Hello all,

Had the surgery last Friday and came home Wednesday morning.  Here's some
personal info and some stuff that I was not prepared for.

I had approx 12 inches of large intestine removed from the rectum back.  17
or 18 lymph nodes were removed that were close to the site, and one tested
positive.  I think at this point I'm pretty lucky.  Earlier PET Scans showed
no cancer sites other than the rectal tumor.

Here's what I did not expect.  Approx two days after surgery gas pains set
in like gangbusters.  There seems to be no relief for this since the anus is
now sewed shut and the tube that they would use for ladies that have a
C-section does not apply.  You just have to walk (ouch) and tough it out.
Another surprise is the drain hose from the anus and all the associated
packing to protect the stitching.  It is, pardon the pun, a pain in the a.s.
The third surprise was after removal of the catheter...I lost control of my
ability to *control* passing urine, but this is getting better...but still
not fixed completely yet.

Anyway, the gas pains lasted for 2 full days, and the drain and packing and
stitches and staples go away next Monday.  The pouch and wafer (flange) are
no big deal compared to the pain and really frequent diarrhea I was
experiencing.

So all in all (ostomy candidates) be advised of gas pains, rear-end drain
and packing and temporary loss of urine control.

None of above is meant to be negative, just informative.

Your pal,
Alan