One nice thing about major surgery is that you probably don't really remember how hard it was because of the anesthesia and how long it takes your body to recover from it. I do remember and felt the love and support and prayers and thoughts of so many friends and church members. My room was filled with flowers and notes and visitors. I wasn't able to have any food or water for the first three or days, by mouth, so my colon would heal. You are waiting anxiously to "pass gas" as the magic sign that you can begin eating real food. And when you begin eating that food make sure it is liquid and then very soft for several days, also pain medication causes constipation so you may want something to help move things along. Chewing gum which contains sorbitol and drinking liquids from a crazy straw are supposed to help make the colon heal faster and I think they worked for me. I was released from the hospital after 5 days. One of the possible side of effects of colon surgery, and I think it probably depends on where the tumor is removed, is not having normal bowel control, but very loose and frequent bowels. That was something I wasn't made aware of, I guess I didn't ask the right questions before the surgery.
However surgery was not to be the end of my cancer.