Problems months after colon resection surgery: What Helps?

Posted by joyce1 @joyce1, Feb 25, 2017

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.

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

Profile picture for Ingegerd Enscoe, Alumni Mentor @astaingegerdm

@tazjess23 - Welcome to Connect! I’m so sorry to hear how your boyfriend is suffering.
Is he home or in hospital? Do the doctors know about the fevers? If not, let them know at once. They probably have to do a CAT scan to see if anything changed. Again, having fever now is not good- help him get in touch with his doctors.
There could be something going on causing both the pain and the fever.
Please get back to us!

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@tazjess23,I know how hard it is watching a Loved one suffering! Sorry I just read your post. Did he have colorectal cancer? I would tell you like anyone else to GET INTO THE DOCTORS FACE! But I'm not sure if they would let you since you are not married to him! RIDICULES!! As Ingregerd asked is he in the hospital someone should be concerned about his temperature!
I would try and get in the doctors face anyway to see what you can get some answers! Try going over their heads to someone in charge! I know I sound callous, but I have learned over the last 20 years that someone has to act like the patients advocate!
Sundance(RB)

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Profile picture for tazjess23 @tazjess23

I have so many questions I’d like to ask all you guys in this group. My boyfriend just had the surgery on December 7, 2020 and he is in excruciating pain and cannot move his leg some days and has fevers that go up and down he had a fever today of 101.9, The doctors don’t seem to care at all about his pain all they wanna do is another CAT scan, they’re not even giving him pain medication, he said the pain is so excruciating he doesn’t wanna live anymore because how can anyone live on like this and dr’s don’t seem to care at all... his pain comes and goes but the fever is scaring me I am able to bring his fever down with Tylenol and I gave him ibuprofen for the leg, when will he start feeling better will he ever start feeling better is what I’m scared of💔 I am sorry to be reading stories on this site but I’m also grateful as well because all these posts are helping me to know that I am not alone with him..

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@tazjess23 - Welcome to Connect! I’m so sorry to hear how your boyfriend is suffering.
Is he home or in hospital? Do the doctors know about the fevers? If not, let them know at once. They probably have to do a CAT scan to see if anything changed. Again, having fever now is not good- help him get in touch with his doctors.
There could be something going on causing both the pain and the fever.
Please get back to us!

REPLY
Profile picture for troyhenn22 @troyhenn22

Really so sorry to here you are still in pain and not right yet . But i can just say it has taken me 12months this month to feel 99% normal slowley you will see it getting better , I know surgent or nurses give you no proper information . keep your walks , drink water as much as you can ,, it will get better , but i do hope sooner for you god bless

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I have so many questions I’d like to ask all you guys in this group. My boyfriend just had the surgery on December 7, 2020 and he is in excruciating pain and cannot move his leg some days and has fevers that go up and down he had a fever today of 101.9, The doctors don’t seem to care at all about his pain all they wanna do is another CAT scan, they’re not even giving him pain medication, he said the pain is so excruciating he doesn’t wanna live anymore because how can anyone live on like this and dr’s don’t seem to care at all... his pain comes and goes but the fever is scaring me I am able to bring his fever down with Tylenol and I gave him ibuprofen for the leg, when will he start feeling better will he ever start feeling better is what I’m scared of💔 I am sorry to be reading stories on this site but I’m also grateful as well because all these posts are helping me to know that I am not alone with him..

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Profile picture for Ingegerd Enscoe, Alumni Mentor @astaingegerdm

@riana1 - Welcome to Connect!
Your new pain and discomfort sound a bit worrisome and you should probably check with your doctor.

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Thank you for the warm invite. Definitely will consult with doctor. I had to reflect on changes I intentionally or unintentionally made to my diet and lifestyle that maybe impacting my healing. One change I unintentionally made was not taking my daily stool softener with Linzess. I restarted that regiment and feel a noticeable improvement. I also changed my eating habits. Eating at 9 am and again between 3&4 pm. Nothing after 4 pm. The pain has almost vanished. It’s one section around the mid to lower stomach area on left side that’s somewhat tender and slightly painful. I will give it a few days since its only been a few days making changes. Again thank you for sharing your thoughts and suggestion.

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Profile picture for Ingegerd Enscoe, Alumni Mentor @astaingegerdm

@riana1 - Welcome to Connect!
Your new pain and discomfort sound a bit worrisome and you should probably check with your doctor.

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Appreciate the warm welcome! I will see the doctor once I return back to Illinois from Louisiana. I am wondering if the changes in environment is playing havoc on my inner healing. Fluctuating temperature does cause me discomfort in the tummy. Thanks again for the invite and suggestion.

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Profile picture for marcellesims @marcellesims

I too had a sigmoidectomy op - 20th November 2020 due to a severe stricture from UC... my recovery has been nothing like I was lead to believe. Prior to surgery I was reasonably fit and was as prepared as I could be for my surgery (in hindsight there was so much information I wasn’t told prior - that I should have been told - eg - nerve endings being damaged / urinary issues / pelvic pain - the list goes on). Follow up post op has been non existent and a joke.. a phone call 6 weeks after. I either have chronic runny stools or constipation, a bloated gut (I could pass for 7 months pregnant) revolting smelling gas which my poor family have to live with - they never complain . All wonderful different sorts of pain - mainly at the resection sight - the pain I have been experiencing the last week is constant and if I stretch or move the wrong way the pain is a 10/10 - takes my breath away. I never know how much pain I am supposed to deal with - what’s normal and what’s not. I have been back to my GP - a couple of times - had a CT scan about 3 weeks ago and everything looked normal - on the outside i suppose. Nothing feels normal - everyday I am anxious and stressed about what the day will bring -how much pain will I have to deal with / will I be near a public toilet / what happens if I need to pass wind (it’s like an explosion - nothing discreet about it) .. I have been walking for about 45 minutes a day - everything I’ve researched has advised to undertake physical activity...I just want my normal life back - none of this is what I expected... 🥲.. I just want a normal bowel motion once a day and to be pain free and not pain every time I am doubled over in pain...this is so frustrating - coming up to 9 weeks post surgery..

