I get the general impression that even gastro docs really don't want to deal with this issue. It is unrewarding for them. I read in one scientific article on google scholar that if pain is a significant symptom for the patient before the resection, it is likely that it will be also after resection and even possibly worsen. I do recognize that there are times when the patient has no choice because the disease has progressed to the point that there is a danger of perforation. That is a difficult lesson I learned from caring for my husband through all his illnesses and surgeries: the illusion that docs will have an answer for every condition or even a correct diagnosis. There is a bit of the wizard of oz effect going on in the culture of medicine. As one wise poster said some time back, we glean what information that we can from a provider and then move on. I am grateful that Mayo has made it possible to learn from all of you. One thing that I learned on this Mayo site that has really help me with gas is to do the abdominal massage. I also read that they use that in caring hospice situations. I started looking at hospice/ and constipation due to cancer because it is a serious problem in those situations. I have learned that even in these conditions, the issue of constipation is not fully addressed.