Hello and thanks for posting,

I can appreciate your concern about your dad. However, it is not uncommon for the bowel to take a while to begin to move normally again, after surgery, and this can vary, patient to patient.

Hopefully, you will be able to find out more soon.

Wishing you the best,

Vanda

Thank you. His bowel seems to have kicked started this morning a bit embarrassing for him but it has meant that the tubes have been removed so hopefully he has turned a small corner. 

That's good news. 

Hi

My dad is still in hospital two weeks after his op and he now has to have a dye scan as his bowel has not gone back to even nearly normal and he has no control and has constant diarrhoea. Do we need to be really worried or can this happen in some cases. What can cause this? He seems to take one step forward and 3 back 

Hello Paisley2021,

                               this is a typical scenario,what causes it is the disturbance to a finely honed piece of human engineering,In removing a tumour you have interupted the muscles and nerves that surround the bowel and the control system will take time to reconfigure how it manages the new layout. Add to that the inflammation of the tissue surrounding the surgery site which will take more than a few weeks to settle down.If memory serves your father has not had a stoma bypass so the bowel will face irritation from digested food passing through from the off,which will contain bile acids used to break down the food.l believe the bar of your current expectations is set far to low which is causing you anxiety and you need to start thinking of very gradual improvements over months and somewhere back to normality possibly in years.Not what you want to hear, but all the self inflicted worry will do nothing towards changing the outcome.

As an example l was in hospital for three weeks,and my bowel has got somewhere close to normal after five years.The term patient was well chosen since it reflects the patience required to allow the healing process to do its work.ln my case l had follow up chemo which knocks the bejesus out of you for the following year before the body can move on with coping to the layout change of the bowel

In short the recovery is never a one directional upward curve,but a series of peaks and troughs,with each peak climbing a little higher.Nothing in your post is anything different to what l would expect to hear,and it will take a few mofre months yet for you to see the evidence of this in practice.

Take care,

                   David

Thank you for your reply. I just wanted to understand what is normal after his surgery. So I can reassure my dad and mum that what is going on is OK and in time he will improve. None of these possible out comes were really explained or maybe they were and they listened but did not hear. My dad is very down at the moment and by me fully understanding what is going on allows me to help get him in a more positive place. I have neither hun or low expectations of what is happening or the progress he is making as I do not have a full understanding of what is going on but your reply has helped with that. I have told my dad it could take a long time for things to start working normally or as normal as they can but for a proud 74 year old man to have to wear a nappy as he so puts it have no control and to be going to the toilet up to 16/17 times a day is a hard pill for him to swallow and we did think it would have slowed down a little by now so he is able to go home. The hospital is not allowing visitors so this is not helping his mental health at all.  He will also need chemo when he is well enough and another op to remove a cancerous cyst on his liver so he has a long road ahead of him. I am really just trying to get a better understanding of what is happening to him as we go along. I am not an anxious person and don't outwardly worry but function better with understanding. Again thank you for replying it has given me a bit more understanding as to what is going on inside and an explanation as too why dad is taking a while to settle 

As it turns out the scan has shown a blockage so they are deciding weather to try and flush it out or give him another op so not great news 

Thank you. I can't say the thought of him having another op if they decide is the best course of action for the blockage isn't worrying but if that is what it takes then so be it. I'm more worried about his mental health at the moment. He went into such a black hole which with a good talking to from me he started to come out of but after talking to him tonight I am worried he is slipping back. I've told him he has to stay mentally well otherwise his body won't follow but he is an ex solider and a strong stubborn man and doesn't always listen but I'm hoping he finds that strength and stubbornness again. Your comments throughout have helped greatly in helping me understand so I can be strong for him and my mum because I have a slightly better understanding and to know someone has been through similar and come out the other side means I can push them on and say the right things to keep them going so thank you. Hopefully my next post will be a more positive one. 

Hello Paisley,

                     good to read your Dad is stubborn,because thats exactly what you need to see you through.It does take time outs and the doubts creep in,but that old stubborness refuses to be shut out for too long and will always drag you back up to the surface when you feel you are drowning,Its good to read that his stubborness has been passed on to his daughter,in my case l inherited from my Mum,who l remain constantly in awe of,she never knew defeat ,even at her end it was her who invited death to accompany her on the journey,not the other way round,and being the strong lady she was,she kept him waiting for more years than was written up on the charts.So its good to hear that you and your Dad are working together to do exactly the same.The possibilities are always there,you just have to stick around until you bump into them,

                                                                                    take care,

                                                                                                       David