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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
I just wanted to give everyone an update. I had another disimpaction on the 1st. This time it was done by my GI doc. Things went a little differently this time. I ended up spending the night in the hospital because I was having several problems after the procedure. With the problems I was having and the fact that my surgeon had taken over primary care with my constipation problems, he was consulted by my GI doc.
I had been scheduled to have a total colectomy on the 21st. My surgeon decided it was best to bump the surgery up. I had a total colectomy with ileorectal anastemosis (sp?) on the 4th. My surgeon was a little concerned about the recovery for this surgery since the recovery for my bowel resection was not an easy one. It turns out my surgeon was right to be concerned. On the informed consent there was a list of possible problems I could have following the surgery. Near as I can tell the only complications I did not have were death or a leakage from the anastemosis.
Coming out of surgery everything seems to be going well. I had a bit of pain, but with four incisions what would you expect. I had a low grade fever from the time I came out of surgery. At first, we didn’t think much of it. It was low so there wasn’t much concern. I was on ice chips for the first 3 days as my bowels were slow to wake up. Once things got moving a bit (more than just a little bit, if any of you don’t know, having you colon removed leaves a lot of water in the bowels). I was making several trips to the bathroom and hoping every time that I would make it there in time. I also spent a lot of time walking around the hospital. Even with the pain, it is about the best thing you can do to help the healing process. There were signs posted stating that 14 laps around the surgical floor was 1 mile. I set myself to make sure I was able to walk at least 14 laps each day. It took a while before I was able to make more than a couple laps without having to take a break due to the pain.
Once my bowels got moving I was able to increase my diet from ice chips to clear liquids. That doesn’t sound like much unless you had gone over a week on clear liquids then 3 more days on ice. Well, it was about the time I increased my diet to clear liquids that things got to a bad point in my recovery. The day I was able to have clear liquids, I had a great day, but that night things got desperate. I ended up very ill. I had not had any nausea up to this point. I ended up projectile. I ended up getting sick about every half hour that night. To top things off I ended up coding. If you don’t know what this means, I became unresponsive, blood pressure plummeted, pulse dropped dangerously low, and I quit breathing. The nurse had to call a “code blue” meaning I was basically close to death. While I was unaware of everything going on around me, I was apparently vomiting blood. These are not things you want to hear happen to you. Once they got be stable again, I did not get as bad. I continued and still continue to be stuck with projectile vomiting with absolutely no control (yet this only happens at night). My surgeon has changed my meds to help control things as much as possible.
I am now back at home. Things seem to be going fairly well, other than my nightly vomiting. I am still having a little bit of pain, but I am not relying on the medications to help control it. I do not have much of an appetite, but can eat enough to maintain. I am still going to the bathroom several times a day, but with set limits in the evening I do not have to get up more than one or twice at night for a bowel movement. As some may find this a problem, for me it is welcome. I no longer have the feeling that I am going to pop and I am able to go to the bathroom without straining and hours of effort for no results. At this point in the recovery, I am feeling really well after my surgery.
I hope everyone is doing well.
Quartzn99
I had been scheduled to have a total colectomy on the 21st. My surgeon decided it was best to bump the surgery up. I had a total colectomy with ileorectal anastemosis (sp?) on the 4th. My surgeon was a little concerned about the recovery for this surgery since the recovery for my bowel resection was not an easy one. It turns out my surgeon was right to be concerned. On the informed consent there was a list of possible problems I could have following the surgery. Near as I can tell the only complications I did not have were death or a leakage from the anastemosis.
Coming out of surgery everything seems to be going well. I had a bit of pain, but with four incisions what would you expect. I had a low grade fever from the time I came out of surgery. At first, we didn’t think much of it. It was low so there wasn’t much concern. I was on ice chips for the first 3 days as my bowels were slow to wake up. Once things got moving a bit (more than just a little bit, if any of you don’t know, having you colon removed leaves a lot of water in the bowels). I was making several trips to the bathroom and hoping every time that I would make it there in time. I also spent a lot of time walking around the hospital. Even with the pain, it is about the best thing you can do to help the healing process. There were signs posted stating that 14 laps around the surgical floor was 1 mile. I set myself to make sure I was able to walk at least 14 laps each day. It took a while before I was able to make more than a couple laps without having to take a break due to the pain.
