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Colectomy to treat constipation?!?!
Please help, I have reached a point of nervousness and concern. Even with that I am hopeful that this will solve the problem.
I am scheduled to have a colectomy in about a month. My surgeon has tried everything he can think of to help fix my constipation problems. At this point I am lucky to have a bowel movement every two weeks, but have gotten into a routine of having to have a disimpaction about once a month. My surgeon had sent me to a specialist (no results from the specialist). At a follow up with my surgeon, he had mentioned the possibility of removing my colon. He told me he had to go to a conference and would ask some of his colleagues for their opinions. With that being said, I got a call from his office yesterday. The nurse had told me that my surgeon had called him to let me know that the general consensus was that I needed to have my colon removed.
I scheduled the surgery for the next available date (my surgeon will get back basically in time to do the surgery). This means I do not really have an opportunity to talk to my surgeon before hand. I have a feeling I will not be able to get many answers before the surgery date comes.
I do not really know exactly what my surgeon will be doing - other than removing the colon. I am hoping I will not end up with an ostomy (temporary or permanent). I have no idea what to expect after the surgery. Having to wait a month without answers is a little nerve-racking.
If anyone has had a colectomy to treat chronic constipation and could share some information with me I would really appreciate it. Right now I am sitting in the dark waiting for a little light to shine in.
Thank you for your help.
Quartzn99
I am scheduled to have a colectomy in about a month. My surgeon has tried everything he can think of to help fix my constipation problems. At this point I am lucky to have a bowel movement every two weeks, but have gotten into a routine of having to have a disimpaction about once a month. My surgeon had sent me to a specialist (no results from the specialist). At a follow up with my surgeon, he had mentioned the possibility of removing my colon. He told me he had to go to a conference and would ask some of his colleagues for their opinions. With that being said, I got a call from his office yesterday. The nurse had told me that my surgeon had called him to let me know that the general consensus was that I needed to have my colon removed.
I scheduled the surgery for the next available date (my surgeon will get back basically in time to do the surgery). This means I do not really have an opportunity to talk to my surgeon before hand. I have a feeling I will not be able to get many answers before the surgery date comes.
I do not really know exactly what my surgeon will be doing - other than removing the colon. I am hoping I will not end up with an ostomy (temporary or permanent). I have no idea what to expect after the surgery. Having to wait a month without answers is a little nerve-racking.
If anyone has had a colectomy to treat chronic constipation and could share some information with me I would really appreciate it. Right now I am sitting in the dark waiting for a little light to shine in.
Thank you for your help.
Quartzn99
Lvfrogs,
I am glad you have been able to find people who you could talk to to get information about the surgery. It can be concerning as the day approaches. I have had a NG tube (a month or so before my colectomy, I ended up so sick I was in the hospital for a few days and joy I got one), it is not a fun process trying to get in put in. If you have to have a NG tube, ask your doctor to have it put in while you are under some type of anesthesia. It will make it easier on you and who ever gets lucky enough to insert it. Having it taken out is not nearly as bad as it going in.
I am a little surprised your surgeon has not mentioned the medications. When you had them switched did your other doctors say anything about it? Your surgeon may mention it after the surgery, that really doesn’t help much when you have to get a bunch of meds changed. I am sorry you have been through so much. It really isn’t any fun when you have to fight you health so much and for so long.
While you are in the hospital I would recommend that you try out a few different kinds of food. I agree with taking it easy for a while, but you want to know how things are going to go. If you do this while you are in the hospital, they can give you meds through your IV to help if some of the foods are not sitting very well. With simple foods like soups and smoothies, just keep in mind they do not have much that will thicken things up. With that being said, you will be having loose and frequent stools. This will not be a fun process just from the nature of the surgery, so keep that in mind. When I got home, I had a diet of very bland foods (eggs, toast, mashed potatoes, etc.). Not to be too nasty here, but I want to give you an idea of what you are about to experience. The foods you eat will move through you fast enough that they will not have much time to change. Some things I have noticed – mashed potatoes, if that is all you eat that is what will come out, yes that means very light colored stools in the consistency of mashed potatoes (I am about 2 months out from the surgery so things have changed my me with regards to thickness in stools). I have also noticed red foods (tomato sauce products like spaghetti sauce) and the vegetable soup, have made my stools almost black (this again is where I am still trying to figure things out, it is with some of these foods that I end up with almost watered down stool, not sure which food is doing that). I also have not yet figured out what I have been eating that has made my stools move through me with higher concentrations of bile. Having large amounts of bile is not comfortable on the skin.
