colon surgery recovery

sweets005
sweets005 Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My mom recently had her laproscopic colon cancer surgery last Friday. The good news is that it was only in stage 1. The other news is that she's having problems recovering. I guess it's not just too serious, but her colon has inflated and she has some blockage there and she is constantly throwing up. So, now they have put a tube into her stomach to stop the throwing up. They say it just takes time for the colon to come down and start working again. Her blood pressure has went up too. I'm just so very worried. Does anyone know how long it takes for the colon to work again???? Any advice???

Comments

  • HowardJ
    HowardJ Member Posts: 474
    #2
    Hi,
    I had a laproscopic right hemicolectomy last December. The nursing staff were obsessed (just kidding) with ensuring I had passed gas. Once I did they started me on clear liquids, then full liquids, then soft food. That's about the time I left the hospital--about 5 days post surgery. Then it was another day or two before I moved my bowels for the first time.

    Sorry you mom is having trouble. I've heard that the older we get the longer it takes to recover from major surgery.

    Howard
  • kerry
    kerry Member Posts: 1,313 Member
    #3
    I agree with Howard. The first milestone for me was to pass gas. Who would have thought that would be a milestone!!?? Then as Howard said, I was put on clear liquids and slowly introduced to solid foods again. I was in the hospital 8 days and the bowels began working a little by the time I was discharged.

    Good luck

    Kerry
  • Betsydoglover
    Betsydoglover Member Posts: 1,248 Member
    #4
    Sorry your Mom is sick, but I had the same experience as everyone else. I had laparoscopic removal of the sigmoid colon in June - first pass gas, then clear liquids and finally solid food the day I was discharged (day 5). My bowels were working a little by then.

    It does take a while for them to really return to normal. By then I was on chemo, so there is no telling what they would do now if left to themselves!

    Betsy
  • chynabear
    chynabear Member Posts: 481 Member
    #5
    Betsydoglover said:

    Sorry your Mom is sick, but I had the same experience as everyone else. I had laparoscopic removal of the sigmoid colon in June - first pass gas, then clear liquids and finally solid food the day I was discharged (day 5). My bowels were working a little by then.

    It does take a while for them to really return to normal. By then I was on chemo, so there is no telling what they would do now if left to themselves!

    Betsy

    I echo almost word for word what Betsy says.

    Betsy, I have been off of chemo since mid-April. It takes time, but they eventually remember what they are suppost to do. Initially, I would get very constipated. I started taking Fiber supplements and that helped as long as I didn't forget to take them. Then, I adapted a new eating diet entirely; one filled with fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grain breads and my BM's are almost perfect.

    Tricia
  • kangatoo
    kangatoo Member Posts: 2,105 Member
    #6
    chynabear said:

    I echo almost word for word what Betsy says.

    Betsy, I have been off of chemo since mid-April. It takes time, but they eventually remember what they are suppost to do. Initially, I would get very constipated. I started taking Fiber supplements and that helped as long as I didn't forget to take them. Then, I adapted a new eating diet entirely; one filled with fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grain breads and my BM's are almost perfect.

    Tricia

    Time is the best healer.I am glad to hear that they have caught it at stage 1. The amazing thing is that we are able to have the bowel begin to work again within days of being invaded and cut up. Quite amazing! Sometimes however it does take some time. That is why they wait until gas is passed before allowing fluid or food intake.I was in a bad way for a couple of days with the body trying to cope. This caused me to feel really sick; high fever, feeling faint,high blood pressure, very nauseus and generally pretty horrible. Not unusual, I was told. I passed gas in 4 days and after that recovery was fairly quick. My bm's did not return to anything near normal for almost 9 months, but then the chemo was the cause of most of that.As your mum had a laparascopic procedure rather than a full midsection operation I would expect her to recover much quicker.
    Hopefully your mum will see some improvement in the next few days.
    cheers kanga n Jen

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