Hello. I’ve had IBS-D for 20+ years. I mange pretty well with 2 Imodium per day, which keeps me feeling pretty normal. I’m 48 and my primary care doctor wants me to have a colonoscopy. (Just as a routine/preventative screening. Not for any health concerns.) I’ve read stories on this site about people developing IBS or getting worse IBS long-term after a colonoscopy. For that reason, I’m really scared to have this done. I‘m afraid that the level of “normalcy” I’ve finally gotten to in my life with my IBS will go away and I’ll end up with bad IBS-D symptoms again after the procedure. Any thoughts on this? Personal experiences you can share? Thanks all!
IBS-D. Scared of colonoscopy
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Having a colonoscopy is the smartest thing you can do, it'll either find or rule out anything else potentially going on in your abdomen/gut. I work at a hospital, casual now, and I clean and sterilize all scopes used so im educated on this procedure. Also I've had sigmoidoscopy done which is the same ad a colonoscopy but just smaller and doesn't go as deep. This will not worsen the symptoms you have but will give you all the information you need to get an absolute diagnosis and possibly clear up any underlying issues. It's not the most comfortable procedure but you can also be on partial or full sedation. I strongly recommend having this done. Keep me informed please.... mandy
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Maybe my case is different, because at least at the time I had a colonoscopy done, my IBS symptoms were mostly C.
For me, the colonoscopy prep was tough. Drinking the prep stuff made me nauseous. I don't believe that is a common issue, and I think it was due to my IBS.
But to your concern, I actually found that the prep temporarily eased my IBS symptoms. After a couple of weeks, my IBS was just as bad as it was before the colonoscopy, but it definitely didn't make things worse.
I can't say that no one has ever had their IBS aggravated by going through a colonoscopy [including the prep], but I've never heard someone say they had such an issue.
My opinion is that you should get a colonoscopy and shouldn't be too concerned that it's going to somehow worsen your issues with IBS. And if you do have an issue beyond IBS, they may find it with the colonoscopy and then maybe they can treat it and give you some relief.
For me, the colonoscopy prep was tough. Drinking the prep stuff made me nauseous. I don't believe that is a common issue, and I think it was due to my IBS.
But to your concern, I actually found that the prep temporarily eased my IBS symptoms. After a couple of weeks, my IBS was just as bad as it was before the colonoscopy, but it definitely didn't make things worse.
I can't say that no one has ever had their IBS aggravated by going through a colonoscopy [including the prep], but I've never heard someone say they had such an issue.
My opinion is that you should get a colonoscopy and shouldn't be too concerned that it's going to somehow worsen your issues with IBS. And if you do have an issue beyond IBS, they may find it with the colonoscopy and then maybe they can treat it and give you some relief.
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I suffer from IBS-M. I’ve had two colonoscopy’s in the past five years. I haven’t seen an increase in my symptoms after the procedure but they’ve been able treat my gastroenteritis and each time have removed polyps that would become cancerous if not caught early. Also one huge game changer was finding a good pre and probiotic. I’ve been using one called Seed that can only be purchased online. You just need to fine tune it to your digestive condition so you may take a smaller dose than is recommended. You have to play around with it to find the best dose for you. Mine is one pill every three days. The recommended dose is two pills every day. I hope this helps someone.
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I've also started on a pre, probiotic plus greens powder. At first I was really bloated but now, a week later it seems to have all settled down. I believe I had an overabundance of bad bacteria living in my gut and what I experienced was the dying off phase. Mines called ActivatedYou and is also sold o line... worth a shot, seems to now be helping me.... M
CAUTION green powder contains high FODMAP trigger foods and some prebiotics like inulin are high FODMAP too. There are no bad bacteria living in the colon. It is possible for the relative amount of the 1000+ bacteria to change - dysbiosis.
There maybe a temporary worsening of symptoms for a couple of days but things normal return to normal soon after a scope
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