Hello, I had 12" of my colon removed. My tumor was just past the scope they use for a sigmoidoscopy. I am 20 years out and 64. I never got to a point where I didn't have trouble with bowel movements. My body just doesn't have much muscle down there anymore. If I don't take a stimulant, I just don't go. Unless I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, then I get diarrhea and cannot move away from the toilet. I now have a system down that works for me. I take a medication called Linzess each morning. It took a long time to get it synced to my system, I used to have diarrhea for 6 hours every morning. Now I take it first thing, with my pain meds (another long story) and my bowels wake up anywhere between 1/2hr to 2 hours after. I go 2 to 6 times and then I'm good for the day. I feel SOOOO much better getting cleaned out like this and I've learned to adapt my life so I can maintain. No one told me anything and I was very angry. So, I hope this helps some.