rthornton, no colons, and semi colons-- help me, please.

It's interesting that I thought about you a couple of days ago, as I remembered you were having a total colectomy. I'm glad to hear the operation went well, but of course I am sorry to hear about the dehydration problems.

I never had problems with hydration, but my father had such problems when he had his colon removed (he has a J-pouch). He found that if he drank water, or any liquids, too quickly that they passed right though him as diarrhea. I think that one of the purposes of a colon is to absorb water from food, but without the colon to assume that responsibility a lot of water passes straight through (hence, many people with colectomies deal with excessive diarrhea). My father learned that, for him, he had a much easier time if he drank water but sipped it slowly. This way, his small intestine had an easier time absorbing the water and as an added plus it would not pass so quickly thru his system, so he had less diarrhea. Diarrhea will probably be the norm for you anyway, as your body learns to adjust to its digestive system. Eventually, you should adjust to it all but bathroom habits will never be the same. Most people, after colectomies, go to the bathroom several times a day. But again ... it's an adjustment. My father, after his surgery, would go about 10 times a day, and now he goes only 4 or 5 times. After my surgery, I was going 5 - 7 times, now only 4 or 5 times daily. You mention going on a liquid diet immediately, but I would guess that soon you will be placed on a low residue diet. After my surgery, for about two weeks I had to avoid high fiber foods. When the surgeon finally gives you the green light to eat whatever you want to eat, you might want to try adding fiber supplements to your diet and slowly incorporating high fiber foods back into your diet. They make the whole digestive process work much better. Also, I eat a lot of grits. That seems to slow down my system, so that I have less bathroom trips.

So, try drinking lots of water but drink it slowly, in small sips. Give your body time to adjust, and don't forget the trauma that your body has been through. I remember feeling impatient after my surgery and people had to remind me that I was still healing. And remember that fiber supplements and high-fiber foods will improve the performance of your new digestive system (but ONLY after the doctor takes you off the low residue diet).

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. I hope that everything works out very well for you.

Rodney

cal79 said:

I did not have the same surgery as you, but I had a temporary ileostomy which meant that the colon was not in use while the internal wounds healed. My stomal therapist advised me that one of the major functions of the colon is to absorb salt and water from foods. Therefore, after my surgery it would be a good idea to drink (or sip slowly!) electrolyte replacement drinks as they do a great job with dehydration while your body gets used to the new mechanics. This worked well for me, and I had no problems with dehydration or blockages after starting this . Hope all goes well!

Oh yeah! That is an excellent point about the colon absorbing not only water from food, but also bile salts. Without a colon, these bile salts can pass right on through the small intestine all the way through the anus, and they can create a burning sensation when you go to the bathroom. But again, it is an adjustment that your body will make. Eventually, the burning should go away.

For me the burning did not go away until very recently, but that is because I developed an anal fissure. My father had much better luck (no fissure for him!) and the burning stopped much sooner. It's just a part of the healing/adjustment process, and only something to keep in mind. You might never experience the burning diarrhea, which would be good. I just want to mention it because no one told me about it before the surgery.

Best wishes!

Rodney