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.

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@thull

Hello @mouse1
Diverticulitis is what caused my issues. I first had emergency surgery and ended up with a temporary colostomy for 6 months in order to let the infection clear up. When they did the reversal, the adhesions were bad and caused a blockage in my small intestine. They opened me back up at day 10 in the hospital but couldn’t get to it. I went home at day 17 with a PICC line and on TPN for nutrition. It all cleared up after about another 2 to 3 weeks. One thing that I focused on to help was gently massaging my abdomen and picturing the adhesions releasing and also lots of prayer!
But then diverticulitis came back bad about 2 months later and ended up with surgery #4. They did a Deloyers Procedure. All told, I think they removed about 2 1/2 feet of large intestine. I unfortunately have moderate gastroparesis now so my diet might be different than most on here. Low residue/ low fiber is what works best for me. Sometimes I have to take Senekot when things seem to get sluggish. With all the surgeries, where they had closed the colostomy up the incision area started pulling and was uncomfortable, so surgery #5 was a scar revision and it looks pretty good. It was all pretty scary at times, especially at first when we did not know if there was cancer. Thank God there wasn’t! I have had family/ friends supporting and helping take care of me so a good support system is important. After surgery, I drank a lot of Boost Breeze which is a clear drink that has 9 grams of protein and 250 calories per container. They had it at Mayo, and I was able to order it by the case on Amazon when at home.
I hope all goes well for you. Keep us posted!

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Hope now you are feeling much better x

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@kathyoung

How are you doing now?

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Getting discouraged.
I have a telephone consult with my G.P. on Monday so I can at least ask her about the pain being on the right side. Apparently she will see me if she thinks it’s necessary.

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@tracy430

I'm also 3 months post op. I'm always having some kind of pain. I just had my 2nd CAT scan since the surgery. Everything looks fine, all my labs are fine. I'm still severely constipated. I know I needed this surgery, but I still can't help regretting it.

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I’m sorry you’re still in pain after 3 months! I too needed the surgery (although I wish now I had done more research). I’m only not quite 3 weeks out but so far it is nothing like I anticipated. I wonder if anyone feels like their old self?

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I am 9 months after bowel resection and still sore , more so at night when i lie down , just a polop i did not even know i had , like most people. no proper. info from hospital , i. had scan month ago and it was ok , its a tough time. and. takes a long. time to get better , for. me anyway ,, but. hopefull its going right way , 😉 good luck to you all ,

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@troyhenn22

Hope now you are feeling much better x

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Thank you for the well wishes. It gets a little better every day... My surgery was on August 31, 2020. A right hemicolectomy, which means they removed half of my large intestine and some small intestine on my right side. All due to a polyp found in my appendix / non cancerous.

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@kathyoung

Getting discouraged.
I have a telephone consult with my G.P. on Monday so I can at least ask her about the pain being on the right side. Apparently she will see me if she thinks it’s necessary.

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Thank you! My surgery was on August 31, 2020. A right hemicolectomy, which means they removed half of my large intestine and some small intestine on my right side. They also removed nearby lymph system. All due to a polyp found in my appendix / non cancerous.

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@mouse1

Thank you! My surgery was on August 31, 2020. A right hemicolectomy, which means they removed half of my large intestine and some small intestine on my right side. They also removed nearby lymph system. All due to a polyp found in my appendix / non cancerous.

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That is extensive surgery! How are you doing?
My pain seems to be improving, however, I have an incision that is about 3 inches in the lower abdomen that has a small red section. Not sure if that indicates infection. Seems like one step forward and two steps back!

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@kathyoung

That is extensive surgery! How are you doing?
My pain seems to be improving, however, I have an incision that is about 3 inches in the lower abdomen that has a small red section. Not sure if that indicates infection. Seems like one step forward and two steps back!

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I too felt it was extensive, especially for a non cancerous polyp in my appendix. Surgeon explained it was better to remove more vs less due to blood supply and possibility of un seen cancer (guess it's like having a mastectomy vs lumpectomy). BTW no cancer was found, Thank God! I'm doing better day by day (Thanks for asking). I do need to watch what I eat and limit amount. If I eat too much I get pain and diarrhea. I'm still keeping physical activity very limited as scares have not fully healed. I have about a 2 inch "P" shaped scare going from my bellybutton up, a 1 inch scare on my left side, and a 1 inch scare about 2 inches under my bellybutton. I also had a small red section on my P scare that was sensitive to the touch but in the last week, it is no longer red and not painful if touched. I also feel the same, "one step forward and two steps back!" when it comes to getting back to normal... So far, the one plus is that the pain is much less day by day. How are you doing? I often read these posts to get an idea of what to expect going forward (since what surgeon told me was not close to reality). Sending some prayers your way in hopes you feel much better.

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Yes surgeon and nurse dont give you proper info about any thing going on ....,Crazy really , i had polop removed on bowel resection , ahh i was told no big deal a little cut and sew it back , , i got infection after 2 weeks ended up on vac machine for 6 weeks , now 10 months getting there but still sore when i lie down or eat late , told before hand i will be back to normal in 6 to 10 weeks , i had months of pain x sorness and pulling and draging in my tummy , only now 10 months its getting 👍 ok , good luck 😉

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@mouse1

Thank you for the well wishes. It gets a little better every day... My surgery was on August 31, 2020. A right hemicolectomy, which means they removed half of my large intestine and some small intestine on my right side. All due to a polyp found in my appendix / non cancerous.

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my was end jan , only now getting some sign of being a little normal ,,, kinda sore at night when i lie down, tightness x stiches pain , ,xx

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