Feeling Very Bad after Colonoscopy/Endoscopy

amberlink09 · Post by **amberlink09** » Mon Aug 27, 2012 3:16 pm

Hey guys,

Since you all have had colonoscopies before I thought I'd ask if anyone started feeling bad afterward? I got mine done on Friday and I was fine Friday and most of the day Saturday, but I got hit pretty bad Saturday night. I think it's a really bad case of acid reflux or something, I've been having burning pains, burping a lot, extremely nauseous, and a few times I've thought I was going to burp but wound up throwing up instead.... which is not good. I'm in a lot of pain and I was wondering if this could be related to the "prep" before the colonoscopy? I'm thinking that the prep may have wiped out all of my good bacteria so I should start taking some probiotics. In the meantime I finally took some zantac a few hours ago because it took me a while to figure out what was happening, and I'm starting to feel a little better, but definitely not 100%. Please help!

fatbuster205 · Post by **fatbuster205** » Mon Aug 27, 2012 4:22 pm

Get in touch with your Doctor immediately if for no other reason but to ensure nothing acute has happened! Take care but don't ignore this!
anne!

Leah · Post by **Leah** » Mon Aug 27, 2012 6:07 pm

Sounds like the Endoscopy irritated the area. I would definitely call the doctor. I have taken Pepcid for a few days to get acid under control, but know that it's not a good idea to stay on it for too long. Hope you feel better soon.

Leah

Joefnh · Post by **Joefnh** » Mon Aug 27, 2012 6:17 pm

Amber after my last 3 colonoscopies I did feel poorly after each of them and it did take a while for things to settle down. After these I find that going back to the basics of chicken and rice (if you tolerate that) do help...think of feeding an infant...go for easy and simple well cooked ingredients, baby yourself. No hard to digest foods, only easy, bland simple foods for a week or so. It does settle down. If its too troubling, contact your GI doctor, but go easy with simple foods and soups for a while.

amberlink09 · Post by **amberlink09** » Mon Aug 27, 2012 11:17 pm

Thanks guys! I'm glad to hear that you've had similar issues, I ate some soup today because I haven't been hungry at all, but the Zantac is helping a lot. If it doesn't get better by tomorrow I will check in with my doctor to make sure nothing went wrong.

ant · Post by **ant** » Tue Aug 28, 2012 3:18 am

Dear Amber,

Hope you are feeling better.

I was Ok after my colonoscopy, but I did not also have an endoscopy and it seems like the upper GI tract that is troubling you now.

Best wishes and

Ant

coryhub · Post by **coryhub** » Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:37 am

Hi Amber,

I had the duo done on me and suffered no ill effects. Can you call your doctor's PA (physician assistant) and let her know the effects you are feeling? I don't think I felt any pain.

Cory

Mim18 · Post by **Mim18** » Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:41 pm

If I recall, I was fine after the duo. It was the prep that did me in. But I'm not sure that I know what "fine" is anymore. Have dealt with this for too many years. Hope you feel better soon!

amberlink09 · Post by **amberlink09** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 6:46 am

That's how I feel! I'm not sure if this is a side effect of the procedure or just what my stomach has decided to do this week, it's been so long since I've been normal I don't even know what it is anymore.

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 7:06 am

Hi Amber!

Sorry to hear about your problems. With my last colonoscopy I think the prep severely irritated my gut lining. In fact, I could actually see how red, angry, and eroded the mucosa looked in the photos of the procedure the GI doc gave me afterwards.

Yes, the prep might have wiped out your good gut bacteria. But some folks note an improvement in GI function afterwards, which Dr. Fine thinks is due to the food antibodies being washed out. I now believe that, for some of us, our hyperreactive mast cells can go bananas during medical/dental procedures and begin releasing histamine and other mediators, which make our disease worse temporarily. You might try Claritin in addition to the Zantac to see if it helps (both are antihistamines but work differently).

I would put in a call to your doc if you are still having problems.

Hugs,

Polly

amberlink09 · Post by **amberlink09** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 9:28 am

Hi Polly, thanks for the advice! I will definitely try that. I thought I was feeling better today, but wound up being sick again so I think it's time to call my doctor. I am used to having acid reflux issues on occasion, but it's usually not nearly this bad.

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 11:13 am

Polly wrote: Yes, the prep might have wiped out your good gut bacteria. But some folks note an improvement in GI function afterwards, which Dr. Fine thinks is due to the food antibodies being washed out.

I'm one of the people who noted almost 100% improvement in symptoms after the colonoscopy, and even after a barium swallow. The effects lasted a few weeks. I imagine that's the time it took for the offending bacteria (whether it's good or bad ones) and antibodies to build up again.

Post by **tex** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 2:49 pm

I had a similar experience when I downed the contrast medium used for CT scans. It cleaned me out, and I was good for a couple of weeks. The barium didn't work as well, because I had trouble getting rid of it. And I couldn't get rid of the gas injected during the colonoscopy, so I felt rough as a cob for at least 3 or 4 days following that exam.

Tex