In this video I discuss my colon resection (open low anterior resection) surgery, hospital stay, and life after going home. #coloncancer #cancer #colorectalsurgery
I am in the beginning of my 4 th week after have 12 inches of right colon and about 4 inches extra because of a rare polyp issue carpeting my ascending colon. Right now I surprised how much my abdominal muscle hurt when I try to sit, get up, twist and just movement in general. Pulling of the inscion. I very sore and sometimes I get a very sharp pain when moving and shifting. It seems more sore then it was the first 3 weeks. I do however have Fibromyalgia along with not having very strong abdominal muscles. The surgery made me go into a fibro flare which caused a lot of pain and muscle spasms. I was send home on 2 days of oxycodone. I began with Dilaudid? through my IV then changed it to oral off prone which didn't really cover my fibromyalgia pain. I just concerned how unbelievablly sore I am. I am afraid to go out in public by myself and to get pushed into when walking. I also have a hard time using my right hand to much as my pain is right side oriented. I don't have a post on appointment for a few more weeks as my surgeon was booked until then. Is the extreme tenderness unusal? The pulling and twisting from moving seems more pronounced on week 4.
@@erinnswan7063 I’m so sorry to hear about your pain. I remember my recovery being incredibly difficult for the first several months but everyone is different. I do recall having to ask my doctor repeatedly for additional pain meds because they would only give me about 5 days worth at a time. If you are having more pain than seems typical for you I would definitely discuss it with your doctor (or speak to their nurse if needed).
Great video. I have to go in a week for the same surgery. They’re taken 12” out around a 2” mass that is cancerous. I think I got mine from low carb diet with too much red meat and fats over two years.
Same here -- I'm 5 months postop sigmoidectomy. Raised our own grass fed beef/dairy, lamb, pork, chicken for last 15 years... thinking I was eating the good stuff until I got cancer.
@@davidvealewell thank you for sharing that. For a little more detail, were you also eating carbohydrates or strictly on a meat only zero or no carb diet? Were you checking your blood sugar and were you in ketosis? Were you practicing intermittent fasting and or any longer term fasting? Or like most of us, were you just eating when you felt like it and along with the meat eating other things as you felt like it? Please help as I'm also trying to figure out what happened to me as well
Hi I had rectal cancer 3 years ago on ostomy bag I have had 2 hernia operations in a year now have horrible neuropathy from chemotherapy me and my wife got Covid after my operation hang in there 🙏🙏
Thank you for your video. Just had Laporscopic sigmoid colon resection 1 week ago. Approximately 7 inches of the sigmoid colon was removed. Still healing & having some burning pain. Waiting for the pathology but surgeon said he was able to remove all the mass & it was no metastatic. Praying for you 🙏🏼
This surgery was recommended due to narrowing in the colon and chronic constipation and diverticulitis. Is the pain as bad as she described, but hers was done due to cancer. I’m scared and would like to find another way. I know I can’t live on laxatives. Thanks.
@@marciaoaklander hi I saw your comment on the video. I actually had the same surgery that your Dr is recommending for you constantly being constipated and slight pain in my left side because of diverticulitis. I had my surgery on June 26 2024 .. everything went very well. I was never on pain meds .. I pray you do well and have excellent results ! ❤🙏 one thing I did that did help with the constipation until I had. The surgery was pineapple juice. I would drink at least 8 ounces every morning. Pineapple is an enzyme and helps with constipation another tip that my gastrointestinal doctor gave me was strength, warm apple juice in the morning!! Hope this helps!!!
🕊️ Thank you Wendy !!!,,, I'm in My hospital room just got out of robotic abdominal surgery , Just want to thank you for the video, it was extremely helpful, l wish l could thank you in person 🕊️🙏🕊️...
My sigmoid colon had to be removed it was so diseased..... but My constipation is terrible and the bouts of diarrhea..... then the constant pain and burning that won't go away in my gut.... not sure if it's nerve pain or gut pain....
Hi wendy had my op for bowel cancer a year ago only enema on day of surgery robotic surgery sigmoid colon removed no need for a bag left hospital after 3 days a year on and still cancer free off work for 3 months hope you recover ok.
Well I'm surprised it went so well for you! I had the same and a temporary ileostomy and the surgery got infected from the first day, it was horrific I was in the hospital for 30 days and looked like a holocaust Survivor, and even after being released the infection persisted and in severe pain even going into the tailbone for several months I was told it would be like your experience, but they failed to tell me to do all the prep early enough so I didn't start until the night before and they still told me to come in anyway even though I was still passing stool that morning. I think that's ridiculous, but you're saying that you did not do any prep at all except in enema the day of the surgery?
