anyone have experience with colon cancer?

My father-in-law is recovering in the hospital from surgery. He had part of his large intestine removed due to colon cancer. His surgery was on Monday, and his recovery seems to be slower than I'd have thought. He's supposed to pass gas before they'll let him eat solid food, but all he's been able to do up until now is hiccup. My mom did some research on the 'net (all hail the Internet!!) and found out that chewing sugarless gum helps patients pass gas and recover faster. Does anyone have any experience with this? We're going to try to give him some gum tonight, see if it helps.

Poor guy. I feel so bad for him. He's a strong man, and I hate seeing him like this!

Before you give him anything, make sure you clear it with the nursing staff.

He had major bowel surgery and it takes time for bowel sounds to return. It's only been a few days.

Have they been keeping an eye on the size/girth of his abdomen to make sure that it's not becoming hard and distended which could indicate a blockage.

Does he have a colostomy bag?

We'll definitely clear it with the staff first. no question. he doesn't have a colostomy bag, and they're checking his abdomen regularely. he's a bit bloated but not too bad... he started getting some light exercise yesterday.

Yay for no colostomy bag!! This usually means a better prognosis, since they didn't have to remove as much bowel. Did they remove any lymph nodes?

My mom was diagnosed w/colon cancer in Nov 2001. She responded positively to chemo at first, but her particular strain was stubborn; it had already spread to her lymph nodes and wouldn't go into remission.

Originally Posted by thh20

My father-in-law is recovering in the hospital from surgery. He had part of his large intestine removed due to colon cancer. His surgery was on Monday, and his recovery seems to be slower than I'd have thought. He's supposed to pass gas before they'll let him eat solid food, but all he's been able to do up until now is hiccup. My mom did some research on the 'net (all hail the Internet!!) and found out that chewing sugarless gum helps patients pass gas and recover faster. Does anyone have any experience with this? We're going to try to give him some gum tonight, see if it helps.

Poor guy. I feel so bad for him. He's a strong man, and I hate seeing him like this!

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Yes, mine had it, too -- each person being an individual, I guess the recovery time is different for each person. I don't know anything about the gum issue, but if the treating physician recommends it, I guess it's what to do. My best to him and to you and your loved ones -- hope for a speedy and complete recovery!

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Before you give him anything, make sure you clear it with the nursing staff.

He had major bowel surgery and it takes time for bowel sounds to return. It's only been a few days.

Have they been keeping an eye on the size/girth of his abdomen to make sure that it's not becoming hard and distended which could indicate a blockage.

Click to expand...

After bowel surgery, the bowel is in a sense "stunned" and takes a little while to get back to its regular behavior. Some people return to normal faster than others. They always check for these before advancing/changing diet from nothing to liquids to softs to solids, etc.: 1. Passing gas; 2. Passing stool. If he can ambulate at all (even just getting out of bed to a chair and back a few times a day), that's great -- often helps get the system going , again.

Hope he heals soon and is back to normal, happy at home!

I feel for your Dad. I had colon cancer in 02 and they ouldn't let me leave the hospital until I was able to pass gas! They also wouldn't let me eat solid foods until then either. I remember they let me chew gum but I don't remember it making me pass gas any faster. Sending my thoughts and prayers that he recovers soon.

Both my parents have had that surgery, though luckily, my mom's tumor was benign. This is a big-time serious abdominal invasion, and it just takes awhile to get the system up and running again.

Just as others have told you, it's very important to keep an eye on the abdomen -- I hope the nurses are looking in on him frequently during the night, too.

My father's nurses were not paying enough attention, and after several days, he developed swelling (not bloating), which put extra strain on the incision. We were sitting right there with him when he suddenly coughed, and that made the incision separate!

They didn't even want to move him to surgery -- just brought in a team and sewed him up again, all the way through the various layers. It set his recovery back by a week.

But he did recover, and so did my mom, and they're both still going strong. So hang in there... it takes patience to get over something this big. Hoping the very best for him...