still hurting after 1 year

meadcolo
meadcolo Member Posts: 5
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Thankfully my husband got a positive report after his 1 year postop from colorectal resection surgery for stage I cancer, unfortunately his problems with painful and hyper-frequent trips to the bathroom haven't improved much. He has tried fiber, no fiber eliminating certain foods etc. Nothing seems to help. Does anyone have any dietary suggestions and or books they would recommend? Thanks for any and all feedback, and God Bless everyone on this snowy Colorado Easter!

Comments

  • Alexander_D
    Alexander_D Member Posts: 3
    #2
    Happy Easter, Meadcolo.
    I've heard before about some good effect of cottage cheese with flaxseed oil. Here are some links regarding some diets I found:
    http://home.online.no/~dusan/diseases/cancer/cancer_dr_budwig.html
    http://www.road-to-health.com/news/36/36.htm
    I've not researched it yet properly. Probably, it's too good to be true. You can research it further. I'll do it too.
  • valeriec
    valeriec Member Posts: 348 Member
    #3
    Dear Mead,
    Glad to hear your husband got a good 1 yr post-op report. Sorry, I can't help with the other problem, but I'm sure others will post with ideas.
    God bless-
    Valerie(Another Snowy Colorado Gal)
  • nudgie
    nudgie Member Posts: 1,478 Member
    #4
    What does his doctor and/or surgeon say about the long term situation with using the bathroom and pain?

    Have you spoke with a nutriontist?
  • Shoda
    Shoda Member Posts: 12
    #5
    Providing all is well with the actual re-section and okay'd by surgeon/physician, you might have to try by trial and error foods which might agree with your husband. I am 2 years post-op, and gradually finding my way to a diet which agrees with my "new" system. With my family drs supervision, I started with whole wheat rice only and added foods one at a time to see what I could tolerate. Turkey/chicken and fish are great, red meat causes me much grief. So far, all fresh vegetables are fine, but certain fruits are problems. Eg, apples/oranges are great, but cannot tolerate grapefruit. Go figure. Both in the citrus family. I have to stay away from processed food (canned & bottled cause problems) sauces, and gravies are too rich. I don't eat in restaurants, it usually causes problems. Six small meals a day, rather than three large. Coffee a no-no, but clear tea (black or green) is fine. I was told by hospital after re-section that I would be able to eat a normal diet, but have found that not to be the case for me. I think everyone is different, and I find if I stick close to "my diet", I am free from problems and have total comfort. I steer clear of pop, alcohol, (Rats, I love a glass of wine now & then)and make my own juice. Sorry to be so "long-winded", just wanted to let you know what worked for me. Congrats on your husband's 1 year post-op and best wishes for many more.
  • soozi
    soozi Member Posts: 6
    #6
    Hi Meadcolo,
    Still wondering if you have found any answers. I had satge IV rectal cancer with mets to 15 lymph nodes. I am 14 years a survivor and have found that the bathroom is the sort of "elephant in the room " so to speak. I had an ostomy which prolapsed, had to have it redone. Then a year of treatment. Chemo Leucovorin and 5FU & then the radiation. Then had the ostomy reversed, everyone was so excited that this was possible. Truthfully, sometimes I still wish I had the ostomy. I have about 60 seconds to get to a bathroom if I feel I need one. Trips to anywhere are difficult!

    But still have uncontrollable bowel problems. The only thing that will stop my bowel is codiene. If your husband can tolerate it and can find someone to prescribe it; it is a lifesaver.

    I had a physician who understood this but he has moved to a another state far away & I can't find anyone who will prscribe small amounts of codiene. It gives you a quality of life.

    You have 4 to 6 hours when you know you won't be needing a bathroom. AND you can eat AND have formed stool!

    I think that there are more of us out there. No one wants to talk about this. I hope this has been helpful. Maybe Dr.s in your state are more educated. NY has just passed all kinds of new "Guidelines" for narcotics and now I can't find a medication that has given me quality of life for 14 years.

    Am I addicted? That's not how my last doctor looked at it. They took out a piece of my anatomy and I needed this med to take care of my children. I even have a job!

    Don't know what I'm going to do now. But you might want to try it. It might be just the thing.

    Hope things are better.
    Soozi

Discussion Boards