What is a good diet after colon surgery? Are probiotics good?

Posted by lynda48 @lynda48, Dec 30, 2020

My husband had almost his entire colon (5' of it) removed 8 months ago after diagnosis of Stage 3 colon cancer. There has been a problem with diarrhea ever since: 5 - 8 loose stools each day and the occasional accident when he does not make it to the "reading room" in time. Any suggestions for diet to (1) keep hydrated enough when there is no large bowel to absorb water (important since he also has only one kidney and diagnosis of moderate kidney disease) and (2) have firmer stools rather than chronic diarrhea. Dietitian has recommended that he drink lots of water for hydration and physician said he can take 8 tabs of Immodium daily plus Metamucil and eat lots of water-absorbing fibre (like bran buds instead of bran flakes) to reduce diarrhea. Increasing Immodium and Metamucil has helped a bit but still suffers from diarrhea on a daily basis. Any ideas??? Suggestions about foods he should avoid or foods he should eat?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Colorectal Cancer Support Group.

joanielorraine | @joanielorraine | Nov 13, 2023

Would like more information.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Nov 12, 2023

In reply to @ruthpasley "Just had surgery 1 week ago. The above diet is pretty much what I've been eating..." + (show)

Welcome @ruthpasley. What a relief that you haven't had to change your diet. Will you have any further treatment beyond surgery? How are you doing today?

ruthpasley | @ruthpasley | Nov 7, 2023

In reply to @colleenyoung "Hi @lynda48 and welcome to the Colorectal Cancer group here on Mayo Clinic Connect. I'd like..." + (show)

Just had surgery 1 week ago. The above diet is pretty much what I've been eating .

rjjacobsen | @rjjacobsen | Oct 23, 2023

FWIW - I had my colon completely removed in Feb 21 - that's different thing than having a resection. Because there's no colon to absorb excess water to enable a semi-solid stool, I'm always "runny". Because the water takes up space and the colon also acts as a storage area for feces, I have to go much more often. They did recommend taking a thick slurry of Metamucil or equivalent to absorb the water for a while post surgery - that helped the runniness some, but didn't help with the frequency.

I have no formal dietary restrictions post-surgery and 22 months post-chemo - I do eat smaller meals with a few snacks between as suggested post-surgery. That's a different story than when recovering from surgery and enduring chemo.

Some heavier fats used for deep-fat frying can be difficult to digest - I have a list of places to avoid (grocery stores and KFC) - but most fats are well-tolerated in occasional and moderate use. I did some ginger ale while doing chemo, but the sugar and corn syrup sweeteners can aggravate the runniness. Also I only do small amounts of chocolate. In short, if something I eat causes me grief, I take note and consider avoiding it in the future.

sueb4bs | @sueb4bs | Oct 22, 2023

In reply to @sdwf2314 "meat and potatoes sometimes white rice stew gravy some fried chicken and fried pork chops bacon..." + (show)

TRY A PLANT -BASED DIET! AVOID ALL GREASE AND FATTY FOODS. TRY YOU TUBE FOR SUGGESTIONS ON PLANT-BASED RECIPES THAT ARE VERY TASTY. HASN'T YOUR NUTRITIONIST ADVISED YOU? /// Do reach out for help, honey..

chateau | @chateau | Jun 10, 2023

In reply to @sdwf2314 "meat and potatoes sometimes white rice stew gravy some fried chicken and fried pork chops bacon..." + (show)

Worst diet ever! Colon cancer patients should NOT eat meat except fish and at a push, chicken. Tough red meat cannot be easily broken down, also there is a strong link between meat diet and cancer in the first place 🤦‍♀️

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jun 9, 2023

In reply to @ciebenton "I've just had colorectal & intestinal surgery which kind of diets should I be doing" + (show)

Welcome @ciebenton, to help answer your question and to connect you with others, I moved your post to this existing discussion:
- What is a good diet after colon surgery? Are probiotics good?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/diet-after-total-colectomy/

I agree with @gigi4 that you should contact your surgeon's office for recommendations on diet and a referral to a dietitian.

How long ago was your surgery? May I ask the reason for the surgery?

scolio | @scolio | Jun 9, 2023

In reply to @ciebenton "I've just had colorectal & intestinal surgery which kind of diets should I be doing" + (show)

By 'just had surgery', do you mean two days ago? Two weeks ago? Were you sent home with any written instructions? Do you have someone at your home who can help you?