My dad had surgery for colon cancer almost four years ago. A few months ago he had problems with his stomach/using the bathroom. The first x ray showed some sort of blockage. The second x ray a week later showed nothing. This past week he had a similar problem but it wasn't as bad. He also had hernia surgery in his stomach. Are blockages common after colon resection or hernia surgery? Does finding a blockage mean the cancer is back or could be it be due to the surgery? Thank you for any info.
Cancer - 2 Answers
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1 :
could be due to the surgery i have a family member who had prostate cancer and when they removed his testie and prostate they mess up his colon and he has a hard time pooping. I don't think the cancer is back i hope not but i would try taking laxative's to help the poop come out better at least that is what they told my brother in law.
2 :
Whenever you have a gastric surgery your at risk for developing adhesions. Sometimes these go away, or breakdown on their own but sometimes they do not. These adhesions can bind the bowel, kink the bowel and generally wreck havoc. Some people are very prone to developing adhesions and unfortunetly can get into a cycle of operations to remove them, followed by more adhesions.. I understand that with the history cancer is a big concern. However, since you said that the blockage was there one time and gone on the second x ray it seems less likely its a revisit of the Cancer. This sounds more like part of the bowel is twisted or shifted and material got caught there. In the hospital we try to decompress these folks stomach. Meaning nothing by mouth , a Nasogastric tube to rest things and see if the plugged up area will open up. Now..... I can not stress this enough. Since yoru dad does have a history of Colon Cancer. Anything with his bowels going wrong or just not working correctly needs to be evaluated by a Dr. Bowel obstructions are diffrent than constipation and they can kill you quite easily. I think I'd also be asking for something more than just a run of the mill abdominal series. Plain x-rays just really don't tell you too awful much. Get a good oncologist who can really look into this.
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