Gastro recommended ct and colonscopy for mild abdominal pain/gas. 23 yrs old. if ct scan shows nothing, is colonoscopy necessary? no bloody stools

No: At 23 yo mild pain and gas will not be identified by CT and colonoscopy. The latter could pick up a possible polyp but not anything causing gas pains. A CT could only identify a large colon Ca but there would be symptoms of a mass and obstruction. Diet and GasEx should be tried before considereing colonoscopy at your age

Options available: CT scan of the abdomen may be indicated but not for mild pain alone. If the symptoms are progressive and there is concern for Cancer(unlikely in your age group), then only I would consider doing a CT. Similarly Colonoscopy is not indicated because of pain alone.If there is bowel irregularity or blood in stool Colonoscopy is reasonable to do. In your case I would watch /monitor for 4-6 weeks, then