Aftercare

It's common to feel bloated or have stomach cramps after an endoscopic examination of your large bowel. It's also normal to see some bleeding from your bottom. This guidance should help you to care for yourself after your colonoscopy and understand what to do if there's a problem.

Leaving hospital

You will be able to leave hospital when the doctor or nurse looking after you says you are well enough. You will have to wait at least an hour if you have sedation.

The sedation lasts longer than you may think, so in the first 24 hours after your examination you should not:

• drive or ride a bicycle or car
• operate machinery or do anything requiring skill or judgement
• cook
• drink alcohol
• take sleeping tablets
• sign legal documents, make any important decisions, or sign contracts

If you have had sedation you will need someone to escort you home and we advise that they stay with you for 24 hours.

We will give you a copy of your report and send a copy to your GP the day after your procedure. However, many GPs may not have this report on their system for about 10 days to 2 weeks after your procedure.

After leaving hospital

If you had sedation you should rest at home following your procedure and should be able to carry out your normal activities 24 hours after the test.

If polyps are removed or biopsies are taken during the procedure you may notice a small amount of bleeding from your bowel when you next visit the toilet. This is normal and should settle within 24 hours.

You can take your other prescription drugs.

Pain

If you have any bloating or abdominal discomfort this may be from the air that was put into your bowel by the endoscopist during the examination. This is normal and should settle within 24 hours.

If your discomfort doesn’t settle, try to pass wind. You can try to move about and change position to help settle the air in your bowel. You can also try warm drinks, or peppermint water (sold over the counter at most pharmacies) or peppermint tea.

If you have a problem

It is normal to see traces of blood from your back passage if:

• you had polyps removed during the examination 
• you had biopsies taken during the examination
• you have some haemorrhoids that have been irritated

Blood clots or large amounts of blood are not normal so your GP or call the endoscopy department if you have any questions or concerns.  

Useful information

Guts UK is a charity that specialises in providing information about diseases and problems that people may have with their digestive system or gut.