← Return to Problems months after colon resection surgery: What Helps?

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@colleenyoung

Hi Debbie, 5 weeks really isn't a long time to heal from such a major surgery. As you read through the past posts of other members, you'll see that you're not alone. Are you drinking plenty of fluids to help make bowel movements easier?

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Replies to "Hi Debbie, 5 weeks really isn't a long time to heal from such a major surgery...."

hi colleen, thanks for responding. im not having issues with bowel movement . when i empty my bladder i get pains. makes me feel lke i have a bladder infection/uti. the pain radiates to my back and my legs and i feel like urinating alot

I had that for several weeks, maybe a couple of months, with extreme pain on the right side where the robotic arms entered to go to the left to remove the diseased section.
And every time I had a bowel movement, I had burning urination also. Not sure why the bladder is affected but maybe it is just upset from being jostled around. I too had a CT Scan that showed no problem. I am now 6 months in following my 2/4/21 laparoscopic robotic colon resection. I have not had pain for months but the remaining issue is the frequency of bowel movements, sometimes as often as 8 times over a 24 hour period. And even though they are very soft, sometimes diarrhea, I have to strain a bit to go and the stool is sometimes pencil thin.. I am having an MRI Defecography to see what seems to be causing an obstruction but have to wait two months for that unusual test.
But bottom line, my special Rectal Therapist said all colorectal surgeons tell her it takes at least a year to fully recover from this major surgery. Try massaging your colon. It runs in an upside down U right under your rib cage and down each side to your hip bones. My pain was especially bad right under my left rib cage and that is where the colon turns to go down. Food can get backed up in those turns on each side so massaging there really helped me. My therapist trained me on this. The massage softens the scar tissue also so healing is faster.

Colleen, I said two conflicting things in my previous response just now. My major ongoing pain at first was in my right abdomen where the robot arms entered but I had a couple of painful heart attack-like sharp pains in my left abdomen right under my rib cage where the colon makes a sharp turn.