What is a colectomy and how is your recovery?

A colectomy it's a surgery in which the doctor performs a removal or resection of part or all of the large intestine (also called the colon). The reasons why the doctor may decide to perform this surgery are:

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• Digestive tract disorders, for example severe cases of inflammatory bowel disease
• A colon obstruction
• An injury to the colon

How is a colectomy performed?

Open surgery

The doctor performs a cut in the stomach area and then removes part or all of the colon. What the doctor removes depends on the reason for the surgery and the severity of the situation.

Laparoscopic surgery

The doctor performs several small cuts in the stomach area. Then, he inserts a long instrument called a camera tip, which sends images to a television screen so the doctor can see and know where to cut and what to remove.

Then he uses long instruments to practice surgery through the small cuts. Once the doctor removes the colon, he makes sure there is a conduit for bowel movements to leave the body. If the doctor can reconnect the gut, we should be able to evacuate normally.

Previous preparation

The doctor will inform us about how to prepare for the colectomy. Normally it will schedule us:

• A low residue diet and avoid certain foods the days before surgery.
• It will tell us when we should stop eating and drinking.
• If we must modify or stop taking any medicine before the surgery. It is even possible that he will prescribe some to us to take before (antibiotics to prevent infections and a medicine to empty the intestines)

Before surgery, we will receive what will make us sleepy. The doctor can perform a colectomy in two different ways:

Colostomy or ileostomy

For any of these procedures, the doctor creates a small hole in the stomach area and connects it to the intestine to allow the exit of feces to the outside, for which a colostomy bag is used.

• If the doctor connects the hole to the large intestine, the procedure is called colostomy.
• If the doctor connects the hole to the small intestine, the procedure is called ileostomy

The bowel movements will come out through the hole and settle in a bag attached to your skin.

How can I care for my colostomy or ileostomy?

A nurse will teach us how to take care of the colostomy or ileostomy, and also when and how to change the bag that collects the bowel movements.

Will I have a colostomy for my entire life?

Many people have a colostomy for a short time while the body heals. This is often what happens when a colectomy is done for an emergency.

Most people do not need to wear the colostomy for life, but some do. If we need a colostomy for a short time, the doctor will do another surgery later to reconnect the colon; that way, we can evacuate normally again.

How should my diet be after a colectomy?

After surgery, most people stay in the hospital for 2 to 4 days.

Most people can drink fluids a day or two after surgery and can have solid foods soon after; since the intestines must heal before solid foods can be eaten again. If the intestines take longer to heal, the doctor may need to give more food through a vein in the arm until we can eat again.

Possible consequences

While it is not common, there can be problems after a colectomy, such as:

• Bleeding in the abdomen
• Infection in the stomach area or other parts of the body.
• An obstruction in the remaining part of the colon, or in the small intestine.
• A leak at the site where the intestine was reconnected (fistula).
• An injury to the ureter (the tube that connects the kidney to the bladder), which is located near the colon.

• A colectomy is a surgery in which the doctor removes part or all of the large intestine (colon).
• It is done to treat: colon cancer, digestive tract disorders, a colon obstruction, or a colon injury.
• The intervention requires prior preparation, requires general anesthesia, and requires a few days to stay in the hospital after it, as well as some subsequent care.