Thin stools after colorectal surgery
It has been over 2 months since I had my reversal and over 7 months since my LAR (removing a portion of the rectum) surgery was done but I still continue to have thin pencil like or even flat ribbon like stools.
I am really worried and was wondering if someone could offer their opinions on this.
Jack
Comments
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STOOLS
Hi Jack
I don't tell people not to be concerned but I had and still do have occasionally the same type of stools after many years. The colon when it gets shortened or pulled down to connect incisions just isn't as efficient as it once was. After all the digestive tract is shorter and I guess gravity might make a difference not having in travel up the ascending and then across the transverse and the down the descending. I guess you could think of it as a roller coaster where the big loop has been reduced so the ride is more direct without the longer time it would take to compact waste and water as it used to be. Hope your okay Lou1 -
Hi Jack
The best solution to your concerns is to talk to your surgeon. He/she will be able to give you best info as to if this is "normal" or something to be concerned about.
Wishing you the best,
Marie who loves kitties0 -
Same thing here
I also have very thin stools due to the hole that got smaller through surgery and scar tissue. I had terrible problems with constipation and had to go to the ER twice because I wasn't able to pass the stool. They were able to widen the hole through colonoscopies those two times. The hole was stretched wider both times. However, it ended up shrinking again. I had to learn to manage my bowels more efficiently so I wouldn't end up back in the ER. Now, I take Miralax and eat fresh fruits religiously to try to prevent constipation. I still have thin stools (ribbon like....maybe two pencils wide) but have been managing it effectively over the past several months.0 -
normal
My Oncologist told me this was normal. 2 Years later i still have thin stools. Occasionally I will have a normal stool. It is very occasionally. I asked a surgeon friend, whom told me it is due more to the body changes from the shorter colon, then from the restriction at the anastomosis.
Cancer is a new normal.
Best Always, mike0 -
Hi Jack- Like others have
Hi Jack- Like others have said, this is mostly normal. It has been 6 months since my reversal and I have the same thing, just not every day. The reason is when the rectum or even part of it is removed the connecting ends must be stretched to reach each other. This narrows the intestines at that area. In my case, my rectum was completely removed and they used the intestines to form what is called a J pouch. This acts as a makeshift collecting area so fecal waste doesn't come straight out. Unfortunatley, intestines do not expand like the rectum so the stool doesn't stay there long enough to grow in size. Thus, frequent bowel movements. Add to that normal scar tissue from surgery that doesn't expand and it could be very narrow. At my last visit with the surgeon he had to use a pediatric anoscope to check thing out. Which leaves me concerned about my upcoming colonoscopy. Anyway, you're still fresh after surgery so there's plenty of time for it to improve too. Good luck with it.
Take care, CJ0 -
double post
double post0 -
Everyone is different
I think everyone is different so I would definitely discuss it with your doctor. I have come across people like you and I have come across people who now have normal BM. There are a lot of factors that come in to play. How were you reconnected, what they actually removed in the first place. Surgeon's skill. I had a LAR in November 2011. A reversal in October 2012 and a month after reversal my stools were consistently coming out in the "S" shape people always talk about. Yes, if I eat unhealthy junk food my stools are affected but they were affected the same way pre-cancer. I had a straight connect and not the J-Pouch. Most of the studies I have read stay that J-Pouch's rebound faster but a year out the results are pretty much the same. I am very happy with my straight connect. Funny story about this.....when I got my first back to "normal" BM after reversal I screamed "Woo Hoo" My son got concerned and ran and knocked on the bathroom door. He asked what happened. I said come and look at my poop! He came in and said yep it's poop! I do that too once a day. He just did not understand my obsession with a normal BM. LOL0 -
Hi Jack,
I am wondering if you are still active on this forum and if you could comment regarding fecal incontinence long term past surgery. Is constant lookout for toilets and sometimes/often pooping one's pants in public the norm?
I've been told that in my case a raTME and very low anastomosis is technically possible, but I'm being steered toward an APR with permanent colostomy. There is no talk from doctors of recovery of function after a very low anastomosis, only bad or worse fecal incontinence and other LARS including sex problems.
I'm already loosing my sh.t over this decision, just mentally. Thanks
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Hi, I am wondering if you are still active on this forum and if you could comment regarding fecal incontinence long term past surgery.
