What to expect from colon surgery

Bill - everyone's experience is different so you'll have to read a few replies, but I'll give you my own personal experience.

You don't say how old you are - I was only 38 and otherwise in good health, which might have some bearing on your experience.

Have you ever had general anaesthetic?

It sounds like you're having a right hemicolectomy, which is what I had - this didn't involve a colostomy at any point.

The surgery itself was easy, because I was asleep....before the op. I was pretty scared, but the time asleep is just a blank.

Spent a couple of days on morphine, a drip, and oxygen (because of the morphine).

I can't remember exactly when my bowel started moving again, but I had an urgent visit to the toilet, when black loose stools were passed - this was apparently mainly blood from the surgery.

Once I started eating I had problems because of an irritated stomach, and suffered vomiting for a few days - this was the low point.

Discharged after nine days, I was eating normally within another week (I think most get there sooner). Stools were loose initially but became normal in only a few days.

Within a month or so of discharge my bowel habits were pretty acceptable - maybe a couple of motions a day instead of one, but perfectly manageable.

I'm now on chemotherapy, which has brought looseness back on occasion, but overall I feel pretty good.

I know things don't always go this well, but at least you know that it possible to have this surgery and return to pretty good health.

Let us know how you get on - you are always welcome here! How soon until the surgery?

Hi Bill.
I was 29 when DX with colon cancer and had about 18" of my colon removed. First, they gave me a colostomy which was reversed just this past Oct. after my treatments were finished. It took me a while to have my bowls get back to normal -- if they can be normal again -- really a new normal. At first, I was going to the bathroom multiple times a day - about 4 to 5 times. Now, I can count on two a day. That's my new normal. However, if I am going to be someplace like the movies or a place I don't want to use the bathroom, I cut back on food earlier in the day - it always helps. Get some flushable baby wipes, you'll be using lots of TP, and these help with the "diaper burn" best of luck, I am sure you'll do fine
Bryan

Hi Bill,
It certainly was a shock for me to get my "routine baseline" colonoscopy (at age 53) back this Nov and discover I had a cancerous polyp. Surgery was a few weeks later, removing 6 inches of part sigmoid and part descending colon.
I was surprisingly calm about the surgery, having had 3 abdominal surgeries before. I was most concerned about pain relief, since morphine and it's derivatives make me horribly nauseous. My pre-op appt with anesthesia was key; the anesthesiologist listened to all my concerns, and we decided on an epidural, inserted just before surgery and general anesthesia, and like Kaqueel, left in for 3 days post op. It was like a miracle for me...no pain, no nausea, up walking the next day, home after 3 nights. Although my polyp was very small and did not penetrate beyond the sub-mucosa, I did have 1 microscopically positive node and am now on to chemo.
During my recovery from surgery, I moved slowly from bland, soft, comfort food to my more regular diet. I did find Metamucil helpful for a time to regulate the too loose stools, but things were getting back to normal before chemo.
I don't know what effect losing the connecting valve between small and large intestine will be, but I hope you can pose this question to your surgeon...I called back to the office with the questions I had after my initial appt...hope you have a doc with whom you can communicate. I really liked my surgeon and had great confidence in her skill. Good luck to you; you will get through this; and we are all here to help. Judy

bill1109 said:

I want to thank all of you who took the time to answer my question. I am just now going into this and even though the biopsy came back as higrade dysplasia, I know anything can be discovered during surgery. I lost a cousin to colon cancer when he was 52. This is why I went in to have a colonoscopy. I didn't feel sick or anything, in fact I am quite healthy.

These responses have been very helpful to me.

Bill, I am a 58 year old female and I had my colon surgery 4 years ago. I was in the hospital for 6 days, but they had me up and walking the day after surgery. Each day you will feel a little better. When I came home I felt weak, but not terrible. The only change in my bowel movement was the fact that before the surgery I was always constipated and now I'm not, so that's a plus. I had to have 6 months of chemo, but even that wasn't as bad as I had imagined. I never got physically ill, just very tired. You will do just fine. Try to think positive and after the surgery do everything your doctor tells you. You'll be in my prayers. Pat