can colonoscopy cause diverticulitis

I had a routine colonoscopy a year ago. They told me everything looked pretty good. I did have a hiatal hernia and some diverticulosis and NO polyps. After I woke up I felt a hard area above/under my navel. I asked and they said it was gas from the scope and it will go away. A few days later I felt tons of bubbling and started to bloat up. This would get worse after being on my feet most of the day....mainly towards the end of the day. I called my family doctor and he said everything looked fine on the colonoscopy and he didnt think it was anything to be concerned about. After a few days of this I started having diareaha. I once again called the doctor and they had me come in. All he did was push on my stomach and gave me some vicodine. A few more days went by and by this time the vicodine was making me constipated. I felt bubbling and lots of painful bloating which sent me to the er. It actually felt as though I had a bowling ball in my gut and for some reason, my female parts hurt. I made it through the weekend by laying around, drinking lots of fluids and not eating much. Monday I called the doctor again because I couldnt even make it through work. This was awful. I missed so much work. Finally I talked him into doing an H-pylori test and a stool check. After that he put me on Naproxin for the pain I was feeling all around my ribcage area and under my navel. This was not helping me. I called him back and he got angry with me. He told me I was stressing. Actually I was crying because I was so fed up with feeling so dang weak. This went on for a few months and finally I went to the obgyn to make sure it wasnt female related. I couldnt hardly have a normal bowel movement and also was starting to have a hard time urinating and it was very concentrated when I did go, even though I was drinking tons of water. My uterus felt huge to me. She found that I had bacterial vaginosis! She treated me with metrodiazinol for 7 days. I felt somewhat better but not quite myself. Bloodwork showed high white cells. I just wasnt feeling any better and all I wanted to do was sleep. Two more trips to the ER. They gave me a pain shot, a pelvic exam and sent me home. I missed my whole summer and didnt get to swim once in my new pool. I went back to the doc and he yelled at me and told me to take these samples he gave me for two weeks. I asked him what they were and he said it was for pain. I got home and realized it was Cymbalta, an anti depressant. I looked this up on the net and found that it is also used for some pains. I didnt take it...I was furious. I found a new doctor and he did bloodwork and my white cell count was climbing. He ordered a ct scan and low and behold, I have diverticulitis!!!! I felt like I was dying. I never had intestinal problems before that colonoscopy!!!! I was put on Metrodiazanol and leviquin at the same time for about a month. Also was told no seeds, nuts, tomatos or anything that would get stuck. I finished all the meds and he took more blood. White cell count still high but not quite as high. That weekend I broke out in a red rash under my breasts that sent me to Urgent Care. She told me it was from all the anti biotics I had taken. A yeast infection but I did not have that in the female region. She gave me some cream. By monday I felt like I had shingles or something going straight through my chest to my back and my whole back was locking up and also my neck. My new doc ordered another ct scan and there was still some inflamation. He sent me back to the gi doc who did the colonoscopy. This guy seemed nervous to me. He offered to put me on meds used for treating e-coli, (forgot the name). I took these for two weeks. When I followed up, he asked me if I wanted more! He had a gastric emptying done on me and he said mine was very slow. He wants to put me on a low residue diet. I tried this for 3 days until I became very constipated from not eating veggies or fruit. I was also sent to oncologist for tests pertaining to the high white cell counts. He ordered bloodwork, bone scan and bone marrow biopsy. Finally the high white count was dropping and the bone marrow and bone scan came out fine. Here I am a year later and Im still having problems and I cant get any help. Did he injure me during that colonoscopy??? Did I get bacteria from this procedure?? I will never know but I am miserable. I dont feel the same anymore. I am very depressed and I always feel sorta weak. I have lost 25 lbs and am trying to lose some more so they cant blame things on my weight or diet. My question is this.....could I have gotten this from the colonoscopy and did it cause this diverticulitis? And why does it feel like gas is escaping my intestines and getting into my system. ( I no longer pass any gas) I feel like I have a leak. Where do I go from here and how do I live again. I thought colonoscopies were supposed to be a good thing, but Im a mess and now its affecting my marrage because I never want to go out anymore. I feel handi capped now. The worst thing is when Im in a sitting postion on the couch. Something feels not right and it feels like its being pinched or something so in order to get comfy, I have to prop myself back. The only relief I get is laying down. Please help me. I want to live normally again. Im missing so much in life now. I feel like I was failed my the medical field. And now they want to know if I am under stress....dah!!!!!

I'm only a teenager...but after hearing the severity of the pains you have, mine are merely nothing. I really truly feel for you and I am pissed at the doctor that did this to you. I read somewhere on the net that there is a chance that a colonoscopy can cause intestinal scraping and tears. So my guess is that you are right. Also, you need to take serious action regarding this...only you know your body the best so take some action to complain against the doctor. I hope everything works out for you. God bless you!

[caroline2007]

hi

i am sorry to hear about your ordeal with your doctors, i would definitely take it further. you have enough to deal with.

i get diarrahea intermittently a lot with lower left sided abdominal pain. i have had this for about 5 years now. i used to pass mucus but over time i am now passing blood along with the mucus and whether or not the stools are loose there is always the presence of blood. I have lost a lot of weight when an attack comes on and feel really drained. After a rectal exam with my doctor who said there was a lot of blood, i was sent for my second colonoscopy. I have had 2 colonoscopy (one recent) they took biopsies but said otherwise it was normal and they did not find anything wrong. I do not feel well since this colonoscopy either but nothing like you just pain and discomfort especially when i eat.

It is very frustrating as it is ongoing and ive tried eliminating things from my diet, eating more fibre, reducing alcohol etc and nothing has worked.

