abdominoperineal resection

Michelle0922
Michelle0922 Member Posts: 8
in Colorectal Cancer #1

Hi there,

 

I'm looking for anyone willing to share their personal journey through APR. I'm especially interested in any complications that were encountered. I'm also looking for additional resources about the procedure.

My father had the procedure done on October 6 and has experienced (in my opinion) several complications from the surgery. He has spent the better part of the October and November in the hospital as a result of the complications. I'm struggling to find resources that address the possible complications such as pelvic abcess and urinary complications.

As it would seem aparent, this is such a difficult and very private cancer so I'm hoping to provide my dad with some information and resources from those who have made this journey.

I was so grateful to "stumble" upon this forum and hope to find some answers here.

Thank you to all!

Comments

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    #2
    You came to the right place

    You came to the right place but I'm sorry you're here. I didn't have that particular surgery but did have complications from my colon cancer tumour removal including both two abcesses (one split itself into two) and urinary issues. I also had an infection in my incision but that's another story.

    I may be of help but certainly someone on here can help. What are your questions?

    Jan

  • fatbob2010
    fatbob2010 Member Posts: 467 Member
    #3
    Welcome

    Hi Michelle,

    Good to hear from you, sorry that your father has been having so many problems.  Your father had a procedure that I have not experienced which keeps me from being too helpful.  There's no doubt in my mind that others will chime in shortly though.

    Welcome and keep us updated.

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,804 Member
    #4
    Welcome

    I am sorry that your father has joined the fray. 

    I too did not have the same surgery, but I bet someone around here has and will eventually pop on and answer you.

    Until then, you let us know what questions you have, and how we can help you help your dad. We may not have had the exact same procedure, but we're travelling the same road. 

    One of the first things that I did was to get a good notebook and pen and I wrote down EVERYTHING I was feeling or experiencing, and every question that came into my head. I mean everything, even the silly questions. To me, no question was too silly and I made sure my Oncologist, Radiologist, Surgeons answered all. 

    Sue - Trubrit

  • Michelle0922
    Michelle0922 Member Posts: 8
    #5
    JanJan63 said:

    You came to the right place

    You came to the right place but I'm sorry you're here. I didn't have that particular surgery but did have complications from my colon cancer tumour removal including both two abcesses (one split itself into two) and urinary issues. I also had an infection in my incision but that's another story.

    I may be of help but certainly someone on here can help. What are your questions?

    Jan

    Thank you for your kind

    Thank you for your kind response.

    Most of my questions are related to the recovery and progress following the APR surgery. I wanted to know of any complications others experienced, such as bowel blockagae postop and how long others took for recovery.

     

    Thank you again.

  • Michelle0922
    Michelle0922 Member Posts: 8
    #6
    fatbob2010 said:

    Welcome

    Hi Michelle,

    Good to hear from you, sorry that your father has been having so many problems.  Your father had a procedure that I have not experienced which keeps me from being too helpful.  There's no doubt in my mind that others will chime in shortly though.

    Welcome and keep us updated.

    Thank you

    Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it so much.

  • Michelle0922
    Michelle0922 Member Posts: 8
    #7
    Trubrit said:

    Welcome

    I am sorry that your father has joined the fray. 

    I too did not have the same surgery, but I bet someone around here has and will eventually pop on and answer you.

    Until then, you let us know what questions you have, and how we can help you help your dad. We may not have had the exact same procedure, but we're travelling the same road. 

    One of the first things that I did was to get a good notebook and pen and I wrote down EVERYTHING I was feeling or experiencing, and every question that came into my head. I mean everything, even the silly questions. To me, no question was too silly and I made sure my Oncologist, Radiologist, Surgeons answered all. 

    Sue - Trubrit

    Thank you for sharing Sue. I

    Thank you for sharing Sue. I appreciate it very much.

  • Michelle0922
    Michelle0922 Member Posts: 8
    #8
    APR Surgery, Recovery and Complications - INFO NEEDED

    I am looking for individuals who went through the APR surgery and recovery. I'd like to know what complicaitons may have been encountered and how long the recovery process was.

    My dad had an abcess removed 13 days ago following the APR surgery on October 6. He was readmitted to the hospital following his APR surgery because he was throwing up due to no bowel activity. He still has not had any bowel activity and few bowel sounds following both surgeries. He still has an NG tube 13 days post op.

    I've done some research but curious if anyone else would be willing to share their story of recovery after APR surgery.

    Also - my dad is not advocating well for himself and has basically done no reading or research about his cancer, surgery or recovery. Any advise from anyone who has made this journey is very much welcomed. Any children who may have parents going through colorectal cancer that may also have insight, I'd welcome your comments too. I'm also looking for web based resources that would have good resources for this type of cancer.

    What a wonderful community, I'm so glad to have found this site.

