HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Pain after colectomy

Support Forums
>
Crohn's Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 10/5/2013 4:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hi guys, I had a sigmoid colectomy 9 weeks ago and have had ongoing constant pain since. Sometimes so bad I could scream! I have a redundant colon both left and right side. Surgeon removed the badly twisted left side. He was very chatty at first but lately he doesn't want to engage in conversation. Seems to be deliberately avoiding my questions. I'm getting so frustrated. Ignorance is not bliss!!

I have a constant burning pain around where the anastomosis is and when passing a stool sometimes the pain is so bad there I could pass out! I'm taking a cocktail of pain killers, targin, difine & lyrica but these only take the edge off. I'm worried about addiction or causing other damage. I've tried to reduce them but am always sorry when the pain kicks in with a serious vengeance! My surgeon took a look a few days ago and dilated the colon by 1/2 cm. it's made no difference. Stools are soft thin and frequent. Lots of gas also. This can be just as painful. I seem to have lost some sensation also. Don't know if its stool or gas passing.

I'm trying to carry on my life despite it but I'm in so much pain it's very difficult! I need answers and solutions but I'm not getting anywhere. Have any of you out there experienced any thing like this or have any clue what's going on? Sorry the post is so long but I'm going out of my mind!!

Post Edited (JenniferX) : 10/5/2013 10:55:26 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/7/2013 8:32 PM (GMT 0)
I had surgery about a month ago and would say that my pain is tolerable at this point. I am still taking pain meds, but that is more because I was on them prior to surgery and need to taper off slowly. I find that my internal stitches burn when the pain meds wear off and I get very achy and sore if I overdo it. I am having a lot of D after eating, but it sounds like you may be having the opposite problem. Do you find your pain increases after eating? Could this pain be cause from adhesions from the surgery. Maybe try to watch if certain foods cause more pain than others? Do you have a GI? If things don't get better you may need to consult with one. Good luck, hope you start feeling better!!
Posted 10/9/2013 4:43 AM (GMT 0)
It sounds like a stricture at the anastomosis, which I'm guessing is why he dilated it. Sometimes the anastomosis builds up scar tissue and can close the site off. Mine did this and I had to have a dilatation, in which I prepped like for a colonoscopy and the GI used a balloon-like instrument on the scope to dilate it. My GI told me that I might have to have it done again in "3 weeks, 3 months, 3 years", in other words it could keep closing up after having it dilated. Fortunately I didn't have to do it again. But it sounds like you might. I know when I had surgery NO ONE warned me that this could happen.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply