Resection surgery

Can anyone tell me what to expect if I have surgery to remove a narrowed place in small colon..? Thanks

Thanks  with me I find out if I know what problems other people have had then if that happens to me I don't worry so much.....

I had a similar surgery 2 years ago. I had to do a bowel prep the day prior and ended up having an open incision due to too much abdominal scar tissue. Recovery from laproscopic is much quicker I'm told. I was in hosp. for 4 days, mostly on a clear liquid diet and I had a pain pump and nerve blocks. They will get you up and moving asap to get your bowels "woken up". Once you are released you will likely need to follow a soft diet for a time -- this should be discussed upon your release. Go SLOW when adding foods back in, I never knew mashed pototoes could hurt so bad going through a surgical site!

I was driving in 2 weeks and back to work in 6 weeks. The best part was not being in pain 24/7 with the stricture.

Good luck and let us know how things go.

I've had this disease for over 23 years since I was 15 years old, and just had my first resection surgery last June. I wasn't on a full liquid diet, but I'd say almost 50% of my calories came from liquids.

Like you mentioned in the other thread, the strictures made me tired all the time. It got to the point that I was napping on my lunch break & needing to lay down for a brief bit as soon as I got home from work. Some evenings, I was in too much pain to do anything but lay down for the night.

My kids were 2.5 and 6 last year when I had the surgery, but I had to finally get it done. I was to the point that the next flare would probably lead to a blockage and emergency surgery. I felt much better going into the hospital in a planned, controlled environment.

My surgery was done laparoscopically, so the answers to your questions below are based on that:

1. I had surgery on Monday morning and was out on Friday afternoon of the same week. I was down at home that weekend but was off prescription painkillers after two days at home, and quit taking tylenol the following weekend. I didn't return to work (desk job) for 3.5 weeks, and in general took it easy and didn't pick up the kids for 2-3 months.

2. I don't know how it compares directly, but it seems that my recovery time was similar to my wife's when she had a c-section. The biggest difference was diet & bowels after the surgery. I was on a low residue diet for about 3 months, and took it extremely slow to transition off.

The pain of getting up and out of bed the first time will probably be similar. Then, they have you walk a lot around the floor of the hospital. Again, it helps wake up the bowels and get them moving again. The sooner they move, the sooner you get home.

3. A good question for your surgeon, but I would speculate that its the same chance as it is with any other surgery.