I had rectal surgery on June 21. How long does it take to get back to normal bowels. At this point I cannot got leave my home. I only leave the house for my Drs. app.'s. I have ask the Drs. and other staff, the only ask answer is every one is different and it takes time, but how much time???

I had rectal surgery on June 21. How long does it take to get back to normal bowels. At this point I cannot got leave my home. I only leave the house for my Drs. app.'s. I have ask the Drs. and other staff, the only ask answer is every one is different and it takes time, but how much time???

Are you saying that your bowels are working overtime or that you are constipated.

Seems to me the common post surgery complaint has been constipation but your post suggests otherwise.

Your colon has undergone a trauma and is healing. Often it tends to be sluggish due to this but I could understand cases in which it reacts by trying to keep itself free of contents instead.

My bowels returned to pretty much normal about 2 weeks after surgery but everyone is different. Have you started chemo?
Chemo throws a wrench into the works too. I sometimes had to take 4 or more immodium to staunch the flow during chemo.

BTW, if you are getting immodium, have the doctor write a prescription for the generic form(loperamide if I recall correctly) It is a lot cheaper than buying over the counter and you can get 30 or so rather than having to buy packages of 8.

I found my bowels took a long time to settle down. I first had an ileostomy for 6 months with 4 blockages. Needless to say my system did not like the ileo! Then I had the ileo closed and a permanent colostomy made. This was much easier to manage and I no longer had blockage problems. I did have very runny stools, lots of gas and an irregular pattern for at least 6 months. I didn't feel things were really settled until about 18 months after my final surgery. But then my system was very sensitive even before all this started. One thing for sure though is that the intestines do not like to be messed with! Try to be patient and things will eventually settle. At least with a colostomy diarhhea is manageable!

Thank you, I am having chemo today and will ask for the prescription. I did have rad/chemo before my surgery and did not any problems. Now I am concern about the staging of the tumor, since my Dr cannot decide the stage. I was given the surgical pathology report. I am new to this and it's hard to put words into sentences about my surgery/cancer.

Thanks for the infor. I did not have a colostomy, but my bowels are runny and irregular. I will have my chemo today will attempt to see if any staff can answer my concerns. Every time I start asking questions, all I hear is you will be fine. I also starting asking about the staging of the tumor and the DR could not decide the stage. I was given a copy of my surgical pathology report. It only states about the residual adenocarcinoma and changes with my rad/chemo treatment but no staging. Do you know where I can get that information?

In addition to loperamide which should slow down the bowel movements, have you tried Metamucil? It can help to bulk up the bowel movements and slow down the frequency. My husband still has increased bowel movements, two years after surgery and does get anxious about it....hence we do not travel or go out to dinner! But he works full time and does not use the bathroom at the office. It is so good that we live near to his office! A small price to pay for having him alive though. It has got alot better and, I am sure, will continue to do so. Yours hopefully will settle down soon, though it may take some time if you are receiving chemo.

I am so surprised the doctor cannot give a stage of your cancer. Would your oncologist have that information or it is it he who could not tell you, or another doctor?

All the best with the ongoing treatment.

In addition to loperamide which should slow down the bowel movements, have you tried Metamucil? It can help to bulk up the bowel movements and slow down the frequency. My husband still has increased bowel movements, two years after surgery and does get anxious about it....hence we do not travel or go out to dinner! But he works full time and does not use the bathroom at the office. It is so good that we live near to his office! A small price to pay for having him alive though. It has got alot better and, I am sure, will continue to do so. Yours hopefully will settle down soon, though it may take some time if you are receiving chemo.

I am so surprised the doctor cannot give a stage of your cancer. Would your oncologist have that information or it is it he who could not tell you, or another doctor?

All the best with the ongoing treatment.