A colectomy is surgery in which your doctor removes part or all of your large intestine. The large intestine is also called the colon.
Doctors might do a colectomy to treat problems such as:
Your doctor will tell how long before the surgery you should stop eating and drinking.
Your doctor will tell you if you need to change or stop any of your medicines before the surgery. They might also give you medicine to take beforehand. For example, you will probably get antibiotics to prevent infection, plus a medicine to empty your intestines (this is called “bowel prep”).
Before the surgery starts, you will get medicines (through a thin tube that goes into a vein, called an “IV”) to make you sleep. You will not be awake for the surgery.
There are 2 main ways your doctor can do a colectomy:
After your doctor removes your colon, they will make sure there is a way for bowel movements to exit your body. To do this, your doctor will either:
After surgery, most people stay in the hospital for 2 to 4 days.
Your bowel needs to heal before you can eat solid foods again. Most people can drink liquids within 1 to 2 days after surgery and eat solid foods soon after that. If your intestines take longer to heal, your doctor might need to give you extra nutrition through a vein in your arm until you can eat again.
Although uncommon, there are problems that can happen after a colectomy. They include:
A special doctor/nurse will teach you how to manage your colostomy or ileostomy. They will teach you when and how to change the bag that collects your bowel movements.
Several people have a colostomy for a short time while their body heals after a colectomy. This is often the case if the colectomy was done for an emergency. Most people do not need to have a colostomy for the rest of their life, but some do.
If you require a colostomy for only a short time, your doctor will do another surgery later to reconnect your colon. Then you can have bowel movements normally again.