  • lp1964
    lp1964 Member Posts: 1,239 Member
    #9
    Hi Michelle,

    I am a 49 year old male and had the APR almost on the same day as your father a year ago for rectal cancer. I had the hickups for 5 days that was hard, because I could not sleep. My surgery was 10 hours, because they did a additional procedure by taking one of my abdominal muscles and folded it into the space where the rectum was. I was in the hospital for 6 days. Unfortunatelly the skin around my belly botton didn't want to heal so they had to go back after 6 weeks, clean it out and saw it up. I ended up with a colostomy and that nd the digestive issues still give me the most complications. Of course my butt was sore for many months too.

    Everybody is different and the patient's age plays a big role. Plus the type, size, location of the cancer etc.

    I hope he is doing better now, if you have any questions free free to ask.

    Laz

  • LindaK.
    LindaK. Member Posts: 506 Member
    #10
    lp1964 said:

    Hi Michelle,

    I am a 49 year old male and had the APR almost on the same day as your father a year ago for rectal cancer. I had the hickups for 5 days that was hard, because I could not sleep. My surgery was 10 hours, because they did a additional procedure by taking one of my abdominal muscles and folded it into the space where the rectum was. I was in the hospital for 6 days. Unfortunatelly the skin around my belly botton didn't want to heal so they had to go back after 6 weeks, clean it out and saw it up. I ended up with a colostomy and that nd the digestive issues still give me the most complications. Of course my butt was sore for many months too.

    Everybody is different and the patient's age plays a big role. Plus the type, size, location of the cancer etc.

    I hope he is doing better now, if you have any questions free free to ask.

    Laz

    Laz is a great contributor

    Michelle, Laz has been very active on this board during his pre-op and since.  I hope you are able to get some more information and possibly better care.

    I do know that NG tube is nasty.  My husband had one for about 14 days once, poor thing was so miserable with it.  He'd had them I think 4 times in total, but 13 or 14 days is brutal.  I hope your father gets on the road to recovery soon.

    Linda

  • Michelle0922
    Michelle0922 Member Posts: 8
    #11
    lp1964 said:

    Hi Michelle,

    I am a 49 year old male and had the APR almost on the same day as your father a year ago for rectal cancer. I had the hickups for 5 days that was hard, because I could not sleep. My surgery was 10 hours, because they did a additional procedure by taking one of my abdominal muscles and folded it into the space where the rectum was. I was in the hospital for 6 days. Unfortunatelly the skin around my belly botton didn't want to heal so they had to go back after 6 weeks, clean it out and saw it up. I ended up with a colostomy and that nd the digestive issues still give me the most complications. Of course my butt was sore for many months too.

    Everybody is different and the patient's age plays a big role. Plus the type, size, location of the cancer etc.

    I hope he is doing better now, if you have any questions free free to ask.

    Laz

    Laz,
    Thank you so much for

    Laz,

    Thank you so much for your response.

    My dad is still  not able to have a bowel movement and has not been able to urinate on his own since the surgery. I'm very concerned about this and wondering how to address these concerns. The doctor just keeps telling us to be patient but my family and I are concerned. I just want to know that it's normal for the bowl to shut down following this surgery and how long it might be before it begins to function again. He has been hospitalized nearly all of October and now most of November. They are now having issues with being able to keep his IVs in because the veins have been over used.

    Thank you again for your response. It is very helpful to talk to others who have made the same journey.

  • Michelle0922
    Michelle0922 Member Posts: 8
    #12
    LindaK. said:

    Laz is a great contributor

    Michelle, Laz has been very active on this board during his pre-op and since.  I hope you are able to get some more information and possibly better care.

    I do know that NG tube is nasty.  My husband had one for about 14 days once, poor thing was so miserable with it.  He'd had them I think 4 times in total, but 13 or 14 days is brutal.  I hope your father gets on the road to recovery soon.

    Linda

    Linda,
    Thank you for your

    Linda,

    Thank you for your thoughtful response. Your encouragement and support is very much appreciated. I hope your husband is doing well.

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,804 Member
    #13
    Michelle0922 said:

    Linda,
    Thank you for your

    Linda,

    Thank you for your thoughtful response. Your encouragement and support is very much appreciated. I hope your husband is doing well.

    Sadness

    Linda's husband passed away at the beginning of November.  Because Linda is such a special, and strong person, she continues to come to the forum to support us. 

    Sue - Trubrit

  • lp1964
    lp1964 Member Posts: 1,239 Member
    #14
    Michelle0922 said:

    Laz,
    Thank you so much for

    Laz,

    Thank you so much for your response.

    My dad is still  not able to have a bowel movement and has not been able to urinate on his own since the surgery. I'm very concerned about this and wondering how to address these concerns. The doctor just keeps telling us to be patient but my family and I are concerned. I just want to know that it's normal for the bowl to shut down following this surgery and how long it might be before it begins to function again. He has been hospitalized nearly all of October and now most of November. They are now having issues with being able to keep his IVs in because the veins have been over used.

    Thank you again for your response. It is very helpful to talk to others who have made the same journey.

    Dear Michelle,

    Of course it is not normal for the intestines to shot down this long, but it can happen. If your current doctors can't help you any further it is time to have a second opinion if you have an other institution where you live. I hope things turn around soon.

    Laz

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