Hemicolectomy after-effects

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Jimmy D.

Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby Jimmy D. » Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:41 pm

I'm about to have a right hemicolectomy done on Sep. 17th 08. originally they found a carcinoma tumor, in my appendix that ruptured. I've taken every test possible to find any sign of this spreading, all were neg. doctors say the normal prceedure is the operation. I've searched all over to find others with this same operation being performed, This site was the only one I found and I must thank you all ! Your after surgery reports are a real help.

Thankyou
Jimmy D.

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garbovatwin
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Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby garbovatwin » Sun Sep 07, 2008 7:26 am

Jimmy D. wrote:I'm about to have a right hemicolectomy done on Sep. 17th 08. originally they found a carcinoma tumor, in my appendix that ruptured. I've taken every test possible to find any sign of this spreading, all were neg. doctors say the normal prceedure is the operation. I've searched all over to find others with this same operation being performed, This site was the only one I found and I must thank you all ! Your after surgery reports are a real help.

Thankyou
Jimmy D.


I am meeting with surgeons on 17 sep to HOPEFULLY, finally, schedule my right hemicolectomy. I too found this incredible place, (THANK YOU MOLLY), that brought me to this post. I must admit to being a bit freaked out initially as my story has progressed from not being appendicitis, to an elongated mobile ascending colon that is locked into a twist most of the time, (cecal volvulus), that has my appendix sitting somewhere between my navel and my pubic bone, to a cscopy finally that found them removing a few polyps and taking numerous biopsies, (the results of which i will find out on monday), to ulcerative colitis and diverticulosis, and of course, hemorrhoids. WHEW!

You have found what i am convinced is nothing short of the best place to land with what you are facing. Any questions, ask away. I am sure many in here will have a compassionate, loving and informative answer for you.

I wish i did not have to say this to you considering the circumstances that have brought you here, but WELCOME TO THE COLON CLUB!

jamiana
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BB

Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby BB » Sun Nov 02, 2008 11:22 am

Information truly is scarce. Have never posted before but appreciate the info others have talked about. Was wondering how the people are faring after the right hemicolectomies? Anyone have updates? I might be having mine next month.

mardrobe
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Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby mardrobe » Sun Nov 02, 2008 1:06 pm

Its different for everyone, but for my wife she is still having problems with Diarrhea five years after surgery. Her doctors eventually told her it is probably permanent. She also has to take Potassium supplements daily to hold her levels up and has had to make trips to the emergency room occasionally for Potassium IV's.

Bob

lorjoe

Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby lorjoe » Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:48 pm

my husband had a hemicolectomy 12 yrs ago and is still having diarrhea. they said it would subside within 3wks it never
did. he had a carcoid tumor they found it after appendicitis

lorjoe

Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby lorjoe » Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:49 pm

my husband had a hemicolectomy 12 yrs ago and is still having diarrhea. they said it would subside within 3wks it never
did. he had a carcoid tumor they found it after appendicitis

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Juliepie
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Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby Juliepie » Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:19 pm

I had a right hemicolectomy on November 28/08 and things have healed up well now. I was extremely bloated for about 2 weeks after the surgery, I had this round little belly and I looked pregnant! Anything I ate would make the bloating worse and would feel like my stitches were going to pop off! After the 2 weeks, things seemed to fine. A key thing that my surgeon said was to 'take it easy with the food at the beginning' - not that I could eat much anyways b/c of the bloating. I agree with others to avoid the raw veggies for a awhile - especially brocolli. I seem to still have some struggles with the raw brocolli now. One of the other surgeons told me overall, raw veggies, nuts, dried fruit, and popcorn are really hard for the stomach to digest. The other recommendation from the surgeon was to not lift anything over 5-10 pounds, and try not to bend, stretch or twist too much as you may cause a hernia. Also, its important to keep in touch with your surgeon to even ask if things are normal throughout your recovery, my surgeon answers his emails daily - even from home so its handy! Its great that you can prepare for your surgery, I ended up in the ER and going into emergency exploratory surgery so I didn't have much prep for what I was experiencing.

