The Colon Club

by Just.GiGi » Sun Oct 30, 2016 12:39 pm

Not sure where to post this so starting here. Colon surgery May 5th this year 2016, 6 inches of colon removed. My question is should my plumbing be working better by now? BM's are difficult, pushing (like pushing a mac truck) does not always produce results. It is like things move once it gets past a certain point. (I can actually feel feces sliding when it hits that point) The resection was done about 6 inches up from rectum and that is the amount that finally passes. About 1 to 2 inches, every 20 to 30 minutes and finally about 6 inches. Then good until I eat again. Still certain foods cause abdominal pain, black-eyed peas, black beans, raw foods. I have tried Milk of Magnesia, prunes, stool softeners but no change. Most things well cooked don't bother me. But I want to go to work and can not until this is resolved. I don't eat if I go out since the battle starts, pressure like I have to go (painful to sit or ride in car), then bathroom time where serious pushing starts. Give up, try again in 20 minutes, may take 3 or 4 tries, finally 1 or 2 inches pass, then third try 6 inches pass. Then ok until I eat again. My surgeon said the colon has to learn to work again, but how long does that take? The feces is not hard/chalky/black etc. it is normal. It is just not moving down like it use to before surgery. Any input/help would be appreciated.

Not sure for others, but I still have minor issues and it's been a year and a half since surgery. It took (I would say about a year) to figure out what worked for me, different meds/laxatives, etc. I am currently only taking probiotics and only take mirilax if needed. (Very rare I have taken mag citrate). So it can take awhile. I don't think I will ever be back to what it was prior, but it is what I now considered fairly normal. I still get cramps on occasion and urgency often, very few accidents now tho.

I take probiotics everyday and it has helped out a lot. Before that I had a hard time going to the bathroom and when I did it hurt because my stools were rock hard. With the probiotic my stools are softer and easier to pass. Hope you find something that helps.

I have some similar issues. I found the Benefiber Helps a lot with a lot of water. Tigger foods are definetly raw apples, pears, grapes popcorn. Also make sure you chew your food a little extra. Greek yogurt helps daiy helps too.

I also had rectal cancer and mine was about 6 inches in. I am not sure if you had a leak test before your reversal. Since the colon isn't being used the reconnection tends to shrink. With mine they found a stricture where they reconnected me. Have you done this procedure? You could have a narrowed section where the connection is causing you problems. My surgeon used his finger to stretch the stricture back to normal they can also use a ballon with a colonoscopy. I bled a little bit afterwards, but have been fine and my stools now keep it from narrowing back. Also I use a probiotic called align and Metamucil, it took about 6 months to start getting back to a normal. I am now a year out and doing pretty well. Best of luck to you.

Thank you for all your input! I had wondered about narrowing where the resection is. Because the stools are normal, not hard it is just trying to push. I am having a colonoscopy in March, my one year from the colonoscopy where the cancer was found but not from the surgery, it was in May. I will ask the doc to check for that and correct if he finds a problem. That is a good point. Someone said they drink plum/prune juice and that works better than the dried fruit. I just started drinking it about 1.5 week ago. It is like having to push to get it past a point in the colon, once past it moves ok but it is always about 6 inches worth of matter. Then a little while later back in to pass 6 more. Sometimes it takes 2 times, sometimes 3 to finish. I want to go back to work but there is no way I am going to go thru the bathroom dance at a work site. I just don't eat until I am home if I have to go somewhere. I see the PA tomorrow for the gastro doc and see what she suggests also. I will keep in touch but I really appreciate the replies. It helps to know what others experience and what helps them/you all. Thank you!

Just.GiGi wrote: It is like things move once it gets past a certain point. (I can actually feel feces sliding when it hits that point)

Some thoughts -- pumpkin pie filling might be good. Maybe reduce total volume by eating less? On the toilet, spend more time at it, relax instead of pushing, and concentrate on regaining that feeling of feces starting to slide.

Nobody's mentioned massage. Get your hands in there and poke and push and try to find the lump and squeeze it like play putty through your belly. I'm not sure how easy this is for you depending on how much tissue there is in the way, but massaging the colon from the right side, up over the belly button and down the left and then poking downward does help the colon do it's job and may help push the mass past the stricture. It sure sounds like that last bit is restricted. Either it's inflamed in reaction to recent insults (surgery) or it's actually shrunk as others have mentioned. I was put on senokot-s laxatives this summer to help me keep things moving. They worked a little too well at times so I quit them asap, but that might help you. For me it resulted in colostomy bag blow-outs, often at very inconvenient times. I'd rather be bloated and blocked! Back before the resection, although I had the colostomy already from emergency surgery, my rectum used to freak out constantly. I constantly felt a need to empty my bowels, it was the 1lb of tumour my body thought could be crapped out! So I know the feeling you're describing and it's terrible. It really takes over your cognition till you can't think about anything else even though sitting on the toilet only causes more pain and hemmorhoids. I still do a fair bit of massaging when things get slow, but now it pops out my stomach into the bag instead of sending me to the toilet. I'm grateful to be free of that rectal pain.

Well it has been over a year now and things are starting to work. Doc put me on Lynsee, and surgeon said use Miralax in water to take the pill with, just not every day. And that combination seems to be working. I can sit now and ride in the car without feeling like dyeing, and I can eat more foods I could not before. The surgeon said it was unusual to take so long but he was not worried about it, he said the body has to learn to work again. My last colonoscopy was ok, one small benign polyp was removed. Have to return in a year again. I appreciate this site and the talk board. It has been a long weary road but things are improving. Thanks to everyone who helped me here! All the suggestions given were good.

I'm glad you're doing well! *hugs*