Colon Removal

If you have suffered from colon cancer chances are you have had to have your colon removed. Removal of the colon is a life altering experience and you will probably have to adjust the way you eat from now on.

Colon surgery does not have to mean the end of enjoyable life. With some adjustments you will be able to leave a fairly normal life. You will need to have a long discussion with your doctor and a nutritionist about a colon removal diet.

The amount of the colon that has been removed will usually determine what type of colon removal diet you will need to stick with. Your eating habits may need to be slightly adjusted or they may need to change completely.

Often after colon surgery you will simply have to experiment with various foods to see what kinds of food you can tolerate. Everybody is different when it comes to toleration. Foods that cause the buildup of gas will likely not be well tolerated. These foods are onions, cabbage, carbonated beverages and some fruit. Some people will also have issues with high fiber foods after removal of the colon.

Your colon removal diet may require that you eat smaller portions because of digestion issues. You may need to eat more meals throughout the day but make those meals smaller than usual. In the beginning you may want to keep a log of what you eat so that you will be able to pinpoint which foods cause problems. If you are under the care of a dietician you can take your log to them and they will be able to help you plan a colon removal diet that works for you.

You need to keep in mind that in the beginning you may be very limited as to what you can eat. Liquids may be the only thing that you can tolerate for a while. Inside healing takes several months and as you heal you will probably find out that you can tolerate more and more foods. Digestion may require that you depend mostly on soft and liquid foods for a few months.

It is important for you to exercise patience. Chances are your colon surgery also required you to take radiation therapy or chemotherapy. In some cases you may have taken both. These types of therapy often cause abdominal upset. Much of the time the effects of these therapies will linger for several months. You may have to slowly introduce solid foods into you diet to see if you are going to be able to tolerate solid foods.

Another important part of recovery from colon surgery is to remember to take plenty of vitamin supplements. Your colon removal diet will limit your intake of many vitamins so you will need to supplement your diet with vitamins and supplements. Your dietician and doctor will be able to tell you what supplements you will need to take.

Soon you will find that there is life after removal of the colon. You will have to go through a time of adjustment but you will eventually get back to living a normal life. Following the advice of your doctor and dietician is very important to maintaining your health.