Hello.
I'm Lisa Moyes and I'm going to give you some information
about how to prepare and recover from your surgery.
As part of your treatment you'll be following the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery programme;
also known as the ERAS programme.
This follows a set of guidelines used before, during and after surgery
to help patients recover faster and return to their normal level of activity.
You, the patient, are a really important part of the team when it comes to ERAS,
and you'll be expected to take an active role both before and after the operation
in order to prepare yourself for your operation and speed up your recovery.
Your surgeon will have spoken with you about your operation
and how long you might be in hospital for,
and you should use this information
to help you make plans for getting to and home from hospital.
For example:
you should start to think about how you would manage at home after your operation
and discuss this with your family
If you need a little extra help at home after your operation
the ward staff will be happy to give you help and advice with this,
but you should give this some thought before you come into hospital.
Before you come into hospital it's important to be as fit as possible
so you should continue to take regular exercise if you already do so,
and if not, try to introduce some gentle exercise;
even a short 15 minute walk a day is better than no exercise at all.
And if you smoke you should try and cut down, or aim to stop.
Again the ward staff can assist you with this at your pre-op visit, or during your stay.
It's also a good idea to try to limit your alcohol intake and try to eat a balanced diet.
Research has shown that even if you make these changes close to your operation
you can reduce your risk of complications after your surgery.
We've also developed a special preoperative programme called I-COUGH
which you'll be expected to participate in.
We have a short film which explains this
and you will receive information about this at your pre-op visit.
If you've ever had surgery before you'll notice that the ERAS programme is very different.
At the pre-op visit you'll be given special carbohydrate drinks
along with instructions about when to take them.
Some patients may require bowel preparation before their operation
and if you need this the ward staff will explain what to do.
You'll be allowed to drink clear fluids up to 6a.m. on the day of your operation.
After your surgery you'll be up out of bed very soon after your operation.
We aim to take drips and catheters out within 24 to 48 hours.
This will allow you to walk around the ward more easily.
The nurses and physios will be there to help you, if you need them,
and we also encourage family members to help you achieve this goal.
Getting out of bed and moving around helps the body to recover faster
and can also stimulate going to the toilet after surgery.
This is a hugely important part of your recovery.
You will be allowed to drink fluids after your operation
and a soft diet will be introduced the following day.
You will also be prescribed nutritional drinks to take following your surgery.
It is strongly recommended that you have three of these per day,
as this has been shown to help with the healing process.
By following the ERAS programme you will spend less time in hospital.
Your surgeon will discuss your progress and discharge plans with you
and we will aim for discharge home within four to five days after your operation.
For added reassurance our nurse will phone you at home every day for three days
and will help troubleshoot any problems that may crop up.
You will also be given written information and contact numbers to phone
in the event of any problems or queries.
We look forward to welcoming you to our hospital and hope this information has been useful.