Francena,
Our good wishes for a speedy recovery during Daves' post-op.
I
am not the patient yet observing a patient. My research is to help
others cope with what is about to happen as well as gather information
for this particular patient.
This particular operation was
performed many times yet in the last twenty years the fatality rate has
lowered. In this day and age, a total gastrectomy is a fairly common
operation to use in various situations. Anxiety is common for the
family and patient of such surgery. Education and patience can help
those avenues.
Before the operation, the doctor will tell you
the risks as he should. After the operation, the patient is wheeled
into ICU. These are the common things that you will experience after
some or the total gastrectomy operation:
1. Discomforting
watching your loved one with a tube in the nostil area and or throat.
These tubes are normal in some operations but most likely are seen
after a total gastrectomy. The patient would be given pain medication
to help with any throat of bodily pains to maintain any discomfort.
What you will hear?
2. The patient after some operations and
after a total gastrectomy operation will repeat the a few words such as
'help me' after surgery. The brain is still getting over the fact that
an organ has been removed or the bodily changes that occurred through
an operation so mentally, the patient will appear scattered or
psychologically 'lost'. The patient after a couple days to a couple
weeks should slowly 'come out of it' and as time goes on, even after
releasing of the patient, it may occur as if the patient is at times
forgetful, scattered or a dash confused. This is fairly normal for the
human brain is 'rearranging' to adapt to the new 'you'. If there are
difficulties with patients behavior then contact the doctor and your
primary doctor. Medications for pain can be given as long as it takes
and with care, the patient will not become 'overly' dependent on them.
At times the pain medicine is the culprit of feeling nausea.
3.
Biggest mistake of hospital nursing I find is when they ask the golden
question to the patient, 'are you confused?' upon release. If someone
was confused, how would they even know that they weren't? Patient
claimed to nurses that she was 'fine' and encouraged to 'go home'.
Nurses decided to 'take her word for it' and released all information
to patient before release without speaking with the family members
about 'care after being at home'. Upon our visit to the doctors office
to check on the wound after being home for two weeks, the patient told
doctor that she had felt weak and confused. Then told the doctor that
she was ok. The doctor looked at the feeding tube that layed outside
of her belly and asked if it were there just for decoration. The
patient did not know what to say since she did not even know what it
was. The doctor explained to her that it was a feeding tube to 'make
up' for any lack of nutrition that she occurred during recovery. She
told the doctor that she would rather not use it and then confusingly
stated that no one told her what it was in the first place. Ask to be
included in the process of release information. Dave just may be asked
if he is capable of handling any release information when he too may
'forget' or you will miss an important skill to continue taking care of
him.
4. The patient will come home with an open wound that may
require a 'vac'...this continues the draining of the wound and it pulls
up any liquids that are pulled out of the wound to help heal the wound
faster. Some female patients call themselves 'stepford wives' when
carrying these mobile boxes that connect to a tube that is connected on
the outer wall of the wound. You borrow these boxes and return them
after you are finished with them. Patients usually wear them from a
couple weeks to 6 weeks after being released from the hospital. It may
bring the patient down using these boxes but it keeps them alive and it
would not be forever. Just get their minds off of the box, it should
not harm nor hurt them in any way.
In time the patient I speak of
has changed her intake of food. Limiting drink intake helped. Most
problems listed above about patient is slowly going away. Just
remember, Dave can not have fried foods, it takes food a while to 'go
down and pass through' since he would not have a stomach. Spicy foods
cause problems too. Six small meals a day or break it into Eight on a
lesser scale. It is a lifestyle change and in order for the patient to
live a less hassled life without a stomach, it just depends on what
they 'find' that they can tolerate and 'process'. Start with a
nutritionist and gather a list of foods that match proper care. If you
find that a food is causing problems like more nausea and such, then do
not let Dave eat it because it will occur over and over again until his
system adjusts to the bodily change.
Patient today had fried
chicken minus the skin. Reaction was sickness. Spice can soak into
foods and through the skins of the foods.
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