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I had a Bowel Resection for treatment of endo last Tuesday May 28th. I am now at home and find I am having uncontrollable and unpredictable bowel moevemnts. I know its ealry stages but can someone PLEASE advise what they experienced after having this surgery and if literally running to the bathroom is "normal"
Im worried about all of this post op bowel behaviour....:(
Hi,
I didn't have a resection but loads of endo removed from the bowel wall. After 6wks post op my bowels still felt weird. I did lots of running to the toilet, lots of bowel pain before needing to go. I think finally felt 'normal' after 4mths. I rang my gyn a few times to check what I was feeling was ok. he was really approachable and would return calls after hours if need be. that certainly relieved some of the anxiety I was feeling post op.
HOpe you are feeling better soon,
Mcih
Thanks for your reply. Were you able to return to work after 6 weeks or were you out of action for 4 months?
I feel like this is never going to end!
thank you so much for your replies.
I am experiencing horrible diarrhea and literally need to run to the bathroom. its more an emotional process for me thatn a physical one at the moment as i keep thinking this is how ill be from now on. :(
You poor thing! I haven't had a reseciton either, but I did have surgery to remove an endometrium from my left ovary, I'm not sure how much my bowel was involved (I do remember being told it was stuck either to my ovary or somewhere in my pelvis) but I can tell you that following surgery bowel movements were excrutiatingly painful. I didn't have any urgency or diarrhea, but lots of pain before needing to go and actually going was so, so painful.
It took me at least 8 weeks for that to fully resolve, so I'd imagine you're healing will take quite a bit longer. I too phoned my Dr who assured me that it was totally normal and could take a few months to resolve. I was very distressed about it too and at one point thought it would never end. BUT IT DID!
I wish you all the best on your recovery sweetie.
At the time I was home with my 2yr old daughter 6 days a week and 1 day of work - so I had to return to 'work' so to speak (ie not allowed to be sick with kids :) ).:
I had a week of recovery where I was waited on 24/7 then we drove home from sunshine coast to Roma (5hr drive). then , I had to just keep going and was tired for a long, long time. I went back to my one day of work after 3 weeks. I also tended to nap on other days when my daughter had her lunch time sleep. I think that was the worst for me - always feeling tired. The tiredness for me lasted for months, I think if I had been able to rest more when the operation was done I might have recovered quicker. In retrospect, I wish I had spent more time on the coast with family to look after my daughter so I could have rested more then (no family in Roma!).
Not exactly answering the question you asked...sorry. How are you feeling now?
Mich
Hi
I can see gradual improvements on a weekly basis moreso than daily... i still need to be as close to the toilet as possible whereever i go. The diarrohea is slowly subsiding in terms of not needing to run to the toilet in order to make it on time.
I went to my post op gynae appt who advised my endo was very extensvie and widespread and amongst the worse he has seen in terms of it being everywhere. He drew a diagram and the diagram had me in tears as my organs that he drew were covered in spots which represented endo. My large bowel had endo shaved off it and a bit of that removed, 40 cm of small bowel removed and a massive nodule whihc was stuck to my rectum. My appendix was cut as was my bladder, POD ovaries and tubes. Surgery took 4.5 hours. He was sure he got it all though and so i can now say i am disease free.
I am going on Synarel to "turn off my periods" to try and keep my pelvis in good order for when i decide to have children. From what i have read you should only be on it for 6 months but he wants me on it for 2-3 years if thats how long i want to wait until i have kids which is really scary.
I am vfery afraid of the side effects as I am 25 and about to start feeling menopausal effects! He told me i need to do this as if i dont prevent the endo from coming back then my bowels wont be able to handle it and i may end up with a colostomy bag (again i burst into tears!!)... apparently i will ineveitably need a hysterectomy...
I have had 12 laps and numerous bowell resections. My recoveries have been around 2-3 weeks but my bowell movements returned to normal quicker than that.
i have had the "hysteretctomy" talk and used zoladex (menapausal treatment), so I empathise with you. But all I can say is that my endo has had periods of acceleration and deceleration, not necessarily in co-relation with treatment or operations. That is why it is an insidieous (sp) disease.
