What happens to the extra space when the colon is out?

I have the answer to this one. As you said, stuff just sloshes around till the space fills up. I had most of a lung amputated recently and they explained that "stuff" would fill the space eventually.

I don't know what happens inside a man, but something definitely happens to women who still have their lady parts after a total colectomy. I've had ongoing problems with spotting and mucus ever since my surgery and that was over seven years ago. I went to my gyn doctor numerous times only to find out there is nothing wrong, which is a good thing, but, no one gives me a definite answer as to WHY this is happening. Before surgery, I never had a gyn problem and had gone through the change twenty years prior. My gyn said I have a thin cervical wall and the spotting is coming from that. Oh well, I'm 71 yrs old and in pretty good health, so guess I will just count my blessings.

Oh, I know I'm a rare bird.....all my organs are reversed, situs inversus, so I expect weird things happening inside me.