What to do with bowel movements after anal resection

Anal resection is a surgery performed for anal lesions, mainly removing hemorrhoids or tumors. Many people worry that they will not be able to defecate normally after an anal removal. In fact, this worry is unnecessary. After anal resection, the patient can still defecate normally. In order to recover your health as soon as possible and avoid infection after surgery, certain care work is required after the operation.

1. How to defecate after an anal removal

Generally, you can have normal bowel movements after a successful operation.

Surgery only removes local tumors. Residual cancer cells after surgery will metastasize to various parts of the body from time to time. Therefore, patients should strengthen consolidation treatment after surgery to prevent recurrence and metastasis. Anti-cancer Chinese patent medicines can be used. Whether it is traditional surgery or radiotherapy and chemotherapy, interventional Chinese medicine treatment can play a short-term role in reducing toxicity and increasing efficacy, and in the long term can inhibit cancer cells and control metastasis and recurrence.

2. Introduction to the Surgery

Artificial anus surgery, also known as enterostomy, is a common surgical procedure. It means that due to treatment needs, the surgeon first makes an opening in the patient's abdominal wall, then pulls a section of the intestine out of the abdominal cavity and fixes the intestinal opening on the abdominal wall for the excretion of feces. The feces can be collected in a special plastic bag attached to the opening.

3. Postoperative Care

1. Pay attention to food hygiene and preparation:

Pay attention to food hygiene to prevent the occurrence of acute gastroenteritis. Since part of the intestine is removed during surgery, the fecal transport tract becomes shorter and it takes some time for the body to re-establish its bowel movement rhythm. Therefore, we should adhere to three meals a day, avoid overeating, and eat more nutritious foods with less residue. Eat less or no foods with pungent odors and flatulence, such as onions, garlic, and sweet potatoes, to avoid obstruction of the intestines and stoma, as well as inconvenience in life and work caused by frequent use of colostomy bags. By adjusting your diet, you can make your stool more solid;

2. Protect your skin

The skin around the stoma may be irritated by feces and intestinal fluid, causing dermatitis or even ulcers. Some patients may be allergic to the stoma floor and develop dermatitis, which may affect their quality of life. Therefore, care must be taken to protect the skin around the stoma. The most important principle is to keep the skin dry. In addition, you can also use some prickly heat powder, etc. If erosion has already occurred, zinc oxide ointment can be applied to the skin around the stoma. If allergies occur, you can apply some anti-allergic ointments such as cleansing cream locally. It is also recommended to use another brand of colostomy bag;

3. Develop a habit of regular bowel movements

Early defecation after artificial anus surgery is often random, which not only causes inconvenience in care but also affects normal life. You can use the method of colon irrigation and perform enema regularly. This regular and repeated stimulation can help you develop a habit of regular bowel movements. This method is relatively simple and patients can perform it at home by themselves. It is generally recommended to perform enema around 20:00 in the evening, which will not affect study and work during the day, nor will it affect meals and rest at night.