Help! Had colectomy last May and I'm constipated again.

I had colectomy back in May of this year.  They left about 6 inches of my colon.  Initially had done laprascopic but developed a bowel obstruction and 2 weeks later had open procedure to correct that.  Was in the hospital for 3 days short of a month.  First few months went ok, never had diarrhea.  I do not have chrons or colitis.  Now it seems my system is shutting down again.  Don't know why?  How can I be constipated w/ only 6 inches of colon left?  I don't do well on any kind of laxative, they all make me miserable.  Now I'm wishing they would have taken all of it.  Any advice from similar situations?

Thanks for the feedback.  I'm wondering in the back of mind if the bag is in my future.  Before I had my colon out they did decophatography, anal manometry...you name it I had it done, all normal except colon transit study and colonoscpoy/lower gi showed extra long redundant, dilated bowel.  The only they didn't repeat was a small bowel follow through since I had one 5 years prior which was normal.  Gastric emptying normal right before surgery.  Did you have to wait to have a repeated surgery?  I did go back to my surgeon back in late July and she said would wait a year before considering taking out the last 6 inches I have left (which in my mind I think may be hard to reattach).  She sugguested miralax, activia, or suppositories.....all of which make me ill.  Trading one misery for another.  Do you really feel much better with the bag?  I'm so done with this I don't care if thats the only true solution!

runningrd,
i think 6" are too much, i think most of the women on here who had this surgery for slow transit C had only 2" left. i don't know why your surgeon has to wait a whole yr for this, 6 mons is enough, but i'd guess she's just hoping things will improve on their own, so she wants to give it a chance before doing any additional "cutting". but did she check the anastomosis for narrowin?? this should be one of the first things to check when the symptoms are back after this kind of surgery.

many women on here who had this surgery still take laxatives and it helps them. i think you should try going with laxatives for now, at least till your surgeon comes with a new plan. i didn't respond to laxatives, so the bag was my only way outta this. i do feel much much better with the bag. my system is still slow, cause i have a slow small intestine, but its easier to manage with the bag.

i def think you should first of all try taking the rest out and see if that helps. if then you still experience constipation, then try to manage with laxatives and if those don't help, you can try the bag - a loop ileostomy - that should give you much relief - it does most women. the ostomy/bag itself doesn't bother me at all, it's really no biggie and easy to take care of. i change my wafer once a week, empty in the toilet when needed, it's really easy.

Gilda, drs don't tell you much about how it's like living with an ostomy only b/c they just don't know! they know how to create an ostomy, but how life with one looks like..... they have NO idea. no one does, only those who live it. when i talked to my BIL's friend (Bard Cosman - colorectal surgeon in UCLA), in his last letter to me he stongly recommended me to have the ileostomy. but the last sentense of his letter said "pls find ppl who already have an ostomy to get a sense of what life is like with a bag". he told me that specifically cause he himself cant answer that if he hadn't gone through it himself.

i think an ostomy can help you a lot. i also had that constant rectal pressure after my colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis. it was aweful. with the ostomy it's totally different and feels much better and much more comfortable. i don't always feel it when the stools leave my stoma and go into the bag. sometimes i do, sometimes don't. though it feels good when i do feel it. but most of the time the ostomy is quietly doing it's job.

i think my life def improved since the ileostomy. now that i'm back to work and see how much i can handle.. well i'm able to handle so much more than before the ileostomy. first of all, i feel so much more comfortable with my self. second, i'm much less constipated. third, my pain is 90% gone with the ostomy. and b/c of all the above i can eat much better now. forth, i don't spend more than 10 mins in the b/r in the morning (before the ileo i spent 3 hrs every morning!!) hummmm what else..? anyways.. i'm saying this once again.. life is much better with the bag!

i feel much more comfortable to go out now, i feel much more free this way, compared to the way i was.

Runningrd

You need the whole colon removed - i begged my surgeon to leave me even just a few inches of bowel (cause i was scared about incontinence) but he said in his experience (he is the professor and an expert in the field of colonic inertia) leaving even a little of a malfunctioning bowel does not give satisfactory results and why leave something in there that dont work. 

i had an ileostomy for 18 months following which was fantastic cause i got a chance to enjoy normal life again and felt great with no pain etc.  my tummy was also flat as a pancake too (unless i pigged out). 

You do feel your ileostomy working sometimes but you get used to it its no big deal.

however i had the reversal about just over a month ago and having constipation issues immediately - prune juice twice a day helps but i can go from being watery to little blobs wihtin an hour - and i am 'feeling' constipated again with al the usual tummy discomfort and sore butt and all....dont leave it a year go get right will you... life is too short for living in misery.

Runningrd - I had a subtotal colectomy (2 inches of colon left) in July. A couple of times since surgery I've been slow, not constipated. One tablespoon of Maalox took care of the problem. I can't handle laxatives either, make me so sick/nauseated. I cannot understand why doctors/surgeons don't listen to us. We know our bodies better than they can - you need a surgeon who will do the surgery you need. Maybe you can get a second opinion.

Val