Problems months after colon resection surgery: What Helps?

I am sorry you are having trouble. Have you spoken with the doctor that did your recheck? I would definitely mention it to them and see if they can help. Are you in any pain?

I had surgery in October of 2014. I am still here to tell the story! Thankfully I had a wonderful care team of Doctors and Nurses. I was 51 years old when I was diagnosed and I had my 59th birthday this past May. If you or your brother need to talk or have any questions, let me know. I am always happy to help people. I was in fear back then as well, so I get how he is feeling.

I had a total rectal resection last year (over a year ago). I’m very narrowed in the rectum but have been able to have bowel movements due to high fiber diets and lots of liquids. Up until I had a colonoscopy and lower EUS for a recheck and now I’m having trouble getting stool through. Has anyone experienced this? I’ve never had issues with constipation. Always opposite but can’t figure out if it’s swelling due to the procedure or what…? Help!

Experimentation seems to be the best way forward after a colon operation. I'm 77 and had a colorectal resection a month ago to remove a tumour along with 10" of colon and was a bit nervous at first about what to eat, not wishing to stretch the new joints in the pipeline. But on the whole I've been pleasantly surprised at how easy it has been - some initial diarrhoea / constipation but a mild laxative cured the latter and now I'm eating like a horse again with lots of boiled / mashed potatoes, pasta, noodles, green leafy vegetables, carrots, fish, chicken, tomato juice, muesli and bio yoghurt. I've cut back on red meat and alcohol. So plain food on the whole although I did have a South Indian curry and a beer a couple of days ago, with no after effects! This diet seems to work quite well for me and I hope for others too.
I think plenty of exercise helps - my target is 5,000 steps per day but I only achieved that 3 times over the past week.

I can relate to "tasting so good" going down, but the next hours are hell. I am struggling with self-discipline when it comes to eating. December 14th I will have my sigmoid removed, 10 days. I'm praying for a good outcome.

Yes,I am learning what foods hurt my belly and I know not to be too far from a bathroom.

It’s questionable when the Dr. Says we can eat anything we want because that is not the case. I was told the same thing and it’s not true. I struggle to keep any food down.

Si como comenté a mi todo hasta ahora ha ido bien, he hecho mi vida normal, como de todo dentro de una dieta baja en grasas, pero por lo demás todo bien gracias a Dios.

Saludos

It does get better. Adjusting and finding out what foods that I could tolerate seemed to be trial and error. Gas issue becomes less with time. Sometimes it can be frustrating because symptoms don't seem to always follow a predictable pattern. What helped me was to proceed as if things were like before (as much as possible be positive) and walking. Be kind to yourself, baby steps.

Hello @brenda57

There are clear protein drinks (no milk products) that you might look for. They are sold on Amazon and in some stores. You might try one of them to see if they produce as much cramping.