Posted 1/14/2014 12:29 AM (GMT 0)
I had ischemic colitis. I was washing the dishes after dinner and felt the sudden need to have a bowel movement. I was on the toilet for a long time; cramping, bearing down, sweating profusely, etc for 1.5 hours. Finally I had a movement. I then had an intense burning sensation in my lower abdomen. Went to bed.
Awoke 2 hours later and had a BM that was a large, fist-sized blood clot. Then I passed straight blood every 15 minutes for an hour. Finally went to the hospital was I was promptly admitted.
The burning sensation lasted in my abdomen for almost three weeks after this event. My area of ischemia was on the left side. That's where the most intense pain ended up being.
If the bleeding has stopped, then there is no problem waiting for the colonoscopy. In fact, if an event is known to be ischemic colitis, waiting is preferred because there is less risk for perforation during the colonoscopy. Ischemic colitis can cause the area that was without blood to become very fragile.
I had a colonoscopy in the hospital because I also have Crohn's disease and the amount of bleeding had me on the verge of needing a transfusion.
If you are still bleeding, then I would think they would at least want to order blood work and perhaps an abdominal CT scan. If the bleeding is small or has stopped then it is not unusual to do the scope on a non-emergent basis. Hope this helps.