However, I do recommend that you get all the surgical and dr notes and contact the endo assocn in your state, so that you can get a second opinion.
Best of luck.........
I agree with Magic, I'd be getting a second opinion about future treatment options.
Magic
Thank you for your reply.. what was the extent of your bowel resection and how did the recovery progress go?
Hi ,
That sounds like good and bad news for you. good that your symptoms are lessening and that Dr thinks he got it all; totally full on if you have to take synarel long term. I took zoladex for 6mths (same thing) and had the menopausal stuff, I was most concerned with getting my periods back. I agree with the other girls, definitely get a second opinion. There was a thread in here about zoladex/synarel not long ago - have a look and see if you can find it - maybe the moderator can direct you to it. It was a discussion about getting pregnant and using zoladex/synarel to help. Have you thought about natural remedies? are you seeing a fertility natropath/acupuncturist. All the best, let us know how it all goes for you,
thinking of you,
Mich
can you recommend ant naturopaths for this kind of treatment in Melbourne?
Hi YDI
I had a lap where the gyno removed endo adhesions that were holding my left ovary and tube to my bowel. While, I didn't have any bowel resection, it took a few months for my bowel movements to return to normal. I couldn't eat anything spicy, heavy or sugary, even the slightest bit otherwise I'd have to run to the toilet which was frustrating and painful. I was eating very bland food for ages. It has improved now, but I still avoid anything too spicy and definitely avoid the fatty and sugary foods as my body still doesn't quite agree with them..
Hope you start to feel better soon..
Sorry, my natropath is in Sydney. Maybe if you post a thread in the herbal supplements area someone there could direct you?:
Good luck
Mich
Hi,
I also had a bowel resection recently (30th May)for endo but had the opposite problem to you. After the initial bowel movement in hospital I was constipated until yesterday. This caused pain in my lower back and legs and doc was concerned as he said that is the worst thing to have after bowel resection. I have been living on high fibre diet to fix problem. Thankfully this seems to have been resolved (although still isn't normal) and back pain has reduced.
I guess we all react differently to surgery and our bodies take a while to recover!
Hope your feeling better soon.
Hi LJ!
Soundsl ike we are at the same stage in our recovery period... Sorry to hear about your experiences with constipation throughout the past month. Im feeling much better at this point and am on top of it emotionally as well! Am looking forward to feeling better and better each week.
I had horrible period pain a few days ago though which had me in ER. I didn't expect the pain to be as bad as it was post op.
Anyway thatnks for your reply and hope you are on the mend :)
Hi YDI,
Glad to hear youre feeling much better than after op. I had barely any pain with my period after op and wasn't even sure if it was my period as I'm not used to it being pain free and it was different than normal! Sorry to hear you ended up back in hospital, but hopefully all your endo has gone and you will be pain free from now on :D
I have been constipated again pretty much since the day after my last post ( a week ago!) but have no back pain. Yay! Apart from that I am recovering well and feel pretty good. Have you had any other problems with your recovery? The nerves in my bladder aren't working as well as they should (had a catheter for 2 weeks); I don't feel the need to go to the loo very often!! Doc says this should change, I am just very swollen on the inside! I see my the bowel surgeon next week for a check up and the gyno/surgeon in 3 weeks.
I'm looking forward to proving that the surgery was a success :D by getting pregnant asap.
Hope you don't have any more problems or end up back in ER.
Thanks, LJ
Hi LJ
well im glad you are recovering well. It seems we are very different in how our bodies are reacting to the surgery! I have been running to the bathroom all afternoon. I am unable to leave the hosue one month on. The bowel movements are ridiculously frequent and ive lost a lot of weight from this surgery.
I meet with my bowel surgeon next thursday so im hoping he will tell me that what i am experiencing is normal. I hope it gets better!!!
Hi YDI,
Strange isn't it??? I'm desperate to go to the bathroom and you just wana stay away!!!
