# Colonoscopy the cause of IBS



## makes3

I've joined this group on behalf of my husband who has IBS. We're both searching for solutions, but we can attest to the fact that he never had IBS before his colonoscopy about 4 years ago. You can't find answers anywhere on the web that finds a correlation between the two, but we're convinced there is, and hopefully this group will help us in the search. I don't think conoloscopies are all they're cracked up to be. Basically, it changed my husband's life. If he had known that this was a possible side effect he never would have had one. He remembers the day of his procedure having the gas/bloating/abdominal discomfort and thinking it was part of the procedure. A few days after his colonoscopy he was still experiencing problems and asked me if my experience with a colonscopy was similar. I had no problems so I contacted his gastroenterologist who prescribed probiotics for his problem. He said sometimes it takes a couple of weeks to get some patient's systems back to regular. It didn't work. Since then he's had a fecal sample, ultrasound, gluten test, endoscopy, saw a second gastroenterologist and all found nothing wrong. Finally, he went for a yearly checkup with his GP and explained his problem. His GP said it sounded like IBS and prescribed Librax. He's been taking that for a year or so and he's found it to be a roller coast. Some days he's fine, and others it can turn on a dime. He's found all kinds of food he should eat (or not eat) on line that contradicts each other. We'd like to retire someday but I feel for anyone who has this because it's a constant life of avoiding restaurants, people, events, and looking for bathrooms. Bottom line is I want confirmation that colonoscopies can cause IBS and no one's willing to say so.


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## Kathleen M.

Well it can upset the colonic flora, but how much that causes IBS all by itself is hard to know. Or if there was some issues that just were OK with the flora he had, but showed up with the new flora.

I haven't seen any studies that have the data you are looking for (and I don't recall this being a very common complaint that they were 100% perfect up until the day of a colonoscopy, you do hear that from gall bladder removal surgery quite often as people get diarrhea from excess bile salts in the stool). I have seen evidence colon flora can be different after the clean out than before. Usually the one thing proven to cause IBS is a GI infection (which is why I wonder if maybe there was something already off but the change in flora uncovered it, pretty much everyone has had a GI infection at some point in their life).

There are several different theories as to which foods are good/bad for IBS so you will find that if you try to add all the diets together EVERY food is bad and NO food is good, and when you start adding in individual variation (as most people have something that is either safe when it shouldn't be or bad when it should be OK) you'll get even more of a muddled mess.

If it were me, I'd start with the low FODMAP diet using the information from the originators Sue Shepard or Monash University.

One thing they have found is some IBSers have a more unstable flora so get much more gas from a single gassy meal than usual. Which may be why we have some of the problems. Stop feeding the bacteria fermentables (low Fodmap diet) and that should help.


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## makes3

Thank you for your response and help. The only trigger we can see was that my husband's mother had IBS all her life. And so, my husband may have had a predisposition for it which was triggered by the colonoscopy at age 55. That's the only thing we can make sense of it as he never had any issues prior.

We will try the FODMAP diet and see what happens. From my understanding of this disorder, once you have IBS you're never going to be rid of it entirely as it has "memory".


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## ppplarsen

Dear Makes3,

I had a colonoscopy in January of this year, in February out of nowhere, I suffered from chronic diarrhea, to which I

still have found no relief. I have undergone all the same tests your Husband had and was diagnosed with IBS-D! Nothing I have been prescribed or tried (and believe me I have tried everything) has helped me! It is very debilitating! I also believe the colonoscopy is what caused my IBS, it is the only thing that had changed!!!


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## makes3

Good Morning ppplarsen,

I'm sorry you're experiencing IBS. It makes me angry that there appears to be a correlation, yet it's not discussed during pre-op testing. My husband has said multiple times that if he had known this was a risk he NEVER would have consented to it, as it changed his life. I've had radiation treatment in the past and I had to sign documentation that I understood all the possible side-effects. Colonoscopy procedures should have this disclaimer as well, as it seems your situation, my husband's, and possibly countless more, got IBS, a lifelong, incurable ailment as a result of it. l wish you the best of health


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## ppplarsen

It seems makes3, that us people in the same Boat now need to band together and seek Legal council!

Count me in !!!


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## ppplarsen

Also, I am wondering if it wasn't the prep they have us take? What kind was it they had your husband drink?

I was given PEG3350 polyethylene glycol that you drink with gatorade and 4 pills called Bisacodyl!


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## makes3

I honestly don't know what my husband took other than the Gatorade. I will ask him. I thought it was a liquid.

On another note, it's funny that you asked about legal counsel. I contacted a well known attorney's office here in Florida last week that specializes in malpractice. Basically, they said that unless it is directly shown to cause IBS, or unless another doctor is willing to testify that his IBS was caused by the colonoscopy then there's no case. Other than a lot of legwork, money, or another attorney willing to move forward I don't see it happening, unfortunately.


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## ppplarsen

I happened to have a bottle of it from a time before that I canceled, it is powder that you mix with orange gatorade! I researched it and it says not to take if you have IBS! I think I have had a mild case of IBS for years, which was why I was having the colonoscopy, due to occasional bouts of diarrhea! Did your husband ever suffer occasional bouts before or perhaps constipation?


