After your bile duct cancer operation
After the operation, you wake up in the recovery room. You will have one to one nursing care. The nurse looks after you until you are awake and well enough to go back to the ward.
Everybody is different when they are waking up after an operation. It takes some people longer than others to wake up. Some people remain very sleepy for a while afterwards. You may be in the recovery room for hours before you are ready to go back to the ward.
Back on the ward your doctor will see you regularly. Specialist nurses may visit you. They look after people who have had major surgery but do not need to be in the intensive care or high dependency unit.
Sometimes you may wake up in the
(ICU) or (HDU) after your operation. This is so your doctors can keep a closer eye on you. This may happen if:
- your general health is poor
- the operation took longer than planned
- the operation was more complicated than the doctors thought it would be
In the ICU you have one to one nursing care. In the HDU you have very close nursing care.
You usually move back to the ward within a day or so.
You might go back to the ward straightaway if you have had a smaller operation.
Tubes and drains
When you wake up, you have several tubes in you. This can be frightening, so it helps to know what they’re for.
You might have:
- drips to give you blood transfusions and fluids usually through a vein in your neck
- wound drains to drain any blood, bile or fluid from around the operation site
- a tube down your nose into your stomach (nasogastric tube) to drain bile and stop you from feeling sick
- a tube into your bladder (catheter) to measure how much urine you pass
- a small tube into a vein or artery to check your blood pressure
- a fine tube into your back that goes into your spinal fluid (epidural) to help relieve pain
You may also have an oxygen mask on.
Electronic pumps may control any medicines you have through your drip.
Your wound
You have a dressing over your wound when you wake up. The dressing stays in place for a couple of days. Your nurse cleans the wound and puts a new dressing on.
The wound drains stay in until they stop draining fluid. Your nurse measures the amount of fluid in the drains. The drains usually stay in for about a week, but it might be longer.
You have the wound stitches or clips taken out after about 10 days. Some wounds are closed with stitches that dissolve and don't need to be removed.
Painkillers
It’s normal to have pain for the first week or so. You have painkillers to help.
Tell your doctor or nurse as soon as you feel any pain. They need your help to find the right type and dose of painkiller for you. Painkillers work best when you take them regularly.
Immediately after surgery you might have painkillers through a drip into the bloodstream that you control. This is called patient controlled analgesia (PCA).
Or you might have painkillers through a small thin tube that is put into your back. This tube is connected to a pump that gives you a constant dose of painkillers. This is called an epidural.
You may also have a wound catheter. This gives painkillers directly into the wound.
You get painkillers to take home. Follow the instructions your nurse gives you about how often and when to take them. Contact your doctor if you still have pain or if it gets worse.
Eating and drinking
After surgery to any part of your , the bowel often stops working for a while. Until it starts up again, you will not be able to eat or drink. You may recover more quickly and be less likely to get an infection if you start eating and drinking after 24 hours.
You usually start with sips of water and gradually increase fluids until you are able to eat a light diet. Your surgical team will tell you when you can start eating and drinking again. Once you are able to drink without feeling sick, your nurse will take out your drip and nasogastric tube.
Getting up
Your nurses and physiotherapists help you to move around as soon as possible. They check you’re doing your breathing and leg exercises. This helps you recover.
You might be sitting in a chair within 12 hours of your operation. The day after, you’ll be walking around your bed. And within a few days you’ll be able to walk along the hospital corridor.
Making progress
During the first few days after your operation, you’ll start to feel better. The drips and drains will come out, you’ll start eating and can move about better.
You’ll begin to feel like you’re making progress.
Going home
You’ll need help when you first go home. The dietitian will talk to you and your family about what to eat. It can take some time to find what works for you.
You’re likely to feel very tired for several weeks and sometimes months after your surgery. It helps to do a bit more every day.
Try:
- sitting for less time each day
- walking around the house a bit more each day
- building up to walking outside
What you can do depends on how fit you were before your surgery and any problems you have afterwards. Talk to the physiotherapist or your doctor if you’re unsure about what you should be doing.
Contact your doctor or specialist nurse if you have any problems or symptoms you’re unsure about. You’ll have follow up appointments to check your recovery and fix any problems. They’re also your opportunity to raise any concerns you have.
Follow up appointments
You’ll have follow up appointments to check your recovery and sort out any problems. They‘re also your opportunity to raise any concerns you have about your progress.
