Going into hospital

You usually go into hospital on the same day or the day before your bile duct cancer operation. 

What to take with you

Take in:

• nightgowns or pyjamas
• underwear
• dressing gown
• slippers
• contact lenses, solution, glasses and a case
• wash bag with soap, a flannel or sponge, toothbrush and toothpaste etc
• sanitary wear or tampons
• towel
• small amount of money
• medicines you normally take
• magazines, books, playing cards
• headphones and music to listen to
• a tablet or smartphone for web browsing, entertainment and phone calls
• chargers for electronic devices
• a copy of your last clinic letter (if you have one)

Time in hospital

The length of your stay depends on the type of operation you have and your recovery. Surgery to remove bile duct cancer is a major operation so you may stay in hospital for about 10 to 14 days. Some may need longer to recover.

Some hospitals have an enhanced recovery programme where they aim to have most people home within 7 days of surgery.

Family and friends

Before you go into hospital, it might be worth checking:

• whether the ward is allowing visitors
• if they have set visiting times
• the best number for friends and family to phone, to find out how you are

The letter you receive before your operation may contain this information. But if not, you can phone the ward or hospital reception to find out.

You can use your mobile phone in hospital. But there may be some time before and after your operation when you won’t have your mobile nearby. And you may not feel like talking.

Before you go into hospital

It’s worth sorting out a few things before you go into hospital. These might include:

• taking time off work
• care for children or other loved ones
• care for your pets
• care for your house
• cancelling your milk or newspapers

As soon as you’re well enough and your doctor is happy you can go home. This tends to be quite early these days. 

It is important that you rest when you need to after your operation. 

It may help to prepare or buy some meals in advance that you can just heat up once you are at home.

On the day of the operation

Your nurse will go through a series of questions on a checklist to make sure you are ready for surgery. They ask you to:

• tell them when you last had something to eat and drink 
• change into a hospital gown
• put on a pair of surgical stockings
• take off any jewellery (except for a wedding ring)
• take off any make up, including nail varnish
• remove contact lenses if you have them
• put on 2 hospital identification bands, usually one on each wrist

If you have false teeth you can usually keep them in until you get to the anaesthetic room.

For some types of surgery, you may need to remove some of your hair around the operation area. The nurse might do this for you when you’re under anaesthetic in the operating room.

Your nurse might give you a tablet or an injection to help you relax. This will be an hour or so before you go to the operating theatre. This makes your mouth feel dry. But you can rinse your mouth with water to keep it moist. 

Your nurse and a porter take you to theatre on a trolley if you’ve had this medicine. You can walk down to the theatre if you haven't had any.

Having an anaesthetic

You have an anaesthetic so that you can’t feel anything during the operation. You have this in the anaesthetic room, next to the operating theatre.

All the doctors and nurses wear theatre gowns, hats and masks. This reduces your chance of getting an infection.

The anaesthetist puts a small tube (cannula) into a vein in your arm. You have any fluids and medicines you need through the cannula including the general anaesthetic. This sends you into a deep sleep. When you wake up, the operation will be over.

Before you go to sleep your anaesthetist might put a small tube through the skin of your back. It goes into the fluid around your spinal cord. They can attach a pump to this tube to give you pain medicines during and after the operation.