As you are progressing your diet to more regular foods, keep a diary of what you eat and what your stools are like for the next 24-48 hours. Some of the foods cause changes faster than others. Generally, for me, I am passing the foods through within about 12-18 hours. Just keep in mind my body will react to foods differently than yours and what I eat may be moving through me at a different rate. We are all different and our bodies will follow different patterns.
**** For the first few weeks, though things will be moving through you very easily, remember to try not to push to have a bowel movement. For those of us who have gone so long without being able to go to the bathroom normally, we have trained our selves that we have to push to get the stool out. I was confused when I had some people telling me they do not push to have a bowel movement. I am still trying to retrain myself not to push. Early on, pushing will make things difficult. As the stool move through you may not notice much (I was able to and still can on some days, feel when the stool reaches the part where my intestines were connected. It is a weird feeling, but not really much pain with it). If you try to push to have a bowel movement, you WILL feel it in your abdomen where the incision is. It is much more comfortable on the abdomen to just let the stool come out on its own or with some movement of the abdominal muscles, you really don’t have to push to get it out.
I am trying to think about some of the important things that I may not have mentioned through our discussions yet. I may have a few more posts as I think of things.
When are you scheduled for the surgery?
I wish the best for you. Keep me posted.
Quartzn99
I am glad you have been able to find people who you could talk to to get information about the surgery. It can be concerning as the day approaches. I have had a NG tube (a month or so before my colectomy, I ended up so sick I was in the hospital for a few days and joy I got one), it is not a fun process trying to get in put in. If you have to have a NG tube, ask your doctor to have it put in while you are under some type of anesthesia. It will make it easier on you and who ever gets lucky enough to insert it. Having it taken out is not nearly as bad as it going in.
I am a little surprised your surgeon has not mentioned the medications. When you had them switched did your other doctors say anything about it? Your surgeon may mention it after the surgery, that really doesn’t help much when you have to get a bunch of meds changed. I am sorry you have been through so much. It really isn’t any fun when you have to fight you health so much and for so long.
While you are in the hospital I would recommend that you try out a few different kinds of food. I agree with taking it easy for a while, but you want to know how things are going to go. If you do this while you are in the hospital, they can give you meds through your IV to help if some of the foods are not sitting very well. With simple foods like soups and smoothies, just keep in mind they do not have much that will thicken things up. With that being said, you will be having loose and frequent stools. This will not be a fun process just from the nature of the surgery, so keep that in mind. When I got home, I had a diet of very bland foods (eggs, toast, mashed potatoes, etc.). Not to be too nasty here, but I want to give you an idea of what you are about to experience. The foods you eat will move through you fast enough that they will not have much time to change. Some things I have noticed – mashed potatoes, if that is all you eat that is what will come out, yes that means very light colored stools in the consistency of mashed potatoes (I am about 2 months out from the surgery so things have changed my me with regards to thickness in stools). I have also noticed red foods (tomato sauce products like spaghetti sauce) and the vegetable soup, have made my stools almost black (this again is where I am still trying to figure things out, it is with some of these foods that I end up with almost watered down stool, not sure which food is doing that). I also have not yet figured out what I have been eating that has made my stools move through me with higher concentrations of bile. Having large amounts of bile is not comfortable on the skin.
As you are progressing your diet to more regular foods, keep a diary of what you eat and what your stools are like for the next 24-48 hours. Some of the foods cause changes faster than others. Generally, for me, I am passing the foods through within about 12-18 hours. Just keep in mind my body will react to foods differently than yours and what I eat may be moving through me at a different rate. We are all different and our bodies will follow different patterns.
