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Problems months after colon resection surgery: What Helps?
Three months after colon resection I had a severe stomach cramp this morning and have not had a bowel movement yet. This is the first time this has happened. So far things have been good.
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Hello @brian77 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am so glad you have found this group to normalize your feelings and realize you are not alone in your journey post colon surgery. Reaching out for support when recovery doesn't go like you may have thought is actually a really big step so bravo on that note.
What are the main pain points of this process that you would like to connect with other members on to support you?
Thanks for your reply, Lacy. I am able to sustain my life fortunately. I miss everything else about it though. I felt fine one day, then in a matter of hours my life changed. They tell me it will get better, but I think that's just what people say.
Hello. Although I didnt have same surgery as you nor chemo I did have radiation internal and external in 1985 for cancer of cervix stage 2 and eventually started my journey of late stage radiation damage to pelvis.... radiation damage to bladder etc. and the dreaded awful diarrhea... its been around 20 years and then C.Diff 2018 and fecal incontinence since... unless someone goes through this unpredictable, yes embarrassing, smelly, messy, PAINFUL, almost daily issue its hard for them to understand how life-altering it is.
Yes, you are so right that its a bit of a relief to be able to come on this site and discuss this and often others will offer some of their ways to cope. I am now 77 and only thing that helps is Imodium..sometimes, and my diet is plain and I could go on .
But this is about you: I hope that your body heals more as time goes by, even to the point of hopefully going back to work (I hope you have alternate income on which to live in the meantime as $$ stress doesn't help on top of it) and that one day there will not only be a "cure" for cancer but treatments that, unfortunately, keep us alive but so affect our quality of life. Take care. (p.s. I always keep with me a bag with toiletries in it no matter where I go so at least when have accident can clean up and keep going - although travel is now out of the question). J.
Hello, I had this surgery on my sigmoid colon on July 21st 2020. After, that, and 6 months of chemo I am coming upon a year. I have just about given up feeling normal again with all the bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, etc. Some of your testimonies have made me at least feel like I'm not alone. I know one of you said after two years you now feel normal. I don't know if I have another 13 months left in me. I'm 44, still out of work, off chemo just about 3 months. I don't know how to adjust to this with unpredictable embarrassing bowel issues that will certainly interfere with my work. I will say this is the first place where I have found others like me talking about this. Thank you.
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2 ReactionsAnd don’t be depressed. The recovery from this fairly invasive surgery can take a long time, even a year or more. The internet makes you feel like you should be fine to go back to work in two weeks. NOT!
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3 ReactionsHi, I am sorry this is harder for you. I only have one main 1 inch incision where the diseased colon was removed and 5 other little incisions that on the surface look good but sometimes hurt and my stomach is still distended. The colon massages my therapist has me doing help but sometimes my stomach feels sore. The massages are of the ascending, transverse and descending colon that runs in an upside down U, with the transverse colon running across right under the ribs and the two sides running up and down near the hips. It seems to help move things along. That and the Kegels and very deep breathing has helped. Have your doctor refer you to pelvic floor or rectum physical therapy and to a dietician to help you with what you can eat. Cream of wheat, applesauce, ground meats, canned green beans and canned fruits, white rice/mashed potatoes and lactose free drinks and foods seem to help me. And smaller, more frequent meals. The Culturelle probiotic and Benefiber help a lot and the enzymes from Whole Foods might help you with gas.
I had pain at the resection for a couple of months and it always went with gas and was told that even the pain right under my rib was from gas in the colon there. Felt like a heart attack once.
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2 ReactionsI’m with you. 3 months after colon resection, I still feel aweful. Pain in incisions, spasms in my bladder, and anything I eat I get bad gas pains. I’m also still swollen around c section cut and big hole above it. I’m not the same! So depressed
Same here!
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1 ReactionFour months post robotic, laparoscopic colon resection and still have frequent (although decreasing to about 5 a day) bowel movements and i have to push to evacuate even though the stool is very soft. Surgeon referred me to rectal physical therapy (pelvic floor, especially Kegel exercises). That and the passing of time has helped but I still must be careful what I eat. Also, I mix Benefiber with applesauce an hour before drinking liquids and that helps with constipation. I take IB Gard, Culturelle probiotics and Digestive enzymes. Not sure what helps. Have some sharp pain at resection infrequently (gas, I believe) and achy soreness at incision sites but manageable. .
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2 ReactionsNo burning but I have pressure and frequency
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