A bowel resection is when a section of thesmallorlarge intestine(the colon) is removed.
This is a surgical procedure thats done in a hospital.
It may be used to treat a bowel blockage, Crohns disease, diverticulitis, cancer, or bleeding.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
This article will cover the reasons for having a bowel resection and how this surgery is most commonly done.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
What Is Bowel Resection?
In a bowel resection, a portion of the bowel (intestine) is removed.
Then, the two ends of the bowel are brought back together again.
This allows food to move through the bowel again for normal digestion.
The section of the bowel that is reconnected is called ananastomosis.
A bowel resection could be scheduled, or it might be done on an emergency basis.
Emergency situations for a bowel resection might include a bowel blockage or bleeding.
A resection could also be scheduled, such as when done for a chronic illness like Crohns disease.
A bowel resection will usually be done by acolorectal surgeon.
Instead, a surgeon will make a decision about the surgery based on each person’s health.
Recovery after surgery might also look different or take longer for people who are seriously ill before having surgery.
Potential Risks
The risks of surgery will be weighed against the risks of not doing the surgery.
The surgeon will advise on what will need to be done in the days leading up surgery.
An important part of preparing for surgery includes going over medications with the surgeons office.
There may be a need to stop some drugs or supplements days or weeks before surgery.
If thats the case, a schedule on when to stop taking things before surgery will be given.
Antibiotics might be prescribed to take in the days before the surgery.
Some tests may be done before surgery such as blood work and a chest X-ray.
This is to verify that there are no underlying health conditions that could complicate surgery or recovery.
The day before surgery might include preparing the bowel.
This could mean using a laxative bowel preparation that helps remove all the stool from the intestines.
The surgeon will instruct when to start preparing and prescribe the method.
There may also be some changes to your diet the days before surgery.
No other food or drink will be allowed on the day of surgery.
At the hospital, some pre-surgery paperwork will need to be completed.
This may mean signing consent forms and providing the hospital with insurance information.
It might also include providing a phone number for an emergency contact.
You will be put to sleep with a general anesthetic for a bowel resection.
The surgeon will make one or more incisions (cuts) in the abdomen.
The intestine is like a long tube.
The portion of the bowel that is affected by the disease or condition will be located and cut out.
The two ends of the bowel on either side of the cut will then be connected.
This could be done using surgical staples or stitches (sutures).
Recovery
After surgery, you will wake up in the recovery room.
When considered stable and ready to be moved, you will be transferred to a hospital room.
Pain medication will be given through an IV, along with any other medications that are needed.
A resection will be an inpatient surgery.
After the surgery, there will be a hospital stay of at least two days and possibly several days.
You will be given instructions for recovering at home when discharged from the hospital.
Its important to follow them when you return to specific activities like driving and exercise.
Thesurgical incisionswill need care.
Instructions on how to care for them will be given when leaving the hospital.
Any redness, bleeding, or other discharge should be discussed with the surgeon.
It may be several weeks before recovery will be far enough along to go back to work or school.
At every step of recovery, the surgeon will give guidelines on when to start physical activities.
The recovery time may be longer with open surgery versus laparoscopic.
Long-Term Care
Most people can expect to return to most normal activities about six weeks after surgery.
Diet after returning home might be restricted for a time.
The surgeon will give instructions on when more foods can be added to the diet.
At first, it might be recommended to avoid fibrous, fried, spicy, or highly processed foods.
Over several weeks, more foods can be added to the diet.
Its important to know that restricting foods long-term isnt usually recommended.
The reason for the surgery will be important in the aftercare plan.
After that, there may be a need to keep seeing a specialist, such as agastroenterologist, regularly.
Summary
Resection surgery may be done for various diseases and conditions of the digestive tract.
It can be difficult to deal with being away from work and home for surgery, followed by recovery.
Asking for help can make the journey easier.
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