Colonoscopy results

[Stephanie_M]

I had on Monday my first colonoscopy and everything was clear. I also had a gastroscope and my stomach is kind of a mess and the doctor gave me a pill to take every morning for 2 months. When I asked do I have IBS he responded that this is not something shown it doesn’t have any indications from colonoscopy. So now I’m a bit confused do I have IBS or not? I still get cramps in my stomach tho.

[weegmack]

I’m very relieved for you, that everything was clear. Well done for getting through it!

Did the doc say you have inflammation in your stomach and do you know the name of the medicine you’ve been given? Xx

[Stephanie_M in reply to weegmack]

He showed me my stomach actually and I have some kind of red marks which are like bruises from the spasm and also I have something like foam which is caused from the acid. The medicine which he gave me is pantoprazole which regulates the acid. Xx

[Kilgh in reply to Stephanie_M]

Your stomach cramps could be from an ulcer forming. Did that get mentioned? Either way, you are on the right sort of drug to calm things down. Scr1969 is correct in saying this should be for short term use though.

[Stephanie_M in reply to Kilgh]

No no mentioning of an ulcer. Just the foam from the acid and the “bruising” from the cramps.

[Kilgh in reply to Stephanie_M]

Good. You got treatment nice and early then!

[Stephanie_M in reply to Kilgh]

I will take the pill for 2 months once a day. Hopefully I will be much better after the treatment.

[Kilgh in reply to Stephanie_M]

Sounds like your docs are on to it. weegmack is correct in the need for a long term plan once you are all healed up.

[weegmack in reply to Stephanie_M]

Ah ok. So that’s a PPI (Proton Pump Inhibitor) which reduces the amount of acid your stomach is producing. Don’t worry about side effects from long-term use....it’s not really bad side effects. Basically if you’re on them too long, there’s too much inhibition of acid and the gut can slow down and this causes pain. We do need acid to digest our food properly! You’ll get a treatment dose of the pantoprazole and hopefully that will settle things down a good bit for you.

It’s worth having a look at what you’re eating to see if you can allow your gut to heal. Will you have a follow-up appointment? Sounds to me like you need more advice on how to manage this. I find a lot of doctors aren’t too sympathetic about pain.....but pain is worrying and distressing, isn’t it? X

[Stephanie_M in reply to weegmack]

I do have a follow up appointment in 2 months once I finish my treatment with one pill a day for the acid. I also take gaviscone in case I’m in pain. I did have to so far. Doctor said to keep a diary these two months of the food that irritate my stomach and we will discuss it when we meet up.

[weegmack in reply to Stephanie_M]

Ok - I’m glad the gastro has asked you to keep a food diary. It does help. I discovered a pretty old medicine called Kolanticon. I also have a hiatus hernia and I get pain and cramping with that too. It works SO well on heartburn, reflux and spasms. I believe you can get it in tablet form, but I take the liquid. It’s kinda chalky, but it’s soothing and it really helps me. Your GP can prescribe that - might be an idea to ask?

I really hope you get some more constructive help and that you’re managing. X

[Stephanie_M in reply to weegmack]

Thank you for the advice.

[1973m]

Hi, I don’t think they can give a result for Ibs as nothing shows up on scans , colonoscopy etc .. they usualy just say it could be that if nothing sinister or that they can test for is found . Try not to worry... it may start to settle now.

[Scr1969]

They tend to do the colonoscopy to make sure there is nothing serious going on - IBS does show up, when mine was clear the consultant said that my symptoms indicated that i had a sensitive bowel and that i need to record my food indicate and flag good days and bad days. Then start to remove types of food and see if you have more good days, very much trial and error.

I was on Lanzoprazole for a number of years to reduce my stomach acid but they dont like to keep you on these too long so please be mindful of the side affects of these drugs. I think what you are experiencing is what we all have from day to day,so i think the food diary may help to find your triggers - we all seem to have different one!

Good Luck and try and not get too stressed - it is the worse thing!

[Scr1969]

Sorry grammer mistake - IBS doesn't tend to show up on a colonoscopy.

[Kilgh in reply to Scr1969]

The opposite actually.

[Sheeniejay]

Glad the serious things have been ruled out. I think it's true that there are no clear internal signals or appearances to say 'this is IBS' - Crohn's etc and other IBD conditions they can see via various tests, but, as I understand it, IBS is a sort of catch-all condition for gastrointestinal discomfort, responses etc webmd.com/ibs/ibd-versus-ibs The drug you have is indeed for stomach acid. Maybe, if you can get access to a good dietician, she/he can help you adjust your diet so you have less intestinal distress and also to reduce acid reflux naturally, once you've had the course of medicine. Hope you feel better soon.