Colonoscopy: How It Feels

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How It Feels

This test can be uncomfortable and you may feel embarrassed. The colon prep will cause diarrhea and cramping which may make you use the bathroom often during the night.

During the test, you may feel very sleepy and relaxed from the sedative and pain medicines. You may have cramping or feel brief, sharp pain when the scope is moved or air is blown into your colon. As the scope is moved up the colon, you may feel the need to have a bowel movement and pass gas. If you are having pain, tell your doctor.

The suction machine used to remove stool (feces) and secretions may be noisy but does not cause pain.

You will feel sleepy after the test for a few hours. Many people say they do not remember very much about the test because of the sedative.

After the test, you may have bloating or crampy gas pains and may need to pass some gas. If a biopsy was done or a polyp taken out, you may have traces of blood in your stool (feces) for a few days. If polyps were taken out, your doctor may instruct you to not take aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for 7 to 14 days.

Last updated:	August 11, 2008
Author:	Monica Rhodes
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Peter J. Kahrilas, MD - Gastroenterology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Tracy Landauer