Severe pain 1 yr after colon resection

Posted by kets @kets, Dec 12, 2021

My husband has Severe pain 1 year after 4 inches of colon removed because of diverticulitis. He Feels fine sleeping but when upright and going throughout the day, pain returns. When he eats, pain. When he goes to the restroom, pain. Nothing helps. He has had multiple CT scans with and without contrast. Nothing reported. Blood work shows elevation in neutrophils but everything else is normal. What could this be? He is becoming more and more discouraged.

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There is a pain called Phantom pain, which is the feeling in the amputated or removed part of the body. also the duration of the pain and severityit diferent from person to person because it is related to the brain and nervous system
I humbly advise your husband to not stay do not stay standing out for long periods of time or tire himself, And not to eat hard-to-digest foods or foods that cause gases, such as legumes, beans, chickpeas, ets. or raw needs such as onions and others also I advise him to drink boiled anise to relieve cramps in the intestines and relieve gas I wish your husband a speedy recovery

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Thank you for your reply. My husband only eats soft foods that are easily digestible. It doesn’t seem to help much. He’s in pain everyday and we don’t know where to go from here.

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Hi, in 2007 I had the same surgery (8") and I felt pain in my stomach that went away after ~1 year or more. I recently (October 2020) had a bit more of my colon removed because of another problem. I still have pain from the second surgery in the same general area of my abdomen. I thought it was another hernia, but CT showed nothing. It hurts when I cough, sneeze, and get in and out of bed. Bottom line: I was told that it may be scar tissue. It went away the last time and I hope it will again (12.17.21).

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I had laproscropic colon resection surgery on May 18 2022 my pain has reduced some but my middle section where the longest cut next to the navel hurts and feels like a rubber band is pulling inside whenever I have to pee it's very painful and hard for me to walk because of a cramp, saw my Dr post-op and he said it would get better the colon is still swollen and sore, I drink lots of fluids which have me going to the bathroom round the clock, I get very gassy also. I eat a low fiber soft diet no gassy food. Any advice for me.

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@lisa9

I had laproscropic colon resection surgery on May 18 2022 my pain has reduced some but my middle section where the longest cut next to the navel hurts and feels like a rubber band is pulling inside whenever I have to pee it's very painful and hard for me to walk because of a cramp, saw my Dr post-op and he said it would get better the colon is still swollen and sore, I drink lots of fluids which have me going to the bathroom round the clock, I get very gassy also. I eat a low fiber soft diet no gassy food. Any advice for me.

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Maybe, you are expecting too much a little too soon, it has only been a couple of months. It takes four months or more to start feeling better, but there are still bad days. Slowly, it should become less frequent. Naval surgery can produce a lot of discomfort for quite a while. I would get spirts of pain for no reason. Share your symptoms with your surgeon and doctor.

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@kets

Thank you for your reply. My husband only eats soft foods that are easily digestible. It doesn’t seem to help much. He’s in pain everyday and we don’t know where to go from here.

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Has the doctor ever mentioned adhesions? I would get a appointment with the surgeon or affiliate and have this checked out. Has he had a Colonoscopy recently? How is his appetite? Has he had weight loss? Does he have regular Bowel Movements? Any blood in the Bowel movements? Any vomiting? Please have this checked. Pain like this is not normal.

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My husband had his gall bladder removed in 2016 and complained of upper abdominal pain right after. He then began getting blood in his stool and they found flat polyps that could only be removed by a bowel resection. He brushed off the pain, assuming it was caused by the polyps. He had 18 inches removed and during follow up, mentioned he still had the pain from before. The surgeon(different one than did his gall bladder) told him it was ghost pains and sent him on his was. That was in 2017. His 1 year follow up showed more polyps, so they were removed and he was told he needed another colonoscopy in 2 years. Then covid hit. He finally got his colonoscopy early this year (2022) and he once again mentioned the pain. The doctor took it more seriously and said they'd look into it after this colonoscopy, which was completely clear. He never followed up. In March of this year, the pain became severe and he went to emergency. He was told there that he had gall stones that had been left behind, however the surgeon who did the gall bladder removal didn't speak to my husband personally and said she didn't believe the stones were causing his pain because they would have bothered him before now. If she's taken the time to talk to him, she'd have known he's been having pain for years. He is currently in hospital because the stones are blocking off the bile duct that allows bile into our digestive system. He has jaundice, and the bile backing up into his liver has caused severe infection. Because of covid surgery being backlogged, he's been in hospital 1 week, in severe pain, waiting to have the stones removed. Advocate for yourself because nobody knows our bodies better than us.

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This is unusual; some pain is normal after the surgery but maybe you need to seek a second opinion from an unrelated physician.

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@boucow - I feel for your husband! Abdominal pain for years without a good answer.
The remaining gallstones don’t have to be large- I had what they called “ gravel” that partially blocked the duct.
Are you at a major medical center now? I’m surprised that he has not had surgery yet- unless he’s being treated for an infection before surgery.
You are 100% correct in that you have to advocate for yourself. Your husband is lucky to have you to help him
Please let us know what’s happening! My very best wishes to your husband!

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I feel this occasionally now, 8 years after I had 6 inches of intestine removed for cancer. It sucks.

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