I was hoping to lose some weight from surgery but haven't, even though I barely ate for the first 2 weeks!!
Let me know how you go after seeing surgeon. If he tells you what youre going through is normal, whats my doc going to say cause we are totally opposite!!!Good luck.
Hey
I will definitely keep you posted. Im so over it! Im starting to remove certain things from what i am eating to see if it helps settle the bowel movements. Its insane at how frequent and uncontrollable they are. Im eating loads of brown rice and vegies and just about to send my fiance up to get some more wholemeal bread (its sad that i cant even go up the shop after a month!!).
Will let you know what my surgeon thinks of my progress... take care
Hi,
One thing that I have found the most difficult is that I wasn't told what I could and couldn't eat other than stay away from red meat, spicy food and multigrain bread. They said try to eat bland and soft food. So I don't know if what I'm eating is okay or not!! Bowel surgeon said to eat whatever I wanted and see how it goes!! :wall:
I see my bowel sugeon 2moro so I'll let you know what he says.
Hope you had a good weekend and managed to get out of the house for awhile :D
Hey LJ
How did you go?
When i lef thte hospital they told me my diet should be one that consists of high fibre / low fat... lately ive been increasing the fibre but today ive been running to the bathroom with stomach pains. i cant go anywhere as my bowel movements 5 weeks on are still very very loose and very frequent!
im praying this regulates!
Well, I went to the bowel surgeon today and he said most people will have bowel movements atleast 5 times a day after surgery! He told me to start using a laxative (Agarol) to try and get things moving and that I should not stick to high fibre diet cause that could be blocking me up. He said I should start eating most foods (including red meat) but to chew it really well and also to start walking more than I have been. My stomach is still feeling very swollen and hard and he said it may be distended cause of the constipation. I'm due to go back to work in 2 weeks and I can't imagine wearing anything other than tracky dacks at the moment. My belly is swollen so nothing fits me!!
I have to see him again in 4 weeks and if my constipation hasn't improved he wants to stick a camera up there to see how the bowel is healing (haven't I already been through enough!!!!!!!) :(
I see my gyno/endo specialist/surgeon in 3 weeks.
How are you feeling today?? Better I hope.:D
Hey LJ
Hope you are feeling better. My appointments is tomorrow morning so i will keep you posted. Are you drinking lots of water?
Its tough i know, but hopefully your constipation etc will ease and you wont have to go through with all the other stuff on top of what you have been through.
Hi YDI,
Thanks, yeh I am drinking heaps of water. Luckily I like water cause I've been drinking so much that even I'm sick of it!!
Good luck 2moro, I hope everything goes well. How are you going to cope leaving the house to go to the doc?? It could be interesting!! LOL
Well tomorrow will be very interesting! my running to the bathroom seems to limiting itself to the afternoons at the moment so if it stays that way ill be ok for tomorrow mornings appointment!
I too have had nothing but water for 5 weeks! i am craving chocolate and pepsi max like you wouldnt believe. I have lost a lot of weight through this and dont fit into any of my clothes so i need to try and get out before i return to work to buy a belt lol!
i had brown rice for dinner last night (staple food at the moment) and was up at 2am with horrible stomach pains. feeling bloated today so fingers crossed it doesnt get too painful.
are you contactable on email or just through here?
He he, hope everything is ok for 2moro morning!
I haven't had rice at all, maybe I should have? I've been having lots of vegies, brown bread, soup, little bit of chicken. I haven't lost any weight :( feel like I've put it on!!
Sounds like you've had heaps more pain than me. My stomach is sore, and I get a sore back but I haven't had the stomach pains and cramps that you've been getting. Maybe you can change what you eat too which might help (see what doc says?)
I've sent you my email address, let me know if you haven't got it in case I did it wrong!!!
