Bloody diarrhea after scope with biopsies of inflammation. What's normal and what isn't?

[BureaucraticNightmare]

I'm not diagnosed but had a colonoscopy yesterday with biopsies taken from the sigmoid colon because the doctor found inflammation and edema. Anyone know how much blood/gas/diarrhea is normal post-scope if you're actively inflamed?

This morning I've had two VERY urgent BMs w/blood and moderately painful cramping. (Gross details next. Reader beware: This was diarrhea, but it was the gloopy kind, not the watery kind like with the bowel prep. There's a general maroonish tinge and some more obvious dark red streaking in the more solid-ish areas. It can't be too intense I don't think, because the water only changes color a bit and there's not any plain old blood coming out on its own.)

It may not be IBD inflammation, but I figure Crohn's/UC folks have more experience with this than anyone else, so maybe someone can tell me: What, exactly, is normal following a colonoscopy done during active inflammation? And should I look out for any red flags that mean I might need to get urgent care? Of course I'm leaving a message with my doctor just to let him know, but I want to make sure I'm covering my bases.

I had some pretty painful cramping before but feel much better now and finally seem to be a little less gassy, so on the whole, I feel pretty good. I wouldn't be worried at all except that I had a scope three months ago with a polyp removed -- also from the sigmoid -- and didn't have diarrhea or blood except for a small amount immediately after the procedure. I also don't remember feeling gassy for a whole day last time.

Thanks all!

 

[Trysha]

You have done the right thing in letting your doctor know about this.
Bleeding is never normal but your GI should explain to you what is happenning
If it continues maybe you should go to ER.
From what you are saying though, it sounds as if you are beginning to feel better.
You should still be checked by your GI though.
The first colonoscopy I had similar symptoms afterwards and was initially given steroids which soon helped , at this time I was diagnosed with Crohn's and it has been a long story with different treatments since that time five years ago.
Feel better soon
Hugs and best wishes
Trysha

 

[Jennifer]

Pain is normal, gas is normal and a small amount of blood is possible when biopsies are taken. The pain and gas may take up to 3 days to stop completely. If the pain or blood is a lot/extreme then you'll want to go to the ER especially if you also have a fever or start vomiting (could be a sign of a bowel perforation leading to infection).

For now it sounds like you're doing the right thing by informing your GI but what you could also do is write down every symptom you're having and keep track of how often you see blood in your stool (just keep a tally for everyday) and let your GI know if it hasn't gone away or if it gets worse (again if it gets really bad then go to the ER).

I hope you get a diagnosis soon. Keep us posted. :hug:

 

[nogutsnoglory]

It's always best to notify your doctor if something is out of the ordinary.

You can have pain and blood after a scope because of the biopsies but you shouldn't have much blood. A little in the bowl or on tissue paper can be alright but this really should pass in a few days.

If you develop fever, swelling of the abdomen, sharp pain or vomiting please goto then ER because while it is rare, there is a small risk of perforation during scopes.

 

[BureaucraticNightmare]

Thanks, everyone! For the most part, I've been all right since this morning. Just one more bout with D later in the day, but no blood that time so I think I'm all right. Just totally undigested food and lots of it.

Now that I'm thinking about it, what's up with the undigested food? My doctor said he didn't see any inflammation elsewhere in the colon which usually but not always rules out Crohn's -- isn't food pretty much done with the whole breakdown process by the time it's as far down as where I'm having problems? I had an EGD in July and the first part of the small intestine was totally fine, as was the ileum during both cscopes, so I think my small intestine's probably okay? (My CT scan wasn't very helpful there because for some reason the barium contrast didn't take in most of the lower abdominal/pelvic area.)

 

[nogutsnoglory]

It's not only crohn's that can interfere with digestion. Some foods aren't digested well even in the healthiest of people.