The colon or the large intestine is an essential part of our body. The function of the colon is to remove water and electrolytes from food and convert it into stool. Some of the common colon conditions are diverticulitis, colon polyps, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, colitis, and colon cancer. Individuals prone to colon diseases are obese people, physically inactive, smokers, alcoholics, or with a family history.

A person suffering from some form of colon disease develops symptoms like

• Abdominal pain
• Constipation
• Bloating of abdomen
• Cramping

Treatment involves colon surgery and medications. Colon surgery can be performed in two methods – open colectomy and laparoscopic colectomy. Colectomy is also called colon resection. It refers to the removal of the colon. Colectomy can be partial or complete depending upon the disease condition. Removal of one side of the colon is called hemicolectomy.

Colectomy is major surgery and may take around 4 to 5 hours. It is performed by a surgeon under general anesthesia and the person requires hospitalization for about one week. The recovery period is usually 6 weeks.