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Is a Patient's Stomach Pain Hours After a Colonoscopy a Sign of Something Serious?

A healthy 59-year-old hops on a plane after a colonoscopy and falls ill. Did she pick up a nasty bug, or is it something else?

By Tony Dajer
Feb 11, 2020 2:30 PMMar 1, 2021 3:41 PM
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(Credit: Shutterstock.com)

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The middle-aged woman on the gurney trembled, stopped, and then shook again. It seemed an internal alarm wouldn’t shut off.

“I’m pretty fit,” Kelly half-apologized through chattering teeth. “Even followed guidelines and had my pre-birthday colonoscopy today. But it seems I can’t stop shaking.”

The nurse’s triage note read, “Shakes, chills, nausea, and palpitations while on a plane today.” Beautifully nonspecific, I thought.

Kelly’s heart rate clocked in at 120 beats per minute, which is abnormally fast, but her blood pressure and temperature were OK. As for her medical history, she took only a daily statin for cholesterol. Indeed, she was in good shape.

“What did you eat on the plane?” I asked.

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