**** For the first few weeks, though things will be moving through you very easily, remember to try not to push to have a bowel movement. For those of us who have gone so long without being able to go to the bathroom normally, we have trained our selves that we have to push to get the stool out. I was confused when I had some people telling me they do not push to have a bowel movement. I am still trying to retrain myself not to push. Early on, pushing will make things difficult. As the stool move through you may not notice much (I was able to and still can on some days, feel when the stool reaches the part where my intestines were connected. It is a weird feeling, but not really much pain with it). If you try to push to have a bowel movement, you WILL feel it in your abdomen where the incision is. It is much more comfortable on the abdomen to just let the stool come out on its own or with some movement of the abdominal muscles, you really don’t have to push to get it out.
I am trying to think about some of the important things that I may not have mentioned through our discussions yet. I may have a few more posts as I think of things.
When are you scheduled for the surgery?
I wish the best for you. Keep me posted.
Quartzn99
You have helped me immensely - you cannot imagine. I had all my medications changed over already because of your post about them going right through you. My doctor has not mentioned that at all and of course, that's very important. I take quite a few meds and I did not want a lag time if possible, so that alone was helpful, but truly everything you have written has helped me. It is good to know that the Entereg will probably be a good thing. I have a fear of the NG tube!!! I plan on giving my intestines a break and not jump into eating regular food right away anyway, planning on smoothies, soups, things like that when I get home.Thank you truly!
Colleen
Colleen
Lvfrogs,
Another note on the Entereg. I just realized I did not answer all of your questions. When I was given the Entereg after my bowel resection I was able to eat quite a bit while in the hospital. It does help to get your intestines working faster after having surgery on them. I was not given the Entereg as long following the colectomy, now I want to ask my surgeon if that might have been related to the nausea and vomiting I experienced while in the hospital. I did not experience the nausea and vomiting after the resection like I did with the colectomy so I am not sure if there was a connection there. I will say from my experience working on the surgical floor as a CNA a few years back, I had a lot of patients who had GI surgeries. The Entereg was not something I knew of the patients receiving. Many of them had a few days before they could eat solid foods due to the slow waking of the GI system. While I was in the hospital following my surgeries I had talked with a few other patients who had similar surgeries. Some of them mentioned that they were given the Entereg while others said they were not. Those of us who did get it seemed to be moving on to food faster than those who didn’t. With that I am guessing it does help. It is kind of hard to say on a personal level because I do not have anything to compare it to. I am not able to say with one surgery I didn’t have it and with the other I did. So I cannot really say with certainty that it did help me. Overall I think those of us that did get it seemed to transition faster and not end up with the NG tube (though it was mentioned with my colectomy due to how sick I was), some of the patients that I had talked to had the NG tube and that slowed things down even further for them because with the NG tube you cannot have anything other sips of water and ice chips until the tube is removed.
I hope this information helps.
Quartzn99
Another note on the Entereg. I just realized I did not answer all of your questions. When I was given the Entereg after my bowel resection I was able to eat quite a bit while in the hospital. It does help to get your intestines working faster after having surgery on them. I was not given the Entereg as long following the colectomy, now I want to ask my surgeon if that might have been related to the nausea and vomiting I experienced while in the hospital. I did not experience the nausea and vomiting after the resection like I did with the colectomy so I am not sure if there was a connection there. I will say from my experience working on the surgical floor as a CNA a few years back, I had a lot of patients who had GI surgeries. The Entereg was not something I knew of the patients receiving. Many of them had a few days before they could eat solid foods due to the slow waking of the GI system. While I was in the hospital following my surgeries I had talked with a few other patients who had similar surgeries. Some of them mentioned that they were given the Entereg while others said they were not. Those of us who did get it seemed to be moving on to food faster than those who didn’t. With that I am guessing it does help. It is kind of hard to say on a personal level because I do not have anything to compare it to. I am not able to say with one surgery I didn’t have it and with the other I did. So I cannot really say with certainty that it did help me. Overall I think those of us that did get it seemed to transition faster and not end up with the NG tube (though it was mentioned with my colectomy due to how sick I was), some of the patients that I had talked to had the NG tube and that slowed things down even further for them because with the NG tube you cannot have anything other sips of water and ice chips until the tube is removed.
I hope this information helps.
Quartzn99
Lvfrogs,
Sorry I did not get back with you for a few days. Yes, I am still medicated. I had another minor surgery for a stitch abscess (some of my stitches did not dissolve). I am doing much better as time goes on (update below). You mentioned your surgery is scheduled for May, when in May are you looking at for the surgery?