I am not an expert but I want to try to help the best that I can. First the diverticulosis you had before the colonoscopy, some people just have it and it doesn't bother them until an infection occurs and you develop diverticulitis. I do highly doubt the scope gave you an infection because I have watched and had about 14 scopes myself (because I have ulcerative colitis) and they are very thourough about sterilizing scopes and using lubricant that is sterile. Now it is possible that an infection developed because of something you ate that got caught in one of the "tics" or pockets in your intestines, that is what the antibiotics should have cleared up. Now it sounds like you have had some pretty miserable doctors, but please don't write off all doctors as jerks, because there are some fantastic ones out there.

I am just curious if a chest xray was ever taken. Also when you are laying on your back and if someone pushes on your abdomen and then lets up, does it hurt worse when they push down or when they let go?

I would say to do some searching and find another gastroenterologist. He/she may want to do another scope, but they also maybe able to help explain what is going on.

Caroline-
I have a high index of suspicion that you have ulcerative colitis. I know that the tests aren't saying you do, but those sound like classic signs to me (I have had it for 11 years now) Everything you explain I have dealt with.

Perhaps you should try a different gastroenterologist, because it is not normal to be losing this blood and you are probably anemic and it is causing you to feel run down.

Im not losing blood. Im the person on the top who had diverticulitis and they could not diagnose it for 6 months due to a normal colonoscopy. All that they found was a hiatal hernia and a small amount of diverticulosis. The next day is when everything bad started happening....they said i was wrong, everything looked great on the colonoscopy. Well everything didnt feel right ever since they did that darned thing. I kept telling them and telling them I felt like I had something going on even the next day. This took 6 months and a new doctor who finally found my white cell count climbing and did a ct scan and saw it. Thank God for him...at least he beleived me. I was so sick for months and i even had 3 trips before him to the er, where they just gave me pain shots and sent me home. I thought I was gonna die!!!!!!

diverticulosis is pouches that form in the colon wall, diverticulitis is an infection of these pouches. If you're not passing gas and it feels like it's leaking inside of you, THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!!!!!!!!!!! I went to the ER in Sep. 05 and presented with lower left abdominal pain and pain in the genital region (like i'd been kicked in the nuts, to excuse the expression).............. turns out my colon had ruptured due to diverticulitis and I had to have a major operation, wear a colostomy bag for 6 months and then go through a reversal surgery in April 2006............. DIVERTICULITIS IS NO JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope my warning isn't too late...................

Dave
31yo male

[Max]

I've had about ten colonoscopies. After each one I have problems with constipation, bad bloating and a feeling of gas building up in my stomach. This can go on for about 2-6 months. My doctor wasn't any help but I visited my wife's naturopath and she told me that the preparation fluid that you drink to clean you out before the colonoscopy also cleans out all the good digestive bacteria. For some people this takes longer than others to re-establish and without it, you're digestive process has problems. Also, depending upon the amount of biopsies taken and the skill of the surgeon doing it, this can in my case at least, cause digestive problems to last for a few weeks until they heal.

The natuopath told me to eat yougurt with all the bacteria/Acidophilus bifidum etc in it a couple of times per day after a colonoscopy and I now get over the symptoms in just a few days.

However, if this doesn't help it may be more serious as the others here have suggested. The introduction of bad bacteria might be a possibility so make sure you persist with a diagnosis.

I have experienced something similar to what you have talked about. It is too bad that symptoms are often ignored by doctors especially if you are female. If I may go on a tangent, women have been regarded as hypochondriacs in the past. It is no wonder that hysterectomy which comes from the Greek is the idea that we can cut out the hysteria by cutting out the female organs. O.K...I guess that's enough for now.
In any case, although this has been a few days that I have been unable to have a bowel movement, I am beginning to get angry and believe that the colonoscopy could have led to some scraping (as one person mentioned in another response something which I thought could have happened), and if the instruments were not thoroughly cleaned (I know we'd like to think they are but nurses, medical assistants, and doctors are people too with human frailties) I do believe that we can contract bacteria from others who may have certain problems such as diverticulitis or whatever bacteria cuases diverticulitis (granted I am not a doctor).
After the colonoscopy, the paper was filled out and I left. I was not too groggy but groggy enough not to ask pertinent questions such as (1) when will I have my next bowel movement; (2) and what types of foods should I eat and how much after surgery. I think before they boot you out of there, they should provide one with a bit more information. These are the types of information that should be provided before one leaves or given to one on a piece of paper instead of a list of four or five conditions that would require your return.
I am sorry to hear about your frustration and lack of response, and while I do not endorse lawsuits, I would, despite the form that you signed for consent, consider making a case against them for all of your pain and suffering.

[cattle]

I have two comments after trying to find info. on this subject for my mom who has had two colonoscopies, the second to check things out after many symptoms discussed here were occurring after the first. Now they say she has ulcerative colitis and these symptoms did not occur until she had the colonoscopies. The first was an article from the FDA about the machine or method used to clean instruments. It was a FDA Public Health Notification: Custom Ultrasonics. Inc. Endoscope Washer/Disinfectors dated Feb. 27, 2007. If you need more info go to www.fda.gov. This was a regulatory action that was taken because "the company failed to comply with FDA regulations that help ensure devices are safe and effective". This could certainly pass infection from one patient to another. But how would we ever find out about these things? Hospitals or facilities doing these procedures aren't going to voluntarily tell you the machine that cleans these instruments may have caused a problem. I would urge everyone to check out the cleaning method your doctor/facility used.

The second comment is about eating yogurt for recharging the good bacteria in your gut. My mom's doctor told her to get VSL#3. Go to the web site sigmatau.com. This is the good bacteria in large quantites, dry form, you can sprinkle on cold food. It seems to lessen some of those symptoms of bloody/mucousy stools. Hope this info helps someone.