Patient Cases

Post-surgical Complications 

Patient Presentation
Joe, a 72-year-old retired plumber and recent widower, was diagnosed with colorectal cancer four years prior to consulting me. He had a portion of his descending colon and rectum removed and was given a temporary ileostomy. At the six month anniversary of his surgery, Joe had the ileostomy reversed. He was anxious to be rid of the uncomfortable, smelly and annoying bag, however he was not prepared for the problems that resulted once his ‘plumbing’ was reconnected. He found that he was unable to hold his bowel movement because within minutes of eating, his bowels would empty with no way to control the sphincter. This was obviously an embarrassment that kept him from most social engagements, grocery shopping trips, even walks to the mailbox. Worse yet, he could not sleep at night without soiling himself repeatedly. He started taking several Imodium pills daily to stop his movement, which caused severe constipation followed by diarrhea. In despair, Joe began drinking excessive amounts of alcohol to obliterate his unhappiness. His doctor had no solution to offer except to return to the ileostomy bag.

For Joe, acupuncture was a last ditch effort to find some relief.

Examination and Diagnosis
Because this was a post-surgical problem, its origin did not result from prolapse of the rectum, a problem understood in Chinese Medicine as an energetic ‘sinking’ problem—however, it borrowed from that presentation.

Treatment
Since a deficiency in the ‘holding’ Qi resulting from surgical scarring was at the root of Joe’s problem, the treatment principle was to invigorate the Qi, lift the Yang and thereby to mobilize the body's resources to help control Joe's lack of rectal control by use of specific acupuncture points.

Treatment Results
After only two visits, Joe reported feeling generally better. More importantly, he could finally sleep for 4-5 hours uninterrupted by an accident. His sphincter control improved, gas was reduced and within five treatments he had cut his Imodium intake by more than half. After a few more treatments and a further reduction in Imodium, he was able to be away from home 4 hours at a time without leakage and he was even able to dance at his granddaughter’s wedding without incident. It is unlikely that Joe’s problem will completely resolve, however with routine treatment he has a good chance of continuing to increase his rectal control and to improve his quality of life.

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