Whenever your doctor decides that colon cancer surgery is necessary, you are going to have to prepare yourself in order to make the surgery go as smoothly as possible.  This will not only include preoperative procedures such as emptying the colon of all waste but will also include getting your insurance papers in order ahead of time.  It's difficult enough to go in for such a serious operation without having a last-minute glitch cause you stress which you don't need.

There are several different types of colon cancer surgery that may take place.  Most of them are fairly noninvasive and can be done in the form of laparoscopic surgery.  Depending on the type and invasive nature of your cancer, however, it might be necessary for your doctor to remove part or all of your colon.  It might also be possible that your doctor will discover additional problems whenever he goes and to do the surgery in the first place.  Discuss all of these possibilities ahead of time with your doctor to help put your mind at ease.

The final part of your colon surgery will be the postoperative recovery period.  It is possible that you will have to stay in the hospital for up to a week, depending on the invasive nature of the surgery that was performed.  After that time, you will be able to continue your recovery at home until you're strong enough to lead your normal life again.