Getting bowels back to normal after colon resection

Hi Amelia,

Thanks for getting in touch. I’m glad you’ve found our online community. The understanding and support offered here amazes me every day.

It sounds like your bowel movements have been difficult to cope with. Sometimes it’s hard to know what the best way forward is.

If you haven’t already, we’d recommend getting in touch with your consultant via their secretary or specialist nurse (if you have one) to talk through what’s happening. If they don’t know you’re struggling, they can’t help. You don’t need to wait until the end of March.

They’ll be able to assess what’s going on and plan the best way forward. Sometimes a referral to a gastroenterologist can be considered.

Regaining bowel control after surgery can be troublesome. The bowel pattern usually settles in a few months, but it can take up to two years before you learn what’s normal for you.

Don’t be disheartened if your bowel function is particularly difficult, it tends to get better with time. It’s nearly always possible to get things under control with treatment. This is usually a combination of diet and medications to slow the bowel down and exercise can help.

You might find Regaining bowel control, Living Well and Eating Well from Bowel Cancer UK helpful to read through.

We’d also recommend asking your hospital team to ask if you can be referred to a dietitian. They’ll be able to make a personalised diet plan for you and this can help to work out what may be causing the diarrhoea.

I see you’ve joined our bowel cancer and ileostomy/colostomy and stoma groups. You could consider posting there to see what others have experienced with their bowels following treatment.

On our helpline the nurses offer a variety of support where you can talk through what’s going on. If you’d like to talk, we’re available on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm). You can also get back in touch here or send us an email.

Best wishes, Karla

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

Ref/HC