Colon Resection week 4

Please feel free to read, share your thoughts, your stories and connect with others!
worriedhubby
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2018 11:05 am
Facebook Username: jeff.penkwitz

Colon Resection week 4

Postby worriedhubby » Mon Mar 19, 2018 11:14 am

My wife, 55, had 8cm of sigmoid colon removed 4 weeks ago. Surgeon he attached to rectum that was very inflamed. She is still experiencing a great amount of discomfort but has had no problems with BM's Occassional slight fever but nothing over 100 degrees. She had a couple days where she felt great, but now has seemed to take a step back. I guess I'm looking for those that experienced a colon resection to see what is normal. Are we expecting too much after 4 weeks? Is a lot of her pain/discomfort from the open surgery or just the bowels healing? Surgeon said eat what you want one week after surgery, but we have been going back and forth with low fiber and liquids. A lot of Ensure. Thoughts?

Deb m
Posts: 558
Joined: Tue Jan 14, 2014 10:08 am

Re: Colon Resection week 4

Postby Deb m » Mon Mar 19, 2018 2:00 pm

My husband was feeling pretty good after 4 weeks and was back to his normal diet and exercise with really no major problems to speak of., but he had his ascending colon removed, I'm not sure if the different location location in the colon heals differently. Are you currently doing chemo? If so perhaps that's whats causing the problem? Maybe somebody who also had a resection in the sigmoid colon will chime in.

Hope all resolves soon,

deb

jep
Posts: 260
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2017 7:45 pm
Location: New England, USA

Re: Colon Resection week 4

Postby jep » Mon Mar 19, 2018 3:05 pm

My husband had LAR (sigmoid) surgery, and he had many, many, many setbacks. Everyone is different, but honestly, it's been more than 10 months since his surgery and he's finally almost totally healed. He had a surgical drain for 9 months, so keep that in mind. My advice would be sticking with a smoother diet (liquids, smoothies, etc). Our docs told him to eat whatever, and that didn't really work out for us...I wouldn't rush the healing process, but of course reach out to your docs if you feel something just isn't right....
Jep
Stage IV CC 5/16/17
Loc: recto-sig
Type: Adenocarcinoma
Size: 7.4 cm
Grade: G3
TNM: T3N2M1
LNs: 8/20
BL CEA: .9
LVI: present
Perineural invasion: present
LAR margins: clear (w/in microns)
Folfox (8/17-1/18)
Scope 6/18 - CLEAR! - 2 polyps
PET 10/17/18: 3 pos LNs
Irino + Vecti (11/18)
CEA: 1.7 (2/19)
Xel + rad (5/19)
Surgery: 8/21/19 (aborted)
P1 Trial 10/19 - 12/19
Bypass 12/6/19
Folfox + vecti 1/2/19 - 4/3/20
Kid Fail 5/1/20
Folfiri + Avastin 5/20 - 6/20
bypass 6/29/20
Stivarga 7/18/20 -
Home 9/10/20

Teddybear
Posts: 37
Joined: Sun Feb 11, 2018 3:23 pm

Re: Colon Resection week 4

Postby Teddybear » Mon Mar 19, 2018 5:06 pm

I will be 4 weeks post surgery on Thursday. I felt pretty good the first two weeks but only ate small amounts of soft low fiber foods. Last 10 days or so I have been very tired and sore. I have had the best results taking 1 tbs of suger free citrucil every morning and sticking to small amounts of food 5 or 6 times a day. Breakfast is usually eggs and buttered toast. Lunch and dinners are protien like salmon or chicken with white rice, potatoes or pasta. I am avoiding vegetables and fruits until week 6. Doctors say they are harder to digest. I have also not had a problem with ritz crackers, applesauce, smooth peanut butter and soups. From your post it looks like we are going through the same recovery. Best of luck to you both.
DX CC Feb 2018
Feb 2018 Lap sigmoind resection
2A
T3N0M0/G2
0/14 nodes
Oncogene 14
Margins clear
MSS
April-June 2018 Xeloda

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

Re: Colon Resection week 4

Postby Lee » Mon Mar 19, 2018 6:32 pm

Go with a "low fiber" diet for while. I'm surprised the surgeon suggested eating normal food so early following the surgery.

Was she cut open like me or was her surgery lapro. People who are cut open, healing takes longer. At 4 weeks I was just starting to feel good. It would be 6 weeks when I started feeling something normal. Also if she is not walking, I would highly recommend it. It really does help with the healing process.

Also keep a food diary and see if certain foods effect her. Greens give me the runs. Cheese can bulk me up.

Good luck,

Lee
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!

Utwo
Posts: 285
Joined: Mon May 23, 2016 10:14 am
Location: T.O.

Re: Colon Resection week 4

Postby Utwo » Mon Mar 19, 2018 8:56 pm

worriedhubby wrote:Occassional slight fever but nothing over 100 degrees.
Fluctuating fever may be a sign of an infection or a leak.
Don't tolerate it. Push them to properly diagnose a cause of this fever.
58 yo male at diagnosis: T1bN0M0, 0/15 nodes, low grade/moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma
03/2016 colonoscopy: 2 small polyps removed in left colon; CEA = 1.3
04/2016 colonoscopy: caecum sessile 3.5 cm polyp piecemeal removed with kind of clear margins
05/2016 "prophylactic" laparoscopic right hemicolectomy - bleeding, leak, infection
06/2017 CT scan, colonoscopy OK; CEA = 1.6
A lot of funny stuff discovered by CT scans in liver, kidney, lungs, arteries, gallbladder, lymph node, pancreas

LALAU64
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu May 03, 2018 9:52 pm
Facebook Username: Laurie Logan

Re: Colon Resection week 4

Postby LALAU64 » Thu May 03, 2018 10:10 pm

Hi ! I had a sigmoid colon laptop resection on 4/23/18 so that’s now just about 10 days ago. I have to say I was feeling pretty good within a day or two of coming home, but now I seem to be sliding backward. I had climbed into bed and was laying on my back (since I can’t lay down in any other position yet) and I coughed and didn’t press against the spot where the drain had been removed. This caused tremendous pain but I just went to sleep. The following morning I awoke with excruciating pain when I tried to get out of bed. I thought I may have pulled an internal suture or staple when I coughed. But I’m noticing similarities to people talking about nerve pain post colectomy.
The only time I’m comfortable is laying flat on my back. Standing is excruciating for the first few minutes and sitting is also painful. I’ve also noticed a pain similar to touching sunburned skin when I place my palm on my abdomen. Almost feels like I’m touching the inside of an open would. I saw the surgeon today and he says it’s possible that I’ve pulled something when I coughed. He only recommended that I take 1000mg of extra strength Tylenol since I don’t want to take the oxycodone he prescribed. Is anyone else experiencing the same pains? If so, can you give me any suggestions as to how to deal with this pain without drugging myself into a stupor? This is very frustrating as I’m sure you all know. I just want to get back to my life. Any advice I get to help me get there would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and God Bless you all.


Return to “Colon Talk - Colon cancer (colorectal cancer) support forum”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 131 guests