Sigmoid colon resection: What to expect for recovery?

I too had stage 3 colon/rectal cancer 10 years ago. I was treated with Folfox and Oxaliplatin. I didn't seem to have any complications with the 5 fu pump. Infact, I commented to my oncologist that I had to remind myself that I had cancer. She stated that the 5fu pump was in combination with the radiation and it would be a different situation when I started the Oxaliplatin. That was so true. It was awful. I couldn't touch or eat anything cold . I had to use gloves to take something out of the refrigerator. I have now been diagnosed with Peripheral Neuropathy and foot drop that seems to be getting worse.
It takes awhile to get back to a new normal. I took extra underwear and clothes for the uncontrollable situations.
It does seem to add extra anxiety for going out but it does get better. I drink a Boost Plus Vanilla or Walmart brand with a tablespoon of Metamucil Fiber unflavored 4 in 1 and Gas X for the gas. Figure out what you can't eat ( mine seems to be chocolate} that gives me gas. Sometimes, I still eat it knowing what it will do.
Stay positive. It will get better. We are still here. So God has a plan.

Hello! I recently had to get 6 inches of my colon removed because of diverticulitis. It’s been four weeks and I am now having pain in between my ribs and under my left rib. A lot of gas and just belly pains. Has this happened to anyone else? Just wondering if it’s indigestion and my body adjusting or if I need to be concerned. The pain usually happens after I eat.

@ambrosia1323, four weeks is a relatively short time after such a major surgery. You are still healing. Hopefully you are feeling small improvements everyday. If you're concerned at all, you should call your surgeon''s office to be sure.

You might also be interested in connecting with others who have had the same surgery to help diverticulitis here:

- Colon Resection for Diverticulitis and Chronic Constipation
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/colon-resection-for-diverticulitis-and-chronic-constipation/
- Colon Resection for Diverticulitis , Yet Still Having Pain.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/colon-resection-for-diverticulitis-yet-still-having-pain/

Same happened to me. I’m one month past 12 inches of sigmoid colon removed due to adhesions from my hysterectomy.
It’s been a rough recovery. My sigmoid colon was twisted and stuck to my side wall, I spent two years begging doctors to go in to see what’s going on and being dismissed. Eventually they did and an extensive 7 hour surgery was done. I’m now adjusting and worried I will have reoccurrence of adhesions. Did you? How are you now?
These were some of my adhesions.

Hello @nouveaustyle and welcome to Mayo Connect. As you posted your experience in the Colorectal Cancer support group, I'm assuming that the sigmoid colon surgery was cancer-related? I ask, because not all sigmoid surgeries are related to cancer.

If you could provide more information as to the type of cancer, I can connect you with others who have had a similar experience. If you do not have colorectal cancer, I'd be happy to direct you to other discussions in the Digestive Health support group that deal with sigmoid surgeries and adhesions.

Yes I went through it and that’s good about 2-3 months. How are you doing now

Rectocele surgery?
Can anyone elaborate? Gynecologist, urogynocologist or proctologist to repair. Finding out I have one of these and curious about the surgery and which type of Dr. used?
Down time? Reoccurrence?

Taking Linzess for motility issues.

I had surgery to remove polyps. The removed my sigmoid colon and some lymph nodes. They sent it off for biopsy (it’s just normal procedure in UK) They found stage 3 colon cancer
Apparently it was not seen when colon was removed as I was an emergency (my polyps had burst and I collapsed in pain). So if it hadn’t been for my collapse, the cancer would have spread. That was nearly 3 years ago. I now have regular scans/bloods. So please be careful and ask for a biopsy if any polyps removed. My overall recovery was 3 months. 7 weeks in hospital, the next 5 weeks at home.

Hey everyone,

About 9 months ago I had 14cm of my sigmoid removed due to Diverticulitis. In almost every respect my QoL has improved drastically. Prior to it, I had urgency, loose BMs, pains, aches, etc. Turns out the portion they removed was just permanently inflamed and basically not working at all.

For the first couple of months post surgery, my BMs normalized, no more urgency, everything is perfect. After about 3 months I started to get gas. At first it was off and on, but nowadays I seem to get excessive gas almost daily. I eat a high fibre diet, drink lots of water, get lots of exercise and have normal BMs (usually one sometimes twice a day). Has anyone else experienced this? I've started trying out probiotics (I'm one week into the first one to try). Really hoping I can figure out a way to control this.

Hello @tribalbob and welcome to Mayo Connect. Congratulations on your successful surgery. It sounds like many of your symptoms were relieved since part of the sigmoid was removed.

Regarding the excess gas, I would, of course, encourage you to talk with your doctor if this continues to be a problem. However, you might consider some dietary changes. I see that you are eating high fiber and also drinking a lot of milk. It could be one or both of these are contributing to the excessive gas. Some types of fiber will contribute to bloating and gas more than other types of fiber. Also, as we age, the lactose in milk can cause digestive issues.

You might consider keeping a food journal to see what foods or liquids might be triggers for the excessive gas. Also, requesting a consultation with a registered dietician at your hospital might be helpful to you. Registered dieticians are a treasure for anyone who has had surgery of the digestive tract. This is their area of expertise, and they can offer suggestions for post-surgery problems.

I look forward to hearing from you again. Will you post again with an update?