Post-Operative Hospital Stay
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After surgery, most patients typically stay between 2 and 5 days before discharge. Your length of stay can vary depending on the type of procedure you have. Laparoscopic or minimally invasive colectomies typically involve a shorter length of stay of 2-3 days compared to the 4-5 seen with open surgery. (*These are estimates and you may be asked to stay for a longer period depending on the procedure you underwent or should your recovery be slower than expected.)
Prior to your discharge, your surgeon will want to ensure that:
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You can tolerate drinking and eating so that you no longer need an IV line for hydration and nutrient intake.
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You are experiencing a return of bowel movements (passing stool and gas). If your resection included the creation of a stoma, this would depend on the output of your stoma instead.
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Your pain levels are manageable with oral medications that can be prescribed at discharge.
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You are not showing any signs of infection. This can present in many forms (ie. Pneumonia, UTI, wound infections) and can include:
- Fever (more than 38 °C or 100 °F)
- New, worsening redness or swelling at or near your surgery incision.
- Pain that suddenly gets worse and is no longer relieved when you take pain medication.
- Yellow or green fluid leaking from your incision or more drainage than before.
- A bad smell coming from any of your incisions.
*Taken from UHN Surgery Guide
When will I see my surgical team: if you are alert enough, we will speak to you briefly in the recovery room right after your surgery. However, as it may take some time for anesthetic medications to wear off, we will most likely visit you in the evening following your surgery. By then and if you are being admitted as an inpatient, you will also have been transferred to an inpatient bed and have many of your postoperative symptoms being actively managed.
Minimizing your pain is one of our priorities. We aim to reduce post-surgical pain by using a multi-modal approach to treating it. This generally means that we will use multiple types of pain medications such as Tylenol®, Advil® and opioids to reduce your pain. Although opioids can be more potent analgesics, we try to reduce the doses given to you as they can be associated with side effects such as nausea, vomiting and constipation.
In some cases, we may set you up to control your own pain management using “patient-controlled analgesia,” or IV pumps that let you administer pain medications yourself whenever you feel that your pain level is too high. Your surgeon will discuss whether this is an appropriate option for you.
Walking and reducing the amount of time spent in bed can prevent certain complications while also helping your body return to its natural state. This can be particularly helpful if your surgery is performed using minimally invasive technique. If walking is difficult, you should attempt to sit upright in a chair or dangle your legs on the side of your bed.
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Once surgery is over, you will be offered clear fluids within 2 hours if you aren’t experiencing any difficulty swallowing.
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You should resume eating and drinking soon afterwards; this is typically started the day after your surgery unless you can tolerate eating earlier.
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Chewing gum at least 3 times per day for 5 minutes can encourage return of normal bowel function; constipation and slowed bowel activity is an expected and common response to abdominal surgery. This is especially helpful if you are unable to tolerate solid food intake.
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At UHN, you and other patients will have access to a new patient support app “MyCareConnection” that provides key education, reminders and connects you directly with your care team through video calls and texting.
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MyCareConnection is an interactive, step-by-step tool to help you prepare for your surgery and support your recovery afterwards. You can access the app, for free, on your smartphone. The app will guide you through the stages of your surgery.
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Before your surgery, the app will provide:
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- Helpful messages to help you manage
- To-do lists to help you prepare for surgery
- Access to a self-care library with information on different surgery topics
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After your surgery, the app will provide:
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- Messages about what to expect with your recovery
- To-do lists designed to help you recover safer and faster
- Daily or weekly symptom checks to make sure you’re recovering well at home
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