@7x779 that's right went into Derby royal at 07.30 had enema after getting a bed operation around 09.00 . Very sorry to hear of your experience hope you are well now.
Thank you for posting this video. Know I will be praying for you. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord give you strength and peace.
Wendy, I am a RN who was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. I have a pretty extensive background in Oncology and Surgery. Your explanation of your experience was extremely helpful. I am now the patient 😢...Thank you so much for posting this!
I'm an RN who just got diagnosed last week with colon cancer. I have it in 2 parts of my colon and the Surgeon has said I'll need a Total Colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis. I hate being the patient, lol. I've got my scans next week and then scheduled to speak to the Surgeon. Will you also need a Total Colectomy?
@marik6025 I've had my clinic with my Surgeon and am booked for surgery on the 21st of this month. Because I don't have Lynch syndrome or FAP the Surgeon has offered me a left extended hemicolectomy/ Deloyers procedure. Basically I'll get to keep my ascending colon. It will get freed up, untwisted and flipped upside down to connect to my rectum. I figure that's better than no Colon that was offered to me earlier.
I am also recovering from colorectal surgery. I thank God daily that mine had no cancer. Know I will pray for all those with cancer. 😢May God strengthen you through your journey.
Got diagnose with colorectal cancer. Getting the whole large intestine taken out 😢. The whole thing has to be taken out because I have ulcerative colitis. Hoping to get all the information I can.
@josiefernandez822 hi, I've got bowel cancer too and will need a Total colectomy with an ileorectal anastomosis. As long as my scans next week show no disease progression then I should have surgery within a month.
@@josiefernandez822 Hi, I understand your concern but bowel cancer is incredibly slow growing - which is why it's often discovered once it gets a bit bigger and starts to bleed or cause problems. It's usually taken at least 2-3 years of growing before it's suddenly discovered. Between now and December I very much doubt your cancer will grow at all. You will do well with your surgery and recovery, I am sure of it. My whole colon needs to be removed and the surgeon has said they will attach my small bowel straight on to my rectum. I see him next week in his clinic to discuss my scans and options going forward. All the best to you.
Thanks for ur valuable update. I wish you God's speed.and a full recovery. With God all things r possible .He is our Healer read psalms 91 every morning as u wake u will b fully recovered im the ALL MIGHTY Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 🙏🙏🙏
Thank you for sharing. Just had Sigmoid Colectomy surgery last Monday. About 13" of my colon was removed, the results came back caner free. It's been a week of moving slow and adjusting to the meds. I'm taking your advice and requesting to meet a Dietician asap. Prayers and good vibes headed your way.
I just came out from surgery, experienced hallucinations also a 90° visual rotation which meant I thought I was vertical while in fact was lying down on my bed, it was very far out. Luckily the main event - the surgery - went very well, no bag, pretty good pain recovery
Thank you for sharing @Wendy. I was so scared because I was discharged less than 24 hours after surgery. I’ve been home for five days now. So far so good. My faith has to be bigger than my fears.
@@MrRuso316 hi, I use online daily devotions. Remember god already knows the prayers in your heart. Romans 8:26-28 New King James Version (NKJV) For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
@@MrRuso316 I’ve added you to my prayer list. Remember you are loved You are a child of a king Make time to spend a little time with him each day, you feel his warmth, you’ll find yourself talking to him more and more. Build your faith. I pray that you will not be distracted by the evil one who sets out to confuse you. Please just say Begone Satan And get on with thanking God And Praising God. Keep the faith - please.
Thank you so much for sharing, Wendy! I am having my colorectal surgery tomorrow (06/24). Your details and explanation were extremely helpful. Hopefully your recovery and improvement has been strong.
it’s so wild to me how the non-nutrition specialties in the medical world not only don’t care more about avoiding sugar, but that they readily recommend it. colonoscopy prep clear liquid diet, beside the broth, is ALL sweet. the only thing i figure is that they don’t care about the sugar because it’s a temporary situation. but man, as another health conscious individual who genuinely doesn’t care for sweets except very specific ones on occasion, i really wish there were some more savory/healthy options for prep!!
Just had mine 24th and have a morphine button. Going home with hydrocodone and solace. And it works just fine. That's what he gave me after my emergency surgery and it worked fine.
My protocol calls for a reverse approach where my treatment started with radiation, followed by chemotherapy. I will soon be going in for surgery as the final step. Your strength has inspired and helped a great deal. Thank you.