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Really so sorry to here you are still in pain and not right yet . But i can just say it has taken me 12months this month to feel 99% normal slowley you will see it getting better , I know surgent or nurses give you no proper information . keep your walks , drink water as much as you can ,, it will get better , but i do hope sooner for you god bless

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@riana1 - Welcome to Connect!
Your new pain and discomfort sound a bit worrisome and you should probably check with your doctor.

REPLY
Profile picture for Colleen Young, Connect Director @colleenyoung

Hi Joyce,
I'm so sorry to hear that you are experiencing such pain 3 months after your colon resection. I'm bringing @starrlight @sallyg @nannytart and @travelgirl into this discussion to see if they have some advice to share. It is painful to not have had a bowel movement. How long has it been since you've had one? Are you drinking plenty of fluids?

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Hello I just registered and not sure how to navigate site yet. I wish to get feedback on some symptoms I just recently started having. Had bowel surgery due to scar tissue adhesions 11/13/20. I have been taking Linzess and a stool softener to keep things moving along. Years ago I had gastric bypass surgery which I believe caused the adhesions. Anyway I have been able to eat with no problems that is until 1/15/21. All of a sudden my inner stomach feels tender and sore inside as if I just had surgery. Sharp pain in lower left bottom stomach and passing gas doesn’t seem to relieve it. For a couple of days my right side near liver was extremely tender inside and when pressed on. I cannot sleep on my stomach or sides only on my back. Anyway experiencing this?

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Profile picture for cdnmom @cdnmom

Not yet, but I will ask when I next see him. I will say that I increased my water intake to the maximum amount I could tolerate, and that seemed to help (thanks for the tip!) . Also, nearly exactly at the three month mark, my stomach finally released the stiffness it had had since surgery, and I had a few days of it being soft and palpable. I immediately added in exercise probably too quickly, and noticed that on this fourth day it has stiffened again a little bit, but it’s still better than it was. So there’s one story for those searching about how quickly you can expect recovery. In terms of how far along my recovery is, I can walk about one or two miles flat right now (hills continue to slay me), I’m allowed to do five minutes on the bike, and my physiotherapy still looks mostly like stretches. But I’m feeling pretty good.

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Just a follow up a week later.. I took someone else's advice and even though my bowel movements are quite regular and of no concern, I decided to add LaxaDay back into my daily routine. I'm happy to say that between that and more water, the gallbladder area pain has reduced to a more tolerable place, so that's great advice for anyone else experiencing that.

This is indeed a new normal. It's very clear that I won't be "bouncing back" anytime soon - this will be a slow, gradual recovery. So glad to be able to read through everyone else's stories so it doesn't feel so lonely and unexpected.

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Profile picture for cdnmom @cdnmom

Not yet, but I will ask when I next see him. I will say that I increased my water intake to the maximum amount I could tolerate, and that seemed to help (thanks for the tip!) . Also, nearly exactly at the three month mark, my stomach finally released the stiffness it had had since surgery, and I had a few days of it being soft and palpable. I immediately added in exercise probably too quickly, and noticed that on this fourth day it has stiffened again a little bit, but it’s still better than it was. So there’s one story for those searching about how quickly you can expect recovery. In terms of how far along my recovery is, I can walk about one or two miles flat right now (hills continue to slay me), I’m allowed to do five minutes on the bike, and my physiotherapy still looks mostly like stretches. But I’m feeling pretty good.

Jump to this post

I too had a sigmoidectomy op - 20th November 2020 due to a severe stricture from UC... my recovery has been nothing like I was lead to believe. Prior to surgery I was reasonably fit and was as prepared as I could be for my surgery (in hindsight there was so much information I wasn’t told prior - that I should have been told - eg - nerve endings being damaged / urinary issues / pelvic pain - the list goes on). Follow up post op has been non existent and a joke.. a phone call 6 weeks after. I either have chronic runny stools or constipation, a bloated gut (I could pass for 7 months pregnant) revolting smelling gas which my poor family have to live with - they never complain . All wonderful different sorts of pain - mainly at the resection sight - the pain I have been experiencing the last week is constant and if I stretch or move the wrong way the pain is a 10/10 - takes my breath away. I never know how much pain I am supposed to deal with - what’s normal and what’s not. I have been back to my GP - a couple of times - had a CT scan about 3 weeks ago and everything looked normal - on the outside i suppose. Nothing feels normal - everyday I am anxious and stressed about what the day will bring -how much pain will I have to deal with / will I be near a public toilet / what happens if I need to pass wind (it’s like an explosion - nothing discreet about it) .. I have been walking for about 45 minutes a day - everything I’ve researched has advised to undertake physical activity...I just want my normal life back - none of this is what I expected... 🥲.. I just want a normal bowel motion once a day and to be pain free and not pain every time I am doubled over in pain...this is so frustrating - coming up to 9 weeks post surgery..

REPLY
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