Good luck! All will go well!
Dx Colon Cancer 12/04/08 Surgery (right hemi) 11/28/08 at the age of 29
Stage III T3N1M0
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31 years old now
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barbara jayne
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Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby barbara jayne » Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:26 am

Hi Cindy I had a right hemicolectomy jan 2008 and was told I would probably have loose stools and when i needed the loo it would be pretty urgent, but I have experienced none of that at all, the op was a great sucess the only prob was having chemo, which I had a very bad reaction to. Good luck to you if I've learnt one thing its that everyone seems to react differently so one rule won't apply to all :) let us know how you get on
Last edited by barbara jayne on Fri Aug 07, 2009 4:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
DX. Colon Cancer (Cecum) stage 3
Right hemicolectomy Jan '08
2/22 L.nodes positive
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Xeloda discontinued
due to DPD enzyme deficiency
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Kathleen808
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Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby Kathleen808 » Mon Mar 02, 2009 12:05 am

Hi Cindy,
My husband had a rt. hemicolectomy (acutually, it was the right, transverse and part of the left; also cecum, ileocecal valve and 5 cm of small intestine) on 1/27/09 after being diagnosed with stage III on 1/12/09. He was in the hospital for 8 days because of pain and nausea. Once he got off the pain meds and nausea meds things got better fast. His surgeon was outstanding. He teaches colon surgery at UCLA (his works with the fellows) and he told Dick to not take any anti diarrhea meds because the body needs to get used to absorbing the water that the colon would usually have absorbed. Needless to say he was up a number of times a night but each day it was better and better. It has been almost 5 weeks now and things are close to normal for him. When he got his port in they gave him pain meds and told him to take stool softener. This started the diarrhea again but after a few days it was gone. He does feel some pulling at times but figures that he lost 75% of his colon.
Take care.
Kathleen
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19yrsold

Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby 19yrsold » Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:56 pm

Hi all,

I'm a 19 year old girl who recently got an appendectomy. The pathology of the appendectomy revealed a 1.9 cm carcinoid. My doctors have recommended that I get a right hemi-colectomy to ensure it hasn't spread to the lymph nodes of my colon. It's been so great and helpful to read everything that everyone has written so far, but I have a few more questions about recovery that I hope some veterans can help me with!

I'm wondering at what point you all were able to walk normally with a little bit of pain, but not really slow-going. It took me four days to walk completely normally after my appendectomy. When did you reach this point after your hemi-colectomy? My doctor said around 1.5 weeks, but especially if there's any younger people that have had this surgery I would love to know about your experience.

Also, how much pain were you in post-surgery and how long were you on prescription medication for this pain? Especially those who can compare relative to an appendectomy, but I'd love to hear from anyone.

I'm also curious about the scar. Is it smaller than a colectomy scar (that's the only one I've been able to google)? How noticeable would it be say 3-months post-op? (I'm young, and I do want to go to the beach and wear swimsuits!)

Thank you all SO MUCH for your help. I'm really scared and anxious and am so thankful I found this forum where people understand and can talk!

--A.L.S.

tcolitti
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Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby tcolitti » Thu Mar 05, 2009 3:10 pm

A.L.S.

As far as the scars go look at the "Colondar" under the "Crazy Projects" tab. We all have some scar to show, some are for different surgeries but the doctor makes the difference with the scars.

I had right sided cancer as well, my scar was not too bad. I was in intensive care for 3 days after my surgery... but I had everything done all at one time. I was up and walking with pain the next day, and from there it just kept getting easier. As far as walking normally with no pain it took two weeks for me. I don't like to take too many meds but I did take pain meds for about the same two weeks before I could "gut" it out and be ok. I wish you luck with your surgery, and hope all works out well for you. You will be in my thoughts and prayers and I will look forward to hearing of your progress.

Todd
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DX Age 35 1999
Stage IV CC with mets to liver (4lesions)
Colon & Liver resection (both lobes), removed appendix and gall bladder
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FlameLady
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Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby FlameLady » Sat Apr 11, 2009 3:42 pm

I had a right hemicolectomy in late Feburary 2009 due to Crohn's Disease and polyps generating pre-cancerous cells. Before my surgery, it was 50-50 as to whether I would have laparoscopic surgery vs. open incision. It was only when I woke up that I found out that my surgery was done laparoscopically, which means faster healing and smaller scars. I have a 3" vertical scar beside my navel so that the surgeon could remove 11" of my colon intact as opposed to cutting it up for removal. The pathology showed no cancer at all, thank goodness.

My surgery went well and removed my Crohn's Disease as well as the ileo-cecal area that was producing those nasty polyps. In addition to the removal of my small intestines and colon, some lymph nodes and blood vessels were also removed to help make sure that any potential cancerous cells were removed. I was on a Demerol pain pump while in the hospital, so I never experienced sharp pain. However, I forgot how much one's abdominal muscles are involved in virtually any movement of the body, so I needed help to get out of bed for about 2 weeks, since any movement created twinges of soreness. I was in the hospital for about a week (they had told me to expect 5 to 7 days). I also had Darvocet pain pills for when I got home, but I only needed them for less than a week.

