“How long does it take to fully recover from colectomy?”

3-6 months.

Depends on why surgery is being done, how much of the colon is being removed, if it is a planned surgery or an emergency, and whether or not it is being done via a minimally invasive or an open approach. Generally speaking, recovery maybe 2-12 weeks.

Usually no more than six weeks is the short answer. The long answer is that it depends on what kind of colectomy you are having and also EXACTLY what do you mean by recovery? Also, is it a right, left, transverse, or proctocolectomy? Is it open, laparoscopic or robotic? Are you young or old? Are you perfectly healthy or do you have multiple comorbidities? All of these factor into the recovery time. That is why a colectomy is different for different patients. Most people with sedentary jobs (office staff/computer work/work from home) can get back to work about 2 weeks post-operatively barring any unforeseen circumstances. Of course, "no heavy lifting remains a restriction usually for 6 weeks.