(light instrumental music)
- Hello, welcome to Menorah Medical Center.
I'm Dr. Lina O'Brien, Director of the Colorectal
and Robotic Surgery Programs at Menorah.
My partners and I are some of the most experienced
colorectal surgeons in the Midwest.
At Menorah, we have been designated a center of excellence
in colorectal and robotic surgery
through the Surgical Review Corporation.
We provide surgical treatment for many bowel issues
from diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis,
Crohn's disease, and colon and rectal cancers.
We have one of the lowest rates of colorectal
surgical site infections for HCA hospitals.
The goal of this video series is to help you understand
what to expect before, during, and after your procedure.
After you've been seen in the office
by one of our team members,
and your plan has been thoroughly discussed,
we will schedule your surgery.
Prior to surgery,
you will meet with a member of the anesthesiology team,
and you may attend a preop class
hosted by our colorectal coordinator
depending on your surgery.
This class gives you detailed instructions
on what to expect after surgery.
You will have to do a prep prior to surgery,
and you will receive instructions from our office
and all of the medications are called into your pharmacy
to complete the prep.
It is important to stay hydrated while doing the prep.
Please have plenty of non-caffeinated
clear liquids for intake.
Most patients are on a clear liquid diet
at least the day before surgery,
but this can vary on a case-by-case basis.
The day after your surgery,
we will again focus on getting adequate hydration,
advancing your diet, removing all lines,
IV fluids, catheters, and walking.
We encourage all of our patients to walk in the halls
while in the hospital as much as possible.
This helps awaken your bowels and speeds your recovery.
Some of our surgeries do require a temporary colostomy
or ileostomy to allow the best outcome.
These are not always permanent but necessary
to allow your body to have time to recover and heal.
If you have an ostomy,
an ostomy nurse will begin teaching in the hospital
and home health will be set up prior to dismissal.
At Menorah, we do provide an outpatient ostomy clinic.
So if there are any issues once you go home,
we can schedule you to be seen in the clinic
to help you navigate through any challenges.
The possibility of an ostomy should be discussed
with your surgeon.
You will have some activity restrictions after surgery.
We ask that you refrain from lifting
anything greater than 10 to 15 pounds for six weeks.
Not adhering to this would put you
at increased risk for hernia,
which could result in additional surgeries.
However, we do encourage you to walk as much as you can,
and it is okay to go up and down stairs.
The typical length of stay for our patients
is usually two to four nights.
The length of stay can depend
on whether the surgery is done robotically, open,
your current health and your disease state.
The first followup appointment
is typically in two to three weeks
after you've been discharged from the hospital.
And at that time,
we will give you further clearances for work and activity.
Depending on your surgery,
you may leave the hospital on a full liquid diet
for a few days.
This will be in your discharge instructions.
After that, you'll stay on a low-fiber diet
for about a week.
Now, a low-fiber diet is less than 13 grams of fiber a day.
You'll need to avoid most raw fruits and vegetables
with skins for about the first week or so.
You can have cooked vegetables,
but please avoid those with skins or seeds.
You may have meat such as poultry or fish,
but we do like you to avoid steak
because it is too difficult to digest
immediately after surgery.
We'd like you to choose breads, pastas, and crackers
made with white refined flour instead of whole grain foods.
This allows your stool to move more easily
through your bowels until the inflammation and swelling
goes down from surgery.
Again, hydration is very important.
So please continue to drink plenty of fluids.
Thank you so much for selecting our team for your surgery.
We are here for you throughout this journey.
If you have additional questions or concerns,
please contact your surgeon
or our colorectal program coordinator at 913-498-7390.
(light instrumental music)