I had the surgery a year ago but it was an emergency surgery. I was in a head on collision and I also had an aneurysm in my stomach from the impact and the seatbelt cut my colon so I had to have 5 blood transfusions. I don't remember much because my whole right side was broken too just just glad to be alive.
I had my Colon Surgery and Hernia surgery at the same time. 6 weeks tomorrow 7-11-24! I guess I was lucky because I got up and walked the halls and barely used my pain pump. They only sent enough pain pills for 1 week then its Tylenol and Advil. I think I suffered for so long that I can deal with the pain now.
Thank goodness I don't have any side effects from morphine. My main concern is that surgery is harder as one ages---I'm 70. So far I haven't been diagnosed with cancer...
I had a 20mm polyp removed from my rectum during a colonoscopy. Biopsy came back that it’s a “small adenocarcinoma” I have an appointment for a consult and imaging/bloodwork. Really not looking forward to this. How are you doing? I hope you’re feeling better 🙏🏻
Hi John, do you have an update on your consult yet? I was where you were in Jan '23, a lot has happened since which included LAR surgery, an ileostomy in April, an ileostomy reversal in late July. if you need any pointers I can help.
@@mtnbkrken05 Thank you so much for reaching out! I just had LAR surgery this past Thursday. I was home the next day. I fortunately didn’t need a bag. The pain’s been pretty manageable, but I’m miserable. I’ve got diarrhea with hemorrhoids 🤦♂️. This is brutal. I’m just taking it day by day. I hope you’re doing well. Are you out of the woods totally? Happy new year, bud.
Hey Johnny, I feel your pain for sure. I now know what it feels like to s--t lava in clusters for about 10 times a day. This was after my ostomy reversal and not having used my colon and my bum for 4 months. I'm still teaching my colon how to work again, getting much easier every month. They tell me it takes a year to completely return to normal, so by the end of this summer I'll be fine. I had the smallest cancer polyp removed as well in a colonoscopy, but they determined it was best to remove 20CM of my colon and part of my rectum to prevent any other polyps. I had 11 the last time and 8 before so, sounded reasonable. Glad you're managing your pain ok, I had a slight struggle with this at first, but I figured out that I can take the daily max dose of ibuprofen and Tylenol and just alternate them in the day and it worked for me. As far as the bum pain goes... NOTHING helped until I installed a bidet under my toilet seat. I don't know how I've lived all these years without one! @@Johnny-ip4mk
@@mtnbkrken05thanks for your comments. I've had the same surgery almost a year ago and it got infected badly, was in the hospital for one month. The original plan I was cut out about 12 in where the tumor was, temporary Loop ileostomy for 6 weeks and then reversal . But because of the infection which was excruciatingly painful I'm going into my tailbone it took several months on super strong doxycycline antibiotics to clear it and about 7 or 8 months since the surgery for the wound to heal Now it's going on over a year since surgery and about to have the ileostomy reversed I'm wondering what I can anticipate. It sounds like you were in for a whole new set of challenges after reversing the ileostomy in hooking your colon up again
@@mtnbkrken05I'm just wondering what I can expect. How are you doing now? Would you say you have normal bowel function or you still having to go 10 times a day. Are you able to wear a normal clothing or do you have to wear pads and such?
I had hemorrhoid surgery about 30 years before my Colorectal surgery. I figured it would be about like that. I sure wasn’t prepared for when I woke up in ICU cut from my breastbone to my private parts. I was in ICU for 6 days and then out in a room for 5 more days. One of the older ICU nurses told me that the more I walked after they got me up, the quicker I would heal. I about drove them nuts getting me up to walk and helping me back in bed. The worst thing to come out of it is that my bowels 20 years after my surgery are still about like pudding and when the urge hits I better head for a bathroom quick or I have a mess.
I would recommend for anyone going for colorectal surgery to search for and read the ERAS (enhanced recovery after surgery) protocols. I've read so many difficulties people have had both pre and post op. I followed the 8 day pre op and was made aware of various post op possibilities. The ERAS protocols are something the hospital provides and you do your part, they do theirs. Includes diet, pain management and plenty of communication. ERAS was initially developed a long time ago in northern Europe and has expanded across the world.
