Problems months after colon resection surgery: What Helps?

Hi Colleen,

i had the surgery in mid of March 2022. for full thickness intussusception. as i had to sit around 10 to 30 mins to fully evacuate my bowel. part of sigmoid colon removed

however since surgery, things got worst i feel I cannot even evacuate 10% of what i used to do. only can pass stools if they are watery othersise cannot. and stools are thin like ribbon.

i feel there is some blockage at the point of surgery. had a CT scan yesterday and nothing was found. is it possible that CT scan do not detect anastomosis stricture. should i ask for colonoscopy.

My Surgeon says things will improve by time but it is getting bad, i am sure things are not moving as they should to Rectum.

Look forward to any helpful advice.

The first one was to remove a cancerous tumor and I had two areas that were resected (one was at the sigmoid and the other was removal of ileocecal valve and appendix ovary etc) so two resections. About 10 days after that initial surgery, I was still hospitalized and feeling very sick. It didn’t get better and my drain was producing fecal material so they opened me back up and there was a leak at theresected site (the one at the ileocecal area) Two months later I developed a small bowel obstruction and it wouldn’t clear so they removed a portion of small bowel. Unbeknownst to any of us, my small bowel was possibly knickers and I developed an enterocutaneous fistula. They couldn’t fix it surgically because I was not strong enough for another procedure so we just waited to see if the bowel would heal. Ultimately it didn’t and the fistula broke loose and perforated my colon. I had emergency surgery and a fourth resection. I developed sepsis and also had a small leak so I was put in full bowel rest for 12 weeks (five of those weeks in the hospital)

I am definitely an unusual case and had lots of set backs. But the only thing that I also good things that happened. I never had to have a colostomy and I am now doing really well. I haven’t had any LARS symptoms and I’m able to eat what I normally was (I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and a somewhat high fiber diet). I feel like because I have ulcerative colitis, my colon probably was already inflamed. At the time, I felt overwhelmed with everything that went on, but I do feel like it all happened the way it had to. I do still have bloating and I don’t think that will ever go away but compared to a lot of people, my struggle is minimal

May I ask what are the high fiber diets you eat. Along with my resection I have diabetes and gastroparesis so my diet is totally messed up.
Thanks,
Karina

I eat a diet pretty much identical to what I ate prior. I have been gluten and wheat free for a long time, so I don’t eat any bread or cereal products with much fiber because the GF varieties are pretty stripped. But I eat salads every night, cucumbers (with skin), brocolli and brussel sproits, green beans (both cooked and raw) apples and berries. I also have a shake daily that does have a lot to superfoods and fiber in it, and protein bars with fiber. I eat all types of protein and the only foods I really avoid or limit are popcorn.

I had colon resection..laparoscopic AND open due to adhesions on Jan 4. I thought I was healing great. But now it has been 8 weeks and I have hot pains all across lower abdomen and stabbing pain where surgery was. I just had a THIRD cat scan and they say EVERYTHING looks fine...but I HURT and I BURN. I am SO frustrated!

Doc told me 3 weeks after mine” you can eat whatever you want”. Yeh, wrong!!!!!! I ate eggplant last night and had a severe stomach ache! It’s been 5 weeks post op. I get pains and spasms every day. What makes you feel hasn’t healed???

May I ask a question about having a stool test done. Over many years and maybe due to radiation of pelvis (cervix) a long time ago I have frequent diarrhea; my souse also does now after about 6 yrs ago radiation, anal cancer; we eat a reasonably plain diet and have diarrhea many times thru the week and take IMODIUM/loperamide. Anyway lately it has been so often and 2018 I had C.diff from too many antibiotics for bladder infections, it was awful. Now with us both going so much and I see mucous in my stool and wondering if we should both have fecal test for bugs, c.diff, Giardia???
QUESTION is though i have read not to take anti-dirrhea meds for TEN DAYS before stool test which is almost impossible.... what can we do??? I already have had 7 bms with only one IMODIUM ... if we stop taking imodium for ten days I dont know how to stop the diarrhea etc. Any suggestions please??