# Symptoms worse after colonoscopy



## ts94 (Dec 2, 2012)

Hi! I'm new here, so sorry if this is in the wrong place/has already been posted about.

I was just recently diagnosed with IBS-D. At the end of August, I started having terrible cramps, frequent diarrhea, and I noticed some blood in my stool. The blood went away after four or five days, but the diarrhea continued. At the suggestion of my family doctor, I started taking Imodium daily so that I could go to class and function on a daily basis. I was sent for tests and scheduled for a colonoscopy, which I just had on Thursday. The gastroenterologist who did my colonoscopy believes that I contracted an infection at the end of the summer which caused me to develop IBS. He told me to keep taking Imodium daily, since I'm fine as long as I take it. Before my colonoscopy, I was taking 2 pills every morning, and I was fine. However, my symptoms seem to be much worse following the test, and I've had to start taking 3 pills every day, instead. Has anyone else experienced this? I was contemplating starting probiotics, just to see if it makes a difference, but my GI did make a few comments following my test about how he hasn't seen any proof that show that probiotics are especially helpful in easing IBS symptoms. Any chance that I'll get better, or am I now stuck with 3 pills a day?

Thanks in advance!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

We have some data that suggests some strains of probitoics may have some help, but no, we don't have the kind of multi-center, several thousand people studies that would be proof.

But we probably won't get that unless the FDA starts regulating them as drugs and we need that kind of proof to get it on the market.

A colonoscopy (between the prep and the poking and the filling you up with gas and the messing with your diet for a couple of days) can flare up the IBS for a bit. Hard to know when it will calm down, but it most likely will in awhile.

One reason some doctors do fewer invasive tests rather than more is that there is some data that suggests the more tests you have the worse your IBS tends to be at the end of testing. With the bleeding they probably did need to take a look-see, but if you hadn't had that they may not have because it could make the IBS worse for awhile.


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## Trudyg (Aug 16, 2002)

My gastro guy prescribed a probiotic called Rezyst--I could really tell a difference when I took it. Grape flavored, chewable, about $1/pill. After that, I researched probiotics and started Kefir--bought the grains and now make my own (lots cheaper). If you research, you will find many brands of probiotics that have gazillions of certain bacteria in them, but it looks like the kefir has pretty much every single one and you can up or down your dose by merely consuming more or less of it. Just because a doctor doesn't know something or there is no study does not end the topic; you can learn on your own from other sources. Not a cure, but sure helped me.


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## Friday (Dec 9, 2008)

My IBS-D was bad after the colonoscopy. I had bad D for a few days after it. t took about 2 weeksfor things to settle back down again. Don't worry, your poor colon has been through it so will take a while to recover!


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