The first week or so after surgery I went to the bathroom several times a day with loose stools. I initially had no appetite at all, and then gradually went on a soft diet: eggs, hot cereal, jello, sherbert, etc. I only last week got off a soft diet, so I'm introducing more fiber (such as 1/2 of a hamburger or 1/4 of an English muffin) in my diet albeit very slowly so I don't hurt. As a result, my stools are getting a little more firm, and my bathroom visit frequency is down to once a day for the most part.

A side benefit of my surgery was that I lost about 12 pounds, which is fine by me. :wink: As part of my dietary habits, I've been eating very small meals with little to no carbs, which lets me retain my svelte figure. As a result, I'm motivated to watch my diet just to keep my weight down. I also try to walk every day to help the healing process.

The ileum and cecum are where Vitamin B12 is absorbed. In my case, both were removed, which means I'll need to get B12 injections. I'm seeing my GI doc in 2 weeks to determine what medications (such as Asacol) I should stay on, since my surgery supposedly removed all of my Crohn's Disease. However, I'm not cured of Crohn's, so there's a chance it will recur. I'm willing to do what it takes to keep it from coming back.

My scars are healing well. For a few weeks after surgery, the skin around my abdomen was extremely sensitive, but that has dissipated. In addition to the main scar next to my navel, I have 3 other tiny scars around my abdomen where they inserted the additional instruments and scopes used for laparascopic surgery. The surgeons and other docs I spoke with said not to bother with Vitamin E, special anti-scar creams, lotions, etc.; they don't do anything to eliminate the scars. It will just take a long time for them to fade on their own.

One tip to help make your hospital stay a little easier: hospitals are notoriously bad places to get any sleep, especially at night due to all the noise and interruptions for middle-of-the-night blood draws, vital sign checks, early morning doctor visits, etc. So I wore an eye mask to block out the light, and played white noise from http://www.PureWhiteNoise.com that I had uploaded to my Ipod to block out all the corridor chatter and roommate moans. Worked like a charm!

Good luck to you!

Amy377

Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby Amy377 » Sat May 02, 2009 8:03 am

A.L.S.

I was undergoing exploratory surgery for a completely different issue when my doctor came across my abnormal looking appendix and called in a general surgeon. They removed my appendix and it was determined that I had a 1.9cm carcinoid tumor. I was 31 years old.

I went to see a specialist and they recommended a right hemicolectomy to remove a portion of my colon and the surrounding lymph nodes. I was very scared!! The surgeons were able to perform the surgery via laparoscopic. They removed about 1/3 of my colon and 23 lymph nodes. Pathology reports indicated that the carcinoid was in 1 of the 23 nodes, so needless to say I was so thankful that I had the surgery!

I was in the hospital 5 days. I was able to walk with a little bit of pain around day 4 (I was walking before this, but it was uncomfortable). I was on morphine for the first 3 days and then was switched to percocet for about 3 weeks after surgery (towards the end I was just taking as needed). I have a 3 inch scar above my belly button with 3 other key hole scars where they used the instruments. I was unable to eat the first few days and then progressed to soft foods such as jello and eggs. It was awhile until I got my appetite back.

It has been 1 1/2 years since surgery. I had CT scans every 3 months for the first year and they were normal. I am now going every 6 months (next scan is in 2 weeks). I feel great, no complications with my surgery!

Good luck!!! Please let us know how your surgery goes.

naomifintany

right hemicolectomy

Postby naomifintany » Mon May 25, 2009 11:18 am

Im 19 and I had a Right Hemicolectomy 5 weeks ago i got out of the bed the next day it was sore but i wasn giving in 2 the pain i just wanted 2 get ou of the hospital as soon as! but dint work ou like dat i got an infection wer they cut me open so the staples had 2 cum ou early 2 let the stuff ou of it it eventually they decided they wud put a VAC on the wound so it wud close quicker i stil av it on wound its smaller nw shud be gone in the next week or 2 hopefuuly i feel great now beta dan iv ben in 3 years im so happy

FlameLady
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Re: Hemicolectomy after-effects

Postby FlameLady » Mon May 25, 2009 6:58 pm

naomifintany, glad to hear that you're on the mend. However, please give yourself time to heal; your body has undergone significant trauma. Pain and fatigue are your body's signals alerting you to take it easy and not overdo it. Be patient....

It's been 13 weeks since my surgery and I'm feeling great!


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