Associated symptoms
Stomach pain after a gastroscopy can be accompanied by other symptoms. Some are harmless, while others require closer attention and possibly a renewed presentation to the treating doctor. Since the presentation of the stomach mucosa is much easier when the stomach wall is stretched, a gas-air mixture is blown into the stomach.
Although this is sucked out towards the end of the gastroscopy, small amounts of gas may remain in the stomach. Therefore, the belching of air is a common accompanying symptom. Some patients feel bloated and feel a slight nausea.
If the gas-air mixture is passed into the intestines through the contractions of the stomach and duodenum, flatulence and wind may occur a little later. The symptoms described so far are due to the procedure itself and are not serious. Although serious complications of gastroscopy are extremely rare, certain accompanying symptoms should prompt prompt prompt action.
These include severe stomach pain and a tense abdominal wall. The occurrence of fever combined with stomach pain or strong vomiting, especially when the vomit is receiving blood, are also signs of a dangerous complication. These side effects could indicate perforation of the stomach or duodenum, which is rarely observed but is one of the possible complications of gastroscopy.
Diarrhoea can occur as a result of a gastroscopy over several days. Initially, this has no disease value, but is a normal side effect of the gastroscopy and the measures taken during it. The preparation for the gastroscopy includes a shorter period of fasting in order to empty the bowel sections to be examined.
This allows the bowel movement to remain soft to fluid for a few days. Furthermore, the introduction of a foreign body during gastroscopy can irritate the stomach lining. This can cause minor inflammation of the mucous membranes, which can lead to bleeding, pain and diarrhoea.
Flatulence is a common symptom after gastroscopy. In addition to the flatulence, unpleasant belching can also occur. The air gets into the stomach during the gastroscopy. Usually the sphincter muscle between the oesophagus and stomach protects the digestive tract from excess air. By inserting the camera into the stomach, larger amounts of air can be swallowed, which after the gastroscopy leads to a feeling of fullness and later also to flatulence.
Which abdominal pains are (still) normal after a gastroscopy?
After a gastroscopy, slight pain is normal, which disappears within a few hours. This is usually due to the gas-air mixture remaining in the stomach, which is either absorbed through the stomach lining, passed on to the intestine through the stomach contraction or pushed open. Slight abdominal pain or pain in the lower abdomen as well as flatulence are also normal and occur with great regularity after gastroscopy. In individual cases, the gastric mucosa, which is somewhat irritated by stretching during gastroscopy, can cause slight pain the following day. However, if severe (blood) vomiting, severe pain or a tense abdominal wall occurs, a doctor should be consulted immediately.
