include: Alcohol. Coffee with cream. Carbonated drinks.
Post-Colonoscopy Complications
Call your doctor right away if you have any of these symptoms after your test: Severe pain or cramping in your belly. A hard belly. Trouble passing gas or pooping.
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.
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.
Sedation-related complications are usually cardiovascular and/or pulmonary and include oxygen desaturation, respiratory arrest, alterations in heart rate (bradycardia and tachycardia), cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, stroke, seizures (at times attributed to the method of preparation) and shock.
If patients are still in pain after surgery, we consider giving them medications for muscle spasms, such as Flexeril. If all else fails, a light narcotic painkiller such as Tramadol is then used. Only in situations when the pain is very persistent, do we prescribe opioids.
AS The sedative agents that are currently available for colonoscopy include midazolam, propofol, diazepam, diphenhydramine, promethazine, meperidine, and fentanyl. Among these, midazolam and propofol are the most commonly used sedatives, whereas fentanyl is the most frequently administered analgesic.
Getting Home
Medicines you were given can change the way you think and make it harder to remember for the rest of the day. As a result, it is NOT safe for you to drive a car or find your own way home. You will not be allowed to leave alone. You will need a friend or family member to take you home.
Colonoscopies performed in the afternoon (PM) have been shown to have lower adenoma detection rates (ADR) compared to those in the morning (AM). Endoscopist fatigue has been suggested as a possible reason. Colonoscopies tend to be technically more challenging in female patients.
Having no bowel movement after colonoscopy prep is uncommon, but it can happen. If someone does not have a bowel movement after consuming all of the prep drink and taking other preparatory actions, they should contact a doctor.
You may experience loose stool or no stool for up to three days following the procedure.