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## makes3

Oh, my! That's interesting. Kevin NEVER had any issues. He's been a body-builder since before it was popular. He's now 59. He ate well, exercised regularly and was always in the best of the health. The only thing we can attribute it to is that his mother had IBS all her life (she's now 90) and she passed on the predisposition for it. His system probably worked best as it was prior to the colonoscopy, but when his body ridded itself of the enzymes that kept him stable it never recovered to his normal bacteria.

I asked my husband if he remembered what they gave him prior to the procedure and he can't remember. He thinks it was already pre-mixed. But, whatever it was it seems as though it may be the smoking gun that triggered his response.

Thank you for that information.


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## Nojokeibs

Out of curiosity... what if...

1. you prep yourself, clearing out your normal flora or at least reducing it a lot

2. you go to a colonoscopy and there is a biofilm of bacteria containing something nasty like MAP, Klebsiella, C. difficile, or Staph aureus... on the scope?

Could you get post infectious IBS this way? Proving it would be a job, but it might be worth it to call your local health inspector and ask them if they've had any complaints or concerns about that doctor's office.


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## makes3

Ah, very interesting question. The whole thing is a big medical puzzle that I'm not equipped to solve. I just get bits and pieces of information.

I like your sign-off with a lot of interesting tidbits. My husband has been on FODMAP for 4 days now and he's feeling pretty good. However, we all know it can turn on a dime.


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## Prevent2

I think that (a colonoscopy) is what triggered my IBS-C. I had my gallbladder removed in September of last year, and had a couple of months of diarrhea and adjusted my diet to avoid spicy, greasy, fatty foods and things seemed to be heading in the right direction for a bit. But then about 2 months ago I had a colonoscopy and have had nothing but problems ever since. My digestive system is horrible. I have gas, pain, pressure and bloating every day. I am horribly constipated, more than I have ever been. No matter what I eat or try I cannot seem to get my digestive system back to how it was before.

I have undergone tons of blood work and it all comes back normal. No Celiac disease. They have ruled out Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, etc. So now the GI doctor says it is IBS-C. The same doctor who did my colonoscopy. I am going to another GI doctor for another opinion, but all of my symptoms point to IBS-C. I guess I just want to know what caused it. How it could have just happened all of the sudden!

My life has changed over night. I am keeping a food diary and trying to stick with foods that seem to digest ok. I eat small meals every 3 hours, that helps some. My doctor says just give it time. So I am trying to be patient and figure out what foods work and what do not and how to go on with a "normal' life.

Prior to this I was a very active person who enjoyed life, now I get up every day and say, OK body, how are you going to behave today??!!!


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## makes3

Prevent2 I feel so bad for you. My husband has said the same thing that literally his life changed the day of the colonoscopy. He gets tons of gas, pressure and bloating, too. I definitely see a pattern. I've researched so much on line to link IBS and colonoscopies but, unfortunately, come up empty handed each time. Something's not right. My husband also took all the same tests as you did and all his tests indicated nothing, too. There is DEFINITELY a link but I can't prove it. When he told his GP about his intestinal issues it was his GP who nailed it, not his gastroenterologist. But when my husband explained that he thought it was triggered by the colonoscopy his GP looked at him like he had two heads. I'd love to explore more of this but don't know where to go.


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## Kristylovesbb

I had never had IBS until after a Colonoscopy. I went to my Dr about the problem and the first question he asked was if I had recently had a colonoscopy. When I told him yes he said unfortunately that happens sometimes as a result of the procedure. Had I known there was even a slight chance I would NEVER have agreed to get one. This stuff is nothing minor and it seems to get worse over time. I had an attack this week that was so severe I vomited 6 times. I will NEVER get another one. For all I know another one might cause diverticulitis!


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## Sar60

I havent been the same since my one and only colonoscopy. Im severely constipated, have extreme bloating, weird noises on the right side of my intestines and gas. My life has been completely altered because of this. No where in the fine print Of the consent form did it say I would be at risk. I will NEVER have another colonoscopy.


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## sjtoole

I suffered for over a decade with severe, debilitating bloating. (so bad that I had high blood pressure and chest pain.)

I tried every antibiotic and probiotic known to man, along with every FoDMap diet imaginable, and *nothing* helped.

I discovered by accident that antihistamines helped a bit, particularly Pepcid and Tagamet, but still had bad bloating.

*Bloating Issue Solved after 12 years of suffering: *I finally stumbled onto something that puts a serious dent in my severe bloating! *Non-prescription digestive enzymes*

While searching the keyword "bloating" on Amazon, I discovered that many people had great luck with non-prescription *digestive enzymes.*

There are many brands available on Amazon and at health/vitamin stores, and they all pretty much contain the same enzymes in different combinations. (Ex. Protease, Peptidase, Lipase, etc.)

I have had good luck with a brand called *HUM Flatter Me, available on Amazon.*

They are basically the same enzymes that your stomach and pancreas produce normally, and are relatively cheap.

I take them before and immediately after I eat a meal, and they DRASTICALLY reduce my bloating.

My H. Pylori infection may have damaged my stomach's ability to produce these enzymes. I am really disappointed that none of the GI specialists that I visited even suggested this as a possible treatment!

The anti-histamines still help, but not nearly as much as the digestive enzymes.

*If nothing is working for you, order Digestive Enzymes from Amazon or buy a bottle at your local nutrition /vitamin store and give them a try.*


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