Two Weeks Post Surgery - Chronic Cramping

Hi All,

My fiance, Rob, had his colon removed on August 23rd and was finally discharged this past Tuesday (exactly two weeks post surgery). He had a few set backs while in the hospital -- he needed an NG tube when he started clear fluids, and then his first day on solid foods he threw up all night and had to wait before he could try again.

Now that he's home he cramps up after every meal. He is walking constantly, chewing his food well, drinking hot drinks, using a hot water bottle, having warm baths, massaging his stoma...everything. Even when he doesn't eat there is a dull ache and an occasional overwhelming cramp. No nausea or vomiting though.

He has a home nurse who said this is "normal," but the hospital didn't warn us about this. I'm worried and wish there was something...ANYTHING I could do to make him feel better.

Any advice would be fantastic. Thanks all.

I agree with Sue. It took me somewhere around 5 weeks for my gas pains to go away. I did the same as your fiance.....plenty of walking. You might also want to try some yogurt to help calm his stomach down. It did a world of good for me.

Hi everyone,

Just an update -- the pain got really bad last night and my fiance started throwing up. We also noticed that his bag was pretty much empty. I took him to emerg. and they did an xray and ct scan, and discovered that he had an obstruction. They have since inserted a catheter into his stoma, but so far the obstruction hasn't cleared. He is in so much pain that he was literally crying and moaning...I've never seen him like that. Very discouraging but I know he'll feel better once it passes!!!

lild - the doctor told us that cramps are perfectly normal, but if they are accompanied by nausea/vomiting or fever then it is best to go to the ER. Let me know if you start feeling better!

Sorry to hear that Rob's in the hospital, but it's the best place to be with an obstruction. There's a lot of swelling after surgery, so hopefully it will pass on its own.

I had an obstruction one year after surgery. They had me on an NG tube for a week to see if it would clear on its own, but since it was caused by scar tissue, they had to go in and surgically cut it loose and re-section my small intestine. Hopefully, that's not the case for him.

Please keep us posted on how he's doing.

Cecilia