Symptoms

Thyroid surgery is quite delicate surgery. You can have an overactive or underactive thyroid and various disorders arise from this.

Overactive thyroid; Restlessness, sleeping difficulty, increased appetite, diarrhoea, intense dislike of hot weather, weight loss.

Underactive thyroid; swollen lips or puffy face tiredness, slowed movements or speech, poor appetite, constipation, dislike of cold weather, weight gain.

Why it's done?

Discuss your treatment options with your doctor. In some situations, you may have a choice between various types of colectomy operations. Your doctor can discuss the benefits and risks of each.

- Bleeding that can't be controlled. Severe bleeding from the colon may require surgery to remove the affected portion of the colon.
- Bowel obstruction. A blocked colon is an emergency that may require total or partial colectomy, depending on the situation.
- Colon cancer. Early-stage cancers may require only a small section of the colon to be removed during colectomy. Cancers at a later stage may require more of the colon to be removed.
- Crohn's disease. If medications aren't helping you, removing the affected part of your colon may offer temporary relief from signs and symptoms. Colectomy may also be an option if precancerous changes are found during a test to examine the colon (colonoscopy).
- Ulcerative colitis. Your doctor may recommend total colectomy if medications aren't helping to control your signs and symptoms. Colectomy may also be an option if precancerous changes are found during a colonoscopy.
- Diverticulitis. Your doctor may recommend surgery to remove the affected portion of the colon if your diverticulitis recurs or if you experience complications of diverticulitis.
- Preventive surgery. If you have a very high risk of colon cancer due to the formation of multiple precancerous colon polyps, you may choose to undergo total colectomy to prevent cancer in the future. Colectomy may be an option for people with inherited genetic conditions that increase colon cancer risk, such as familial adenomatous polyposis or Lynch syndrome.

Colectomy  Risks

Colectomy carries a risk of serious complications. Your risk of complications is based on your general health, the type of colectomy you undergo and the approach your surgeon uses to perform the operation.

In general, complications of colectomy can include:

- Bleeding
- Blood clots in the legs (deep vein thrombosis) and the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
- Infection
- Injury to organs near your colon, such as the bladder and small intestines
- Tears in the sutures that reconnect the remaining parts of your digestive system

You'll spend time in the hospital after your colectomy to allow your digestive system to heal. Your health care team will also monitor you for signs of complications from your surgery. You may spend a few days to a week in the hospital, depending on your condition and your situation.

What to look out for post surgery.

You may not be able to eat solid foods at first. You might receive liquid nutrition through a vein, often in your arm, and then transition to drinking clear liquids. As your intestines recover, you can eventually add solid foods.

If your surgery involved a colostomy or ileostomy to attach your intestine to the outside of your abdomen, you'll meet with an ostomy nurse who will show you how to care for your stoma. The nurse will explain how to change the ostomy bag that will collect waste.

Once you leave the hospital, expect a couple of weeks of recovery at home. You may feel weak at first, but eventually your strength will return. Ask your doctor when you can expect to get back to your normal routine.