I've been told that in my case a raTME and very low anastomosis is technically possible, but I'm being steered toward an APR with permanent colostomy. There is no talk from doctors of recovery of function after a very low anastomosis, only bad or worse fecal incontinence and other LARS including sex problems. Thanks
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Hi, same question, I am wondering if you are still active on this forum and if you could comment regarding fecal incontinence long term past surgery.
I've been told that in my case a raTME and very low anastomosis is technically possible, but I'm being steered toward an APR with permanent colostomy. There is no talk from doctors of recovery of function after a very low anastomosis, only bad or worse fecal incontinence and other LARS including sex problems. Thanks
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I'm new to everything here, so bear with me. I'm only 44 and was diagnosed of the colorectal cancer stage 2 last year. The chemo treatments were horrible, and I didn't get hardly any support from my husband (who was going through his first knee replacement at the same time) and still not getting any support from him, all he can do is criticize what's going on with my body. The radiation treatments, they ended up becoming a mess too. I'm 8 months from my last radiation treatment and changes to my body are weird to me. Luckily they caught mine early, so I was blessed with that, but ever since I got my colonoscopy done last March, going to the bathroom, I have to watch myself now. It's been a long journey for me, and still drove the bus (I'm a school bus driver for our district).
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Hi Tom, just wanted to let you know that I had my entire rectum replaced by a J pouch with LAR when I was 38 about 14 years ago. I was stage 3 between the sigmoid colon and the rectum. Things are pretty much normalized now, as long as I manage my diet, occasionally having to hit the bathroom up to 2 to 3 times a day. Not sure if anyone else has this problem, but I sometimes get stuck in the toilet, having to repeatedly go back straight away after cleaning up because my body thinks I’m done when I’m not. This usually happens when I eat something too spicy. I also have low uroflow. I thought it was a problem from the LAR but found out that it was due to an enlarged prostate. Everything else is good otherwise. Wishing you all the best.
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I'll chime in with another "my oncologist told me not to worry/it's common" comment. I've been fortunate not to have any experiences with incontinence. I would recommend taking a probiotic daily. My onc approves of this and it's actually on the list of my regular medications. I think it helps with a lot because the bacteria helps your system with the heavy lifting.
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Just an update here. I had a robot-TME plus anastomosis construction surgery on 23 August and recovered for 10 days in the hospital. The first week out things looked peachy. The wounds were minimal, the temporary ileostomy was working just fine. After that first week I started developing progressive excruciating pain in the rectal/anal area. I was given progressively more fentanyl, switched to oxycodone pills due to patches falling off because of sweating, morphine pills, back to fentanyl, but not checked because there was no fever above 38C. Finally I was admitted for endoscopy 29th Sep, when I saw along with the surgeons that the anastomosis failed terribly and went septic. 2cm and 7cm abscesses, perforations, occlusion of colon itself, everything looked like a rotting mess. I was immediately put on emergency surgery list, admitted on the 3rd, and butchered on the 6th of October. Everything had to be removed including 20cm colon, remaining rectal collar and sphincter through an open surgery - on both ends. I barely made it alive out of that one and spent 10+ days on three types of antibiotic drips. Now I've got a scar on my belly from the pubic bone to my sternum, and hole scars where the ileostomy used to be and the drain pipe. My bottom is sown shut from base of my penis to my tailbone, with a nice roll of skin sticking out between my buttocks. But I'm alive! And the new colostomy on the other side of my belly works well! It's in a way easier to take care of than constant pooping out the bottom that some report. But the faeces produced are even thiner than pencil and the consistency of dry crunchy peanut butter. So I am not surprised at anything that anyone with an anastomosis is experiencing as coming out of their bottom. My production has stabilised to once per 24hrs for about 30-90 minutes, only 6 weeks after surgery. In the morning and until the evening meal I could wear a plug and go swimming. It's the main evening meal that stimulates production. The point of this message is, insist to be seen by a doctor and that they use a scope or MRI, if you have any serious pain after surgery even without fever; don't sweat the thin poops, if the frequency doesn't improve over time, irrigation of the colon (enema) is the best method to have a break. Last also applies to folks with a colostomy that is overactive.
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Wow, that sounds like a lot. Human resilience is something innit
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