Recovering from bowel cancer surgery

After having bowel cancer (colon or rectal) surgery, it is likely that you will experience some pain when you wake from the general anaesthetic. Painkillers will be provided for you. You will be attached to a drip that will provide your body with nutrients until you are able to eat food again. Most people will be able to start to eat a light diet around five days after the operation.

As you will be a lot less mobile than usual, your risk of developing a blood clot in your leg (deep vein thrombosis or DVT) is increased. For more details, please read the article on deep vein thrombosis (DVT) on this website.

To reduce the risk of DVT, you may be given special compression stockings that help prevent blood clots, or a medication called heparin.

A nurse, or physiotherapist, will also be able to teach you some exercises that you can do while you are lying in bed that will help to increase the circulation of blood in your legs.

Most people are well enough to leave hospital about 10 days after surgery.

Diet after bowel cancer surgery

If you have had part of your colon removed, it is likely that your stools (faeces) will be looser because one of the functions of the colon is to absorb water from the stools. This may mean that you experience repeated episodes of diarrhoea. You should inform your care team if diarrhoea becomes particularly troublesome because medication is available to help control symptoms.

You may find that some foods upset your bowels, particularly during the first few months after your operation. Different foods can upset different people, but food and drink that is commonly known to cause problems include:

• rich and fatty food,
• fruit and vegetables that are high in fibre, such as beans, cabbages, apples, and bananas, and
• fizzy drinks, such as cola and beer.

You may find it useful to keep a food diary to record the effects of different foods on your bowel.

If you find that you are having continual problems with your bowels as a result of your diet, and/ or you are finding it difficult to maintain a healthy diet, you should contact your care team. You may need to be referred to a dietician for further advice.

Living with a stoma

Information and advice about living with a stoma – including stoma care, stoma products, and ‘stoma-friendly’ diets – is available via the ileostomy and colostomy articles on this website.

Related Articles:

1. Bowel Cancer
2. Diagnosing bowel cancer 
3. Treat­ing bowel can­cer — part 1
4. Treat­ment for bowel can­cer — part 2
5. How to pre­vent bowel can­cer 
6. Improve your knowledge of cancer
7. Causes of cancer
8. Treating cancer (1)
9. Treating Cancer (2)
10. Introduction part 4: Preventing cancer

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