Complications after Colonoscopy

I think the whole Healthcare System has.

@ronvir5049
Usually, colonoscopy does not affect your stomach and your symptoms could be totally unrelated. I have had 3 colonoscopies and never had issues afterwards.

Have you had an endoscopy of your esophagus/stomach/small intestines, bloodwork and ultrasound? If not, make an appointment with your gastroenterologist to review your symptoms and determine best next steps in diagnosis/treatment. If you still have your gallbladder, it could be causing you problems. A HYDA scan can assess gallbladder function.

@heathermary I would go to the ER …

Hi @ronvir5049 No one likes a colonoscopy and to have these lingering side effects sounds miserable.
When we have a colonoscopy, the prep beforehand can disrupt the normal gut biome of the intestines. It can take time to restore and balance the normal, healthy bacteria and have things ‘moving along’ in an orderly fashion again. I’ve had similar symptoms and I wonder if maybe that’s what’s been happening with you since your colonoscopy?

There are a plethora of articles online with information about foods and diets to help improve gut health so I’ll let that mission up to you. But having had intestinal issues myself, I’m sharing a few tips that have finally returned my guts to a happy state after several months.

Getting enough water and fiber (soluble and insoluble) are the biggest factors, along with pre and probiotics foods. But also, don’t go crazy with the fiber. Too much fibre can cause issues as well. Slow and steady gains…

So, here’s a sample of my diet. Not saying it’s perfect but it really restored my intestines back to normal after a serious intestinal issue.
Daily, morning and before bed, I eat 1/2 cup of plain, fat free Greek yogurt with active cultures…with a blueberries or a smidgeon of fruit preserves. A good quality yogurt is packed with probiotics that guts love! Helps avoid constipation too.
Kefir is a powerful pro-biotic, but I can’t tolerate it…causes major gas and bloating. So I stick with the yogurt.

Breakfast is oatmeal with a little ground flax, craisens and half a sliced banana on top with fat free Fairlife milk.
Lunch is usually a slice of whole grain bread with some form of protein, tuna, salmon, avocado toast with veggies, egg on top and always 1 ounce of fresh (not canned) fermented sauerkraut. It’s loaded with probiotics for gut health and makes the sandwich pop! Sliced apples and a handful of cashews or other nuts.
For dinner, usually a salad of mixed greens/chopped veggies, and then whatever entree we’re having, along with veggies such as broccoli, asparagus, sautéed cabbage or spinach, and fresh fruit. Basically, the Mediterranean diet.

Another thing, from my understanding, which can happen when there’s a disturbance in the gut is the normal forward peristaltic rhythm gets out of sync. Reverse peristalsis can happen with a back and forth motion of the intestines that sets up a potential for constipation or diarrhea. Let’s say, not everything moves along in an orderly fashion on the way out. It can also cause a queasy feeling. I’ve had that happen when we travel. What I do to correct that is to drink 1 teaspoon Metamucil in 8 oz water in the morning. Within a day or so things have returned to normal.

Again, these are just little things that have worked for me with similar symptoms. But of course it’s important to make sure nothing else is going on. So be persistent with talking to your doctor! I’m sorry your doctor hasn’t been very helpful. Is this your primary care physician that hasn’t returned your call?