I think it's difficult to answer your question - it would depend on how much needs to be removed, where in your colon it is, and if you need a colostomy or not. I had sections of both the right and left colon removed and my surgeon was able to put it back together without needing to do a colostomy. In my case, it was recommended that I have adjuvant chemo, which I am now having.
I can tell you that if I wasn't having the chemo, I would feel perfectly well and able to do anything and everything I could do before. Any problems I am now having are all due to the chemo. My surgery was 10/25 and I'd say I was feeling fine by the time I started chemo on12/14.
I'd suggest you have a discussion with your surgeon to find out how extensive your surgery would need to be. Good luck to you, I hope my post has been helpful to you.

I had a total right (ascending colon) colectomy and I never felt better. My 83 year old mom just had the same surgery on Feb 1 and she feels great! She bounced right back. She even had her gall bladder removed while they were in there.
I love the fact that I can move my bowels with regularity and was never able to do so before. My mom said the same thing.

My surgeon said he would remove 1/3 of the right colon and no I do not need a colostomy. I would be doing the surgery so that I can be 100% cancer free. I had a carcinoid tumor on my appendix (which I had removed last month).
But I'm happy to hear positive feedback. I just don't want the surgery to ruin my life. I'm scared to do the surgery but I know I can get thru it if it's going to be a success and I never have to worry about cancer or complications from the surgery.
Can I ask how was the recovery? Im 33 and have a 7, 5 and 20 month old. I want to prepare myself and the kids. Thanks again for your responses

I had cancer in my appendix and had a right hemi-colectomy, it will take a little time for your body to adjust to the change, possibly a couple of months but nothing that is particularly debillitating.

Whilst I don't have kids I did have my niece and nephew visit on a regular basis and whilst I was tired after they visited they did keep my spirits up.

I'm hoping that the surgeons removed your appendix before it burst if not then you may have some more serious problems, see www,pmpcure.org if they didn't. Unfortunately I am speaking from a position of experience on that front

My recovery wasn't too bad even though my surgery was extensive and done the old fashioned way - not laporascopically - so I had a very long incision. I also had a small area that decided to continue to drain for 3 weeks after surgery. I was hospitalized for 10 days, but most people aren't in that long. I had surprisingly little pain, just mostly stiffness and fatigue. I did manage to go to a concert 8 days after getting out of the hospital. You won't be allowed to lift anything for a few months after your surgery and you'll probably tire quickly for a while, but you'll be fine.

My husband had the right side accending and part of the transverse colon removed in september. Hes feels so much better (he had 3 tumors that ended up blocking him). He would do it all over again if he had to. He was in the hospital for 5 days and healed nicely. He has a nice size scar about 2 inches below the belly button going half way up his stomach. Since its only been 5 months, I have no doubt with how its looking, it will fade quite a bit in time=)
~Roxy

Hi hun, i had a high anterior resection on the left hand side, basically if you look at a picture of the colon its the bendy bit on the left, they cut out the cancerous bit and joined it back together, i didnt have a stoma, and my surgery was all done keyhole, my scar is tiny, they went through my navel and its about 2cm long, so you may be able to have something similar. However i remember my surgeon saying a lot of factors are taken in to place, ie bmi, how much needs removing, anaesthetic issues as keyhole takes much longer. About a third of my colon was removed, and ive been lucky my colon has never worked better. I was in hospital for about 7 days after surgery, mainly becuase my surgeon didnt want any risk of infection because as you can imagine the colon is a hard part of the body to keep clean once you start eating again if you know what i mean. good luck and i know its a lot to take in, i found the thought of surgery initially quite overwhelming, but the alternative can be much worse.

I had laporascopic colectomy up below left side rib, left hemi? I was in hospital for two days, had some ladies from church bring cooked meals during hospital stays and first day back, that was very helpful. not able to do any heavy lifting for several weeks. Your toddler will be missing that, unless your husband or other adult is living wih you. I was on pain meds for one to two weeks and unable to drive while on narcotics. Was able to jog after three weeks. I still did not attempt to lift a big bag of dog food or rearrange furniture for 6 weeks to make sure I was completely healed. I don't remember being advised of any long term risks by surgeon. But other than the emotional turmoil of cancer, and lifting/ pushing heavy things restriction, life is pretty normal after surgery. Hugs to you and your kids!

I had a total colectomy with a j pouch in February of 2007. My initial surgery was followed by several others to treat recurring abscesses. Because of that, it took longer than planned for me to be reconnected. I was reconnected in August of that same year. Using the bathroom feels different than before and took a little practice. I never try to pass gas except on the toilet. I have 6-8 bowel movements per day. Overall I am very happy with the outcome and would recommend it to anybody that has poorly controlled ulcerative colitis. I'm making a blog of my experiences at www.nurseguy.com Good luck to you. Cancer is serious stuff, I wouldn't delay.

I had a partial colectomy in Apr. Eight weeks later I returned to work with no lifting allowed. 4 months after surgery, my incision opened up again and produced draining for about 2 more months. After 6 months, I now have a scab at the top incision but still have tenderness in my abdomen area. The slow recovery might be due to my diabetes. Also, 6 months after surgery I have developed bloating and more burping than ever before. My nurse says that this is normal and that full recovery will not occur until at least a year has passed. I'm hoping that's true!