Strange sensations

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Magnolia
Posts: 1514
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:38 pm
Location: Virginia

Strange sensations

Postby Magnolia » Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:00 pm

Anybody feeling anthing weird inside after surgery? I had 10 inches of colon removed in March, and ever since I feel something heavy or full in the area where the tumor was. The last scan I had was in June and it didn't show anything but scar tissue and a uterine fibroid. I have HUGE, bulky, frequent stools. I wonder if I can feel stool moving past the anastamosis. I have a very hypersensitive IBS bowel, and have had for many years. I feel every little gas bubble and peristaltic squeeze. Ironicly, I DIDN'T feel the tumor growing. Or I couldn't distinguish it from all the other backgorund noise going on in there. I just wonder if other people can feel their surgical sites, or if it's just an IBS thing. My oncologist isn't too concerned at this point because the physical exam is normal and the last scan looked good, but if it keeps up or gets worse, I'm going to ask for another scan or a sono or something.

Last year my left ovary was complaining, but all the sono showed was the fibroid pressing on it. The colon mass wouldn't necessarily show up on a pelvic sono. In retrospect, I guess there was a lot of stuff in the left lower abdomen playing musical chairs, and the ovary was the one getting crowded out. Ovarian pain is a very unique sensation. Different from what I'm feeling now.

Maggie

Postby Maggie » Thu Aug 10, 2006 2:15 pm

Hi,
I have to admit, I thought I was a little weird all along when I noticed these different feelings in my bowel area. I had a foot and a half of colon and 89 lymph nodes (plus my appendix) removed and I swear I have weird pains and feelings all the time. I've wondered if it was my imaginiation or what, but sometimes I can feel the poo move through my bowels and feel the turns it takes or when it gets caught up. I also have this really odd sweet spot on my right side that hurts non-stop just to different degrees as well as sometimes a pain in my lower back deep inside. I've even gone as far to have a cat scan, etc to figure out what was going on, but the doctor never seemed to concerned chalking it up to scar tissue. Since my surgery (almost 6 years ago) I have been hyper sensative to the workings of my colons. I don't think it's too abnormal, but I always wondered if I was imagining things!
Maggie

Magnolia
Posts: 1514
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:38 pm
Location: Virginia

Postby Magnolia » Fri Aug 11, 2006 7:45 pm

Maggie, it sound like either we're both crazy, or neither of us is. In either case, it's nice to know I'm not alone.

Magnolia
Posts: 1514
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:38 pm
Location: Virginia

Postby Magnolia » Sun Aug 20, 2006 2:55 pm

I've been having another thought about these strange feelings. The sensations I have are vaguely uncomforatble, but I can't really call them painful. And I can't really tell exactly where they are. I know they're on the left side somewhere, but couldn't point to where. And I feel nothing when I or my doctor palpates the area. Now I'm thinking it may be something like phantom pain that amputees experience. They feel the limb that isn't there any more. The severed nerves still send signals to the brain. Those of us who have IBS have more nerves in thier colons than others to begin with, so maybe we're feeling sensations from those extra nerves that aren't hooked up to anything any more.

I have a friend who's an amputee and a doctor. Maybe he can shed some light on this.

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Postby Lee » Sun Aug 20, 2006 8:14 pm

My rectum is gone as a result of rectal cancer and I have a bag. Not often, but sometimes I feel an urge to use the bathroom the old fashion way. I attribute this to phantom pains. While it does not hurt, it is unusual to get this feeling.
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!


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