Hi Glasslhalfull! Love your name. A year ago October (2019) I also had a colon resection (cancerous polyps). Lost 12-15” and 45 lymph nodes. In the sigmoid area also. I remember thinking “it’s been 4-6 weeks Shouldn’t I back to normal???” Colleen wrote in a chat that it was early days and it would be longer before I would be healed up. And it was. At times a roller coaster ride of trying different meds and diet, exercise, etc. Changing when it didn’t work or no longer worked. I was healing but it was slow going. I am an active person too. We are better off having been active prior. Fast forward one year later. October (2020), a clean colonoscopy and I’m feeling much more comfortable with how my life is moving forward. That pain, maybe it’s the scar tissue (from cutting and reattaching) inflamed w/healing. Along with the constipation there’s tendency to bear down. It can cause that while area to be achy and sting. Definitely, passing softer stool will help. That’s about drinking 8+ glasses of water each day and eating fibrous foods. A stool softener may help. In time, you might find the Metamucil more doable. I exercise daily. I walk for 1-2 hours. It’s enjoyable, so I don’t mind doing it. You can do whatever floats your boat. Just the movement helps your body move the digested food through your system. I don’t know if you ever find the “perfect” plan. It’s a process and i have found that my “new” normal is not my “old” normal, but very doable. Keep at it and keep asking. If that area is very painful, your best bet is to reach out to your doctor or surgeon. You are still in your post-op timeframe, so your surgeon is a good resource.. I drink ducolax every am, exercise, then drink metamucil in rhe afternoon before my main meal. This seems to be working for me. With the lose of colon length, I found it is very important to “poop” daily. Not as much storage as there was before my resection, Getting backed up can snow ball and then I have a problem. I hope this info will help. You’ll put all the pieces together and figure out works for you. I’m confident in that 😊virgo

I am 4 months out. I still have quite a bit of soreness and burning/throbbing. I do find that ice packs help with the burning and bowels. I typically do ice packs when I go to bed or on days I feel particularly inflamed. I also take a stool softner and drink tons of water. I feel like I’m constantly trying new things with diet and exercise in order to figure out what works. Hang in there!!!!

I think that you should talk to your Surgeon. I had exactly the same surgery you had & I never had any pain afterwards. Good luck!

I’m 10 months out and I feel like I really turned the corner - ability to exercise and sleep without intense pain at 7 months. I still have bowel issues and pain if I eat the wrong thing or don’t drink enough water but it’s better than it was... hang in there - it does get better. I honestly sometimes don’t even know why it hurts but it does. My best advice is water water water and start working on getting full range of motion (stretching/walking). I also take gabapentin. I pour a pitcher of 2 liters of water everyday and I don’t go to sleep until it’s gone. I also take a chewable align probiotic. I noticed chewable was easier on my stomach for some reason. Hope you find what works for you.