Bowel recovery after colonoscopy

There are many different ways to diagnose bowel disease. One of them is colonoscopy - a minimally invasive procedure for examining the final sections of the intestine using a special device - an endoscope. Thanks to him, the doctor can see the condition of the rectum, sigmoid and partially colon. This instrument consists of a flexible tube with optics and an air injection system, as well as biopsy forceps.

Colonoscopy is a fairly common diagnostic method, but it requires special preparation. And, first of all, the patient must follow a special diet before the procedure. a slag-free diet include , namely:

1. Foods with a lot of fiber - vegetables, herbs, cereals, cereals. But semolina is undesirable from porridge, as well as all types of legumes.
2. Low-fat meat, fish, egg whites, fermented milk products - mashed cottage cheese, kefir are allowed.
3. You can eat 4-5 times a day, in small portions. It is undesirable at this time to eat meat and cereals together.
4. Dairy products should not be combined with fruits and vegetables.
5. From drinks, mineral lightly carbonated waters, hibiscus tea, green tea, freshly squeezed juices are preferred.
6. Canned food, mushrooms, fatty meats, coffee, black tea, spices and spicy sauces are best avoided.

It is believed that such a diet normalizes the work of the gastrointestinal tract. The patient begins to eat in this way at least 5-7 days before the manipulation. The preparation also includes the setting of special tests for allergies to anesthesia drugs. 12 hours before the start of the procedure, the patient stops eating, and a cleansing enema is given twice. Medical personnel should prepare sterile instruments tested for the presence of certain pathogens, since there is a risk of infection with HIV, hepatitis B and C. The colonoscopy itself must also be carried out under sterile conditions.

Indications for a colonoscopy

1. Bleeding from the rectum
2. Acute intestinal obstruction
3. Idiopathic ulcerative colitis (UC)
4. Crohn's disease
5. Various foreign objects in the rectum
6. Differential diagnosis of neoplasms of the intestine

However, despite the relative safety of the procedure, there are a number of contraindications in which colonoscopy is not only not beneficial, but can also be dangerous.

Contraindications include:

1. Chronic heart and lung failure in the stages of decompensation
2. Crohn's disease and non-specific ulcerative colitis in the stages of exacerbation
3. Severe ulcerative and ischemic colitis
4. Some blood diseases (diseases of the coagulation system)
5. Hernias (groin, white line of the abdomen)
6. Acute intestinal infections and infections of other organs

Consequences of a colonoscopy

The percentage of complications during bowel recovery after colonoscopy is small, but it exists. The endoscopist has all the necessary skills necessary for the quality and safety of manipulation. However, the risk is still there. The consequences of a colonoscopy include:

1. Intestinal perforation may occur in 1% of cases. An emergency operation is needed, during which surgeons restore the damaged wall of the organ.
2. Intestinal bleeding is even rarer - 0.1%. Blood may appear both at the time of the procedure, and after it, a few days later. Adrenaline is either injected into the bleeding vessel, or it is cauterized with special coagulators. If the blood appeared on time, then the procedure is immediately stopped. If after a few hours or days, the operation is done under anesthesia.
3. Complications associated with the administration of anesthesia - acute respiratory failure requiring resuscitation.
4. Infection with HIV, hepatitis B and C viruses, syphilis and intestinal infections.
5. Pain in the projection of the intestine associated with the involvement of inflamed areas of tissue, polyps, tumor processes.
6. In very rare cases, the spleen may rupture.

Chair problems

Like any invasive event, a colonoscopy will disturb the microflora, in this case, in the intestines. This will lead to a violation of the stool - maybe both diarrhea and constipation. In the feces, at first, there may be impurities of mucus and a little blood - it occurs due to a slight injury to the intestinal wall. Diarrhea occurs as a result of a violation of the main function of the large intestine, and constipation due to spasms. To avoid this, you need to take medication.

For diarrhea:

1. Smecta - helps to restore damaged intestinal mucosa.
2. Hilak forte - its capsules contain bacteria that normalize the microflora.
3. Loperamide - slows down the passage of feces.

For constipation:

1. Duphalac - the drug is taken in the morning. It enhances intestinal peristalsis, which allows feces to move through the intestines.
2. Prelax is a mild laxative, helps to attract water into the intestinal lumen, stimulates smooth muscles.
3. Senade is an agent that irritates the intestinal receptors and actively promotes its peristalsis.
4. You can also use detergents - almond, vaseline oil.

What can you eat after a colonoscopy?

If a colonoscopy was done for the purpose of diagnosis, then after it the patient can return to his usual diet. Some time after the procedure, there may be flatulence, which is a consequence of air entering the intestines during the procedure. If bloating bothers you for several days, it is recommended to take enterosorbents (Polysorb, BAU).

If a colonoscopy was done for therapeutic purposes, nutrition must be made sparing and easily digestible in order to exclude strong peristalsis in the intestines. Food should be rich in macro- and microelements, with a predominance of plant foods. This will be a good means of preventing bleeding and intestinal infections. It is forbidden to overeat and drink food.

First of all, the attending physician needs to tell the patient about his diet. If the proctologist or general surgeon removed intestinal polyps, then for the first 2-4 days all dishes should have a jelly-like or liquid consistency. You can not eat bread, solid food, foods containing fiber, dairy products. The number of meals can be 6-8 per day. The patient should eat every 2-3 hours, including at night, in portions of 250-300 milliliters.

A week and a half after the procedure, you can start eating fruit and berry puree, dairy products - snowball, kefir, low-fat cottage cheese. Whole milk, as well as fatty, fried, salty, spicy, smoked, pickled, can not be consumed.

Three weeks later, nutrition after colonoscopy of the intestine becomes the most balanced. Allowed cereals boiled in milk, low-fat broths, potatoes in any form, except fried, freshly squeezed juices. Of the protein sources, preferred seafood, poultry, rabbit, beef, turkey. Foods high in fiber are recommended to be removed from the diet.

What not to do after a colonoscopy?

After a colonoscopy, you cannot immediately leave the hospital - for several more hours the patient is under the supervision of medical personnel, especially if anesthesia was used during the procedure. If there was local anesthesia, then after an hour you can leave.

There are no restrictions on the intake of water and food, but for about three weeks the patient needs to follow the above nutritional recommendations. As a rule, stool appears after the manipulation for 2-3 days, taking into account that the patient is on a diet. If the diet is poor in fiber, then the chair will appear in a few more days.

The appearance of pain in the intestinal area is due to the very nature of the procedure, however, you can take any painkillers only in consultation with your doctor. The same goes for laxatives. If flatulence bothers the patient for more than five days and the prescribed drugs do not help, the air is pumped back with an endoscope.

It is completely forbidden to take iron preparations (ferrumlek, sorbifer, actiferrin and others) and antiplatelet agents (aspirin and others) after colonoscopy. they inhibit the function of platelets, necessary for the healing of damaged intestinal mucosa. It is better to temporarily stop taking them after talking with the doctor who prescribed these drugs.