Once my bowels got moving I was able to increase my diet from ice chips to clear liquids. That doesn’t sound like much unless you had gone over a week on clear liquids then 3 more days on ice. Well, it was about the time I increased my diet to clear liquids that things got to a bad point in my recovery. The day I was able to have clear liquids, I had a great day, but that night things got desperate. I ended up very ill. I had not had any nausea up to this point. I ended up projectile. I ended up getting sick about every half hour that night. To top things off I ended up coding. If you don’t know what this means, I became unresponsive, blood pressure plummeted, pulse dropped dangerously low, and I quit breathing. The nurse had to call a “code blue” meaning I was basically close to death. While I was unaware of everything going on around me, I was apparently vomiting blood. These are not things you want to hear happen to you. Once they got be stable again, I did not get as bad. I continued and still continue to be stuck with projectile vomiting with absolutely no control (yet this only happens at night). My surgeon has changed my meds to help control things as much as possible.
I am now back at home. Things seem to be going fairly well, other than my nightly vomiting. I am still having a little bit of pain, but I am not relying on the medications to help control it. I do not have much of an appetite, but can eat enough to maintain. I am still going to the bathroom several times a day, but with set limits in the evening I do not have to get up more than one or twice at night for a bowel movement. As some may find this a problem, for me it is welcome. I no longer have the feeling that I am going to pop and I am able to go to the bathroom without straining and hours of effort for no results. At this point in the recovery, I am feeling really well after my surgery.
I hope everyone is doing well.
Quartzn99
Thank you for the information. I am very concerned about the preop clean out. The problems with constipation have reached a point where the only way I am really able to get anything other than little bunnie poos is to have a disimpaction. I have not found any medications that have been able to move things through. This includes bowel preps. I have been put on several different kinds of bowel preps, All I get in response to the prep is extreme bloating and pain, nausea, vomiting... no bm. If the bowel preps do not do anything for me, how will I be able to clean out prior to the surgery?
I am concerned about the surgery. I have had some issues with my surgeon's PA in the past when talking about my bowel resection I had. My preop appointment is with the PA because my surgeon is out of town at a conference and from what I have been told, is not due back until a couple days prior to my surgery. This minimizes the oppertunity I have to speek with my surgeon prior to the surgery other than the few minutes before being taken back.
I am futunate enough that my surgeon is taking an approach that I have not seen many others take. He has been making calls and contacts while being at the conference. He has been taking the action to identify what other doctors think about the situation. I am very thankful that he is willing to accept that he does not havr all the answers but instead of sending me everywhere he can think of, he is contacting places to find the answers.
I am in Wyoming. Due to previous safety issues, at the moment that is as much information I am comfortable giving on personal location. My surgeon is Dr. Ratcliff.
Thank you again for the information. I appreciate any and all information that I can get while I am in this waiting game.
Quartzn99
I am concerned about the surgery. I have had some issues with my surgeon's PA in the past when talking about my bowel resection I had. My preop appointment is with the PA because my surgeon is out of town at a conference and from what I have been told, is not due back until a couple days prior to my surgery. This minimizes the oppertunity I have to speek with my surgeon prior to the surgery other than the few minutes before being taken back.
I am futunate enough that my surgeon is taking an approach that I have not seen many others take. He has been making calls and contacts while being at the conference. He has been taking the action to identify what other doctors think about the situation. I am very thankful that he is willing to accept that he does not havr all the answers but instead of sending me everywhere he can think of, he is contacting places to find the answers.
I am in Wyoming. Due to previous safety issues, at the moment that is as much information I am comfortable giving on personal location. My surgeon is Dr. Ratcliff.
Thank you again for the information. I appreciate any and all information that I can get while I am in this waiting game.
Quartzn99
About seven years ago I underwent a total colectomy for torrential diverticular bleeding. In response to another Medhelp patient's question I posted my experience on:-
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/523166
You might like to log on to this posting and maybe print it off and show it to your surgeon and ask "is this what you would expect for me?" I think you are entitled to pose these questions to your surgeon in advance and receive his/her feedback.
Another question I would ask:- prior to the operation the large intestine is "cleaned" via a purgative. In your case if there is still residual faecal matter (due to constipation) is there a greater risk of peritonitis due to and leakage/spillage of faecal matter into the abdomen?
By the way at which hospital/which surgeon is your surgery scheduled? This may be of interest to another Medhelp patient with whom I have corresponded and who has found it difficult to locate a willing surgeon
Do come back with any questions that you may have after reading the above etc.
regards
Morecambe
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