Yes, I have been given the Entereg. I was given it for my bowel resection and for the colectomy. I was given it right before the surgeries (YES!!! I got a small drink of water with it :-) ). I was also given it for a few days following the surgeries. One of the key things I can say is you will be going to the bathroom a lot (personal recommendation – do not try to pass gas without sitting on the toilet, be prepared for things to be ready to move through you). This medication gave me very watery stools. Once I was taken off it things thickened a bit and slowed down.
I am glad to hear that you will have the rectocele fixed during the same surgery. It really will help to have everything done at once. I am battling recovery from having so many abdominal surgeries so close together. My surgeon has mentioned a few times that I will be having a difficult recovery for a while (probably at least a few more months).
With all of that being said, I will now provide an update on how things are going for me.
I had the stitch abscess which involved a minor outpatient surgery. I was lucky enough to only have a small incision and my surgeon mentioned that it was not as bad as the last time I had a stitch abscess from my bowel resection. My surgeon and I were concerned about it because everything was presenting the same as it did before and was even in the same location. I am not dealing with what I am guessing is another infection (my incision is not completely closed like it should be and I am having drainage that is eating away at the skin and making me smell like I have been cuddling with a dead animal – sorry for the details I know it sounds nasty, it is really nasty for me to be sitting here smelling an animal rotting knowing it is me. Unfortunately I cannot get in to see my surgeon until Thursday afternoon.).
My nausea and vomiting is getting a little better, it is still a battle, but we have been able to reduce my medications. I am now only on a few medications a day including my nausea medications and pain medications. I no longer have to take all of the medications for the slow transit and gastric perisis (sp?).
I am still trying to figure out what I can eat without having problems. I have not yet been able to pinpoint what I have been eating that has increased my bathroom trips and making my stools more liquid. Other than trying to figure out what occasionally causes these changes, things have been improving. I am still making between 4-8 trips to the bathroom but there has been a little less urgency. The last couple days I have found that I have to go to the bathroom right after eating. I am able to sleep through the night (for the most part, again depending on how foods agree with me there have been a few time when I have had to get up in the middle of the night). I have gotten used to going to the bathroom right before going to bed so I am getting myself on that schedule.
Most of the abdominal swelling has gone down, I am still a little puffy but not nearly as bad.
I have been able to eat most of the foods I was eating prior to the surgery. I am eliminating corn, celery, and asparagus from my diet as these foods are not easily digestible and can really be kind of disturbing when going to the bathroom. I am still working on medicating before eating to reduce the nausea and vomiting, but it is getting better.
I am still trying to get used to the sounds that come from my abdomen. Oddly enough I can also feel things moving through. I can feel it internally and if I have my hand on my abdomen. I am also trying to get used to the wonderful sounds that are now part of my bathroom trips. It is a little difficult to be discrete about going to the bathroom when you have very loud gas and soft (putty like) or liquid stools. I know, again I am going into details that some people may not want to hear, but it is something you should be prepared for when you are having your colon removed.
Overall, other than healing from all of the surgeries I am not really having many of the problems I was having prior to the surgery. I will always have to deal with my food allergies and am getting used to dealing with the delayed emptying, but I no longer have the inner abdominal pain or the constipation. For the first time in 13 or 14 years I am starting to feel like a normal human. I am not really sure what that is like because I have been dealing with the GI issues for so long. I really am glad I had this surgery. It has been a long road of recovery for me, but I do not regret anything about it.
I wish you the best of luck and health with this surgery. Please keep me posted on how things are going with you. I will continue to provide updates as time goes on for me.
Quartzn99
Sorry I did not get back with you for a few days. Yes, I am still medicated. I had another minor surgery for a stitch abscess (some of my stitches did not dissolve). I am doing much better as time goes on (update below). You mentioned your surgery is scheduled for May, when in May are you looking at for the surgery?
Yes, I have been given the Entereg. I was given it for my bowel resection and for the colectomy. I was given it right before the surgeries (YES!!! I got a small drink of water with it :-) ). I was also given it for a few days following the surgeries. One of the key things I can say is you will be going to the bathroom a lot (personal recommendation – do not try to pass gas without sitting on the toilet, be prepared for things to be ready to move through you). This medication gave me very watery stools. Once I was taken off it things thickened a bit and slowed down.
