GOLD Coast Suns defender Kade Kolodjashnij will have keyhole surgery at the end of the year to discover the cause of a mystery condition that has hospitalised him twice this season.

Kolodjashnij has been a late withdrawal from two games this season, in Round 1 and Round 10, due to severe abdominal pain that forced him to stay overnight in hospital both times.

Despite his and the Gold Coast’s best efforts, Kolodjashnij has been unable to identify the ­direct cause of the problem that could potentially flare again.

The Tasmanian said it was a frustrating situation and he hoped the surgery would help find a solution.

“It was frustrating because I actually didn’t find out what was wrong,” Kolodjashnij said.

“I went and spoke to the surgeon and he thinks it’s going to be best to do a bit of keyhole (surgery) and go in and see what’s going on around there in the off-season. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious and I shouldn’t miss out on any training in the off-season.”

Doctors first thought it may have been Kolodjashnij’s appendix but now suspect it could be a partially blocked bowel.

The 20-year-old has a history of problems with his bowel and had surgery on it at an early age.

Kolodjashnij has even taken to reading a book about that part of the body given to him by Suns high performance manager Justin Cordy in a bid to decrease the chances of another incident.

“There are a few interesting facts about what to eat and what’s good for your guts so I have sort of been taking that in and hopefully it helps,” he said.

Kolodjashnij, who didn’t miss an AFL game last year, hasn’t had the greatest of luck with his body this season.

The reliable defender was hospitalised for a third time in June when he was knocked unconscious during the club’s Round 12 loss to Richmond at the MCG after a knee to the head from the Tigers’ Sam Lloyd.

“It was pretty scary actually,” Kolodjashnij said.

“At the time I couldn’t feel my legs and arms for a couple of minutes so I was pretty worried.

“But the doctors and physios were really good. They came out straight away and made me feel comfortable.”

The interrupted season has stopped him from reaching the same form that he produced in 2015 but Kolodjashnij hasn’t been far from his best in recent weeks.

“I feel like I’m getting better every week,” Kolodjashnij said.

“I’m starting to get some continuity back and hopefully I can have a really good back end of the year.

“I think it’s just my positioning, playing my role and my running patterns.

“Also having that energy back as well. My immune system was pretty down for a couple of weeks there and I was pretty flat but I’m starting to eat well again now and starting to put more weight back on and I can really feel that on the field.”