Postoperative for healing you need full liquids, to soft diet. After healing, or healed colon, need a high fiber diet... Post-op RN. (Of course, decrease that if it causes pain)
I'm so conflicted about this advice to take fiber. I saw a study on a bunch of people that had all types of digestive issues, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, cramping, pain etcetera. They measured the Baseline of all of their symptoms then they put them on a high fiber diet and everything got worse for all of them. Then they put them on a low fiber diet and everything got a little better than the baseline. Then they put them on another diet and all symptoms were resolved for everyone. Completely healed. Do you know what that was ? Zero fiber😮 ??? It seems to make sense, have you ever put some Metamucil or psyllium husk in a glass and let it sit and watch it gel up and solidify And I also thought about the animal which has the shortest simplest digestive system, which happens to be cats, and the only food they can digest is meat because it's so easily digested and absorbed. How can that be that nobody has noticed and thought about this?
I felt the same way. It seemed like my surgeon was pushing fiber, but my GI doctor wanted me on a low FODMAP diet. I had to really try a lot of different things to ultimately stop the pain and start feeling better.
Hey there, I just had the same surgery 6 weeks ago. My stitches have healed well and I’m eating/ functioning properly but I’m still having internal pain in my core/stomach muscles. Did you have any pain like this after your surgery? Thank you!
Hi, I had a right helictonomy 7 weeks ago to remove cancer. All gone really well. Only gripe I have is my flat stomach now juts out where I was stitched back together. Am now begining to do toning exercises. Does your stomach eventually flatten? I know it's a small price to pay but can't help but feel paranoid about it as a woman in her early thirties.
I totally understand where you are coming from. I would talk to your doctor about post-surgical exercise and give yourself time to recover first. Aside from scarring, my body physically looks the same as it did prior to surgery. Our bodies are incredibly intelligent when it comes to healing, so be patient with your body and yourself and I'm sure you will see it will come together to support you best. Even where things look different post-surgery, just remember that your body is now cancer-free. As such, it can look however it needs to in order to survive. Stay strong! :)
@@ld4032 I wasn't ever diagnosed with LAR; however, I had many of the complications common to LAR, I believe. Gas, bloating, difficulty going to the bathroom, pain with bathroom visits, frequent bathroom visits, etc. My GI doctor put me on Miralax for a month, which was horrible, but did ensure that I was "going" every day. She also put me on a low fodmap diet to alleviate the gas. I am now introducing foods to test to see which do not produce gas. I have also removed the Miralax and am now trying magnesium before bed, which is seeming to be more effective.
@@WendyBurbridgehi wendy, is the ileostomy reversed in your colon all hooked up now? Are your bowel movements normal? I had the same surgery and I'm looking forward to getting the ileostomy reverse soon wondering what I should expect and prepare for
Very helpful, thank you! Hope you’re doing well now! I had a right hemicolectomy in April and still have some discomfort so looking for similar stories. Thank you!
Good luck to you as well Jennifer. I’m much better now and have been in remission for over a year. The discomfort will subside over time but be patient with yourself. My recovery was so much longer than I anticipated.
I had my appendix removed and the whole right side of my colon removed. I was wondering how long it was for you until you became regular? It's been a month and still dealing with watery stools and flatulence.
How are you doing now? And I'm curious what what has your diet been when you were having gas and flatulence and stool problems? Have you tried a zero fiber and even perhaps a meat only diet? I have been thinking about this and it seems like the animals who have the most flatulence and very complex lengthy digestive systems all eat plants and high fiber And the animal with the simplest shortest digestive system which happens to be the cat, can only eat meat because that is the most easily digestible food there is How is it that nobody has noticed this or talks about it For an example, you might search for someone named Kelly Hogan on here
I agree with you. My only hope going in was that I would make it through healthy on the other side, and I did, so I am grateful that life-saving interventions like this are available.
Oh, my surgeon suggested a tea: about a hand full of fresh ginger and a hand full of fresh turmeric, grind it up (I don't bother peeling), mix in about a Tablespoon of black pepper, store in a mason jar/Tupperware, add about a Tablespoon to water, boil, and then (one can strain or not strain, I strain) into my coffee mug and add lemon to taste. Do not add anything else. Enjoy your tea, 2x per day. This has worked wonders pre surgery and post surgery. The all natural tea has reduced inflammation and has assisted in weight loss. My father-in-law has lost weight and no longer eats, as I did, Tums like Tic-Tacs. Going to stay on it and pass the word.
That's a cool tip. Thanks for sharing. Its amazing to find out what has worked for people. When I was going through my chemo treatment I had a functional medicine doctor who suggested I have matcha tea and add in turmeric and black pepper for anti inflammatory purposes. I don't know if it made a difference or not, but I just had my 2 year check up and all is clear :)
Just a few pounds because I had to fast until the surgery and then was on a liquid diet for several post-surgery. However through the course of surgery and chemo I lost about 15 pounds.