For anyone who has gone through a bowel resection for endo i was wondering if you have experienced something similar. I was in excruciating pain last night for hours as after each BM my rectum had a horrible throbbing pain that had me in tears. Yesterday I went to see my bowel surgeon for my post op appointment and as i had not had this pain before i didnt bring it up with him. He said that things were going well for what i had done and gave me some imodium to provide relief from the diarrohea i was still getting 5 weeks on. The part of the bowel i had removed was the end part of the small bowel which apparently is the part that absorbs water.
This pain that i got last night was intense and i hope it doesnt stick around :(
YDI - I can relate to what your going thru . I had major endo surgery in Oct last year which involved the bowel. I too couldn't eat and had severe pain for several weeks. I lost about 10 kilos and actually was scared to eat in the end as I knew what went in had to come out :doh::(
My surgeon didn't seem too concerned saying that it could take up to two months before I was completely painfree. Well it probably lasted about 6-7 weeks then I slowly was able to eat. My portion size was childlike at first.
Then I fell pregnant. Yep. 2 months after this surgery. After feeeling like cap for months after the surgery and being extremely underweight - Go Figure !!
I'd say mention it too your surgeon if you can and see what he says but after all you have had major surgery and things may well be tender and still healing. Hope this helps a little.
I wish you all the very best in your recovery.
Thanks Joels Girl
Im still in a lot of pain. Seems that the pain is ocnstant and worsened whrn i eat and then more pain again after the bathroom so I cant win.
im hoping it subsides within the next couple of weeks so i can atleast try and resume normal activites.
This has been like a big nightmare!
Hey Joels Girl,
I cant PM you so thought id just post it here if u read it bonus :)
i have started to get really painful bowel movements and the pain is how i imagine labour pain to be... wondering if you experienced pain as sever as this and if it was alleviated after a BM?
Hi YDI
I had a bowel resection on the 2nd July and after reading your experience I have had a very easy recovery. I had to run to the toilet regulary for the first couple of days while I was on a liquid diet in hospital post op but once I started on normal food the motions stopped for about four days, now almost 4 weeks on I am going about once a day and if anything I feel more towards constipated then anything - though not uncomfortably so.And I am pretty much back to my normal diet.
I saw the surgeon yesterday and he said some people take a few months to get to this stage. Mind you an hour or so after I eat I have extreme wind. It sounds as though your body is having a tough time adjusting and if I were you I'd ring the surgeons office and double check if that level of discomfort is something to worry about.
Janine
Hi Janine
How much bowel did you have removed and was it large or small bowel?
I had 40cm removed and the most ive heard people have out for endo is between 20 and 25. Ive been told my level of recovery is about right for how extensive my surgery was but its very frustrating.
Hi,
I had about 20cm removed right at the end section. I can imagine how dificult it must be for you. Maybe talk to your doc about some pain relief. Hopefully it will be worth it and you'll be free from the endo symptoms! Best of luck, Janine
YDI - How are things going ??? did you receive my PM ??
Hi,
I'm new to this but I recently had my second Lap. I was first diagnosed with Endo five years ago and was placed on Zoladex. I can safely say that this was the worst 6mths of my life, the sideaffects for me were terrible.
Over the last 5yrs the endo has been getting worse with an increase in bowel symptoms including quite severe rectal bleeding on two ocassions. 2 weeks ago I had the second lap in order to resect the endo but when the gyny went in he found that I have stage 4 endo in my bowels (this was not previously diagnosed in the first Lap 5yrs ago). However on the positive side it seems that I have no endo in my reproductive organs.
I have my first appt with my bowel specialist on the 10th and I will find out when I have to have the resection of the bowel. I'm pretty confused by it all and scarred about complications.
I have found that after this recent lap my bowel symptoms are worse, I feel horrible pain when I go to the loo, I get bloated very easily and early last wk I had my first period after the lap and this was extremely painful. My bowel movements are still not normal and am taking senna every night at the moment.
Can anyone give me some ideas / suggestion of what to ask the speacialist??
Those that have had this procedure..was this through laparoscopy or laporotomy?? I have been told that I will need at least 8wks off work is this right??
anyway look forward to hearing from people...