If your child has a digestive problem, his doctor may decide that he should have a colonoscopy. A colonoscopy is a test that will give his doctor an opportunity to examine his colon from the inside so that she can best treat your child's health problem. Understanding a little more about the procedure will help ease any concerns you or your child may have.
Reasons
The most common reason a child would need a colonoscopy is to find the cause for abdominal pain, diarrhea or blood in the stool, according to the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. Other potential reasons a child might get a colonoscopy include pain in the bottom, black or tarry stools, weight loss, changes in bowel movements and inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease.
Before the Procedure
Your child's colon should be completely clear of stool before the colonoscopy. Therefore, her diet the day prior to the procedure should be free of anything but clear liquids, such as water, soda, iced tea, electrolyte solution, gelatin, Popsicles and clear broth, according to the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. Your physician will also instruct you to give your child a bowel cleansing medication prior the day before the procedure. Your child shouldn't have anything to drink or eat after midnight the night before the procedure; only allow sips of water or electrolyte solution up to four hours before the colonoscopy. The colonoscopy may be canceled if your child consumes anything within four hours of the procedure.
During the Procedure
Medical staff will give your child medication that will keep him comfortable during the colonoscopy, and a pediatric anesthesiologist will administer general anesthesia. The physician performing the procedure will insert a long flexible tube into your child's rectum to view his colon with a tiny video camera that has been affixed to the tip of the tube, according to Johns Hopkins Children's Center. The image of your child's colon will appear on a video screen. Small pieces of tissue will be taken into the tube and then sent to be examined at a laboratory.
Afterward
The physician will talk to you directly after the colonoscopy to let you know what she observed. Your child will go to a recovery room where you can stay with her until she wakes up and has something to drink. Once at home, supervise gentle activities such as reading or television watching and don't be surprised if she dozes, has a sore throat or experiences some nausea or vomiting. Wait until she tolerates clear liquids before you try to feed her anything. If she feels well the next day, she can go to school and resume her regular activities. You will get more information about the procedure when you get the full report from the laboratory about a week later, says Johns Hopkins Children's Center.
When to Call the Doctor
Your child should feel fine after the colonoscopy, but if he has stomach pain that lasts more than an hour or if he vomits multiple times, call his doctor just to be on the safe side, recommends the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Also mention any fevers or blood in his stool that persists beyond one to two days after the procedure.