I am glad to hear that you will have the rectocele fixed during the same surgery. It really will help to have everything done at once. I am battling recovery from having so many abdominal surgeries so close together. My surgeon has mentioned a few times that I will be having a difficult recovery for a while (probably at least a few more months).
With all of that being said, I will now provide an update on how things are going for me.
I had the stitch abscess which involved a minor outpatient surgery. I was lucky enough to only have a small incision and my surgeon mentioned that it was not as bad as the last time I had a stitch abscess from my bowel resection. My surgeon and I were concerned about it because everything was presenting the same as it did before and was even in the same location. I am not dealing with what I am guessing is another infection (my incision is not completely closed like it should be and I am having drainage that is eating away at the skin and making me smell like I have been cuddling with a dead animal – sorry for the details I know it sounds nasty, it is really nasty for me to be sitting here smelling an animal rotting knowing it is me. Unfortunately I cannot get in to see my surgeon until Thursday afternoon.).
My nausea and vomiting is getting a little better, it is still a battle, but we have been able to reduce my medications. I am now only on a few medications a day including my nausea medications and pain medications. I no longer have to take all of the medications for the slow transit and gastric perisis (sp?).
I am still trying to figure out what I can eat without having problems. I have not yet been able to pinpoint what I have been eating that has increased my bathroom trips and making my stools more liquid. Other than trying to figure out what occasionally causes these changes, things have been improving. I am still making between 4-8 trips to the bathroom but there has been a little less urgency. The last couple days I have found that I have to go to the bathroom right after eating. I am able to sleep through the night (for the most part, again depending on how foods agree with me there have been a few time when I have had to get up in the middle of the night). I have gotten used to going to the bathroom right before going to bed so I am getting myself on that schedule.
Most of the abdominal swelling has gone down, I am still a little puffy but not nearly as bad.
I have been able to eat most of the foods I was eating prior to the surgery. I am eliminating corn, celery, and asparagus from my diet as these foods are not easily digestible and can really be kind of disturbing when going to the bathroom. I am still working on medicating before eating to reduce the nausea and vomiting, but it is getting better.
I am still trying to get used to the sounds that come from my abdomen. Oddly enough I can also feel things moving through. I can feel it internally and if I have my hand on my abdomen. I am also trying to get used to the wonderful sounds that are now part of my bathroom trips. It is a little difficult to be discrete about going to the bathroom when you have very loud gas and soft (putty like) or liquid stools. I know, again I am going into details that some people may not want to hear, but it is something you should be prepared for when you are having your colon removed.
Overall, other than healing from all of the surgeries I am not really having many of the problems I was having prior to the surgery. I will always have to deal with my food allergies and am getting used to dealing with the delayed emptying, but I no longer have the inner abdominal pain or the constipation. For the first time in 13 or 14 years I am starting to feel like a normal human. I am not really sure what that is like because I have been dealing with the GI issues for so long. I really am glad I had this surgery. It has been a long road of recovery for me, but I do not regret anything about it.
I wish you the best of luck and health with this surgery. Please keep me posted on how things are going with you. I will continue to provide updates as time goes on for me.
Quartzn99
I was re reading through your posts, so very informative and writing down info. I am glad I did, as I take alot of other medications for my heart and for my peripheral neuropathy and some of those are coated and ER, so I will call my regular doctors and let them know. I would not have known that if you hadn't told me. My surgeon has not mentioned anything at all.
He is giving me a medicine called Entereg while in the hospital. It is to help you to be able to transition from liquid to foods basically. Did you have that? and did it help?
Thanks for all your help, truthfully, it's a blessing!
He is giving me a medicine called Entereg while in the hospital. It is to help you to be able to transition from liquid to foods basically. Did you have that? and did it help?
Thanks for all your help, truthfully, it's a blessing!
Thank you for responding. I am having the rectocele at the same time, my surgery is scheduled in May. It definitely helps to hear from people who have actually had the experience of the surgery and they can tell you their perspective, whether bad or good. It's always good to be prepared.
I hope you are doing ok (you said you were medicated).
Thank you!
Colleen
I hope you are doing ok (you said you were medicated).
Thank you!
Colleen
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