Preparing for Your Colorectal Surgery Important Contact Information
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Preparing For Your Colorectal Surgery Important Contact Information Your surgeon’s name: __________________________________________________________________ Your surgeon’s phone number: (______) ___________________________________________________ Your colorectal nurse navigator’s name: ________________________________________________ Your colorectal nurse navigator’s phone number: (______) _______________________________ Welcome to Tampa General Hospital Tampa General Hospital Pre-admission Testing Center phone number: (______) ___________________________________ Welcome to Tampa General Hospital (TGH). We are committed to your comfort and safety and want to do everything we can to make your stay as pleasant as possible. The information in this booklet will help you prepare for your surgery and recovery. We encourage you to read it and if you have any questions, ask the doctors and nurses caring for you. If you have family members, caregivers or friends caring for you, please have them read this book and also Dates to Remember encourage them to ask questions about anything that may be of concern. Date and time of Pre-admission Testing Center appointment: ____________________________ Date and arrival time for surgery: _______________________________________________________ Date and time of post surgery clinic visit: ________________________________________________ Other Appointments (as applicable) Ostomy Clinic date and time: ____________________________________________________ Primary care physician date and time: ___________________________________________ The content and information provided is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Consult a qualified medical professional for diagnosis and treatment of any medical condition. 2 • Preparing For Your Colorectal Surgery 3 Your Colorectal Surgery Checklist A week or more before surgery What to bring to the hospital Schedule TGH Pre-admission Testing Center Ask your physicians about when to stop Identification/driver's license Bathrobe, slippers, pajamas and loose clothing appointment taking medications to wear when you leave the hospital, containers This booklet with your name on them to hold glasses, contact Schedule appointment with Fill any prescriptions you will need after surgery Copy of your living will cardiologist/family physician lenses, hearing aids, dentures, toothbrush, Arrange for family or friends to help you while you Your insurance/Medicare card toothpaste, comb, brush, deodorant, shaving Schedule an education session with the are in the hospital and when you return home equipment and other personal hygiene items you colorectal nurse navigator Exercise (walk or maintain your current exercise may want Make a list all your medications, including routine) vitamins and herbal supplements After surgery Stop smoking Make a list of any allergies you have Ask everyone entering your room, including Tell your nurse if your pain is not being managed your care team, to wash their hands or use disinfectant hand gel Follow instructions for getting out of bed, deep The day before surgery breathing and eating If you have any questions about your care, Do not smoke or drink any alcohol within 24 hours of surgery ask your nurse or physician Continue to refrain from smoking Follow instructions for bowel preparation, if required Follow instructions for bathing/showering including using the chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) wipes provided After you go home Stop eating or drinking at midnight Take all the prescriptions as ordered by Shower and clean your incision as instructed Make sure a friend or family member will be with you at the hospital your doctor Follow up with your physician appointments Maintain the diet recommended by your physician Call your colorectal nurse navigator with The day of surgery Walk/exercise as recommended by your physician questions or concerns Bathe/shower according to instructions using the chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) wipes provided When to contact your surgeon Take medications with a sip of water if instructed to do so by your physician Constipation that lasts more than two days Chest pain Do not put on any deodorant, perfume, creams or moisturizers and is not relieved by medication suggested Increasing abdominal swelling Do not shave your body by your physician Your incision becomes warm, red or you see Remove earrings, piercings and all jewelry, including rings Pain or increasing pain that is not relieved by the prescribed medications any drainage (pus) coming from the incision Leave jewelry, credit cards, cash and anything of value at home Nausea or vomiting lasting longer than four hours You are unable to eat or drink Temperature greater than 101 degrees F Diarrhea that lasts more than 24 hours (39 degrees C) (six or more episodes per 24 hours) Persistent cough or any difficulty breathing Inability to urinate 4 • Preparing For Your Colorectal Surgery 5 Your Care Team Your treatment and recovery from colorectal surgery at TGH will be managed by a team of highly Nurse: Nurses are your advocates. They work with skilled and experienced medical professionals from different disciplines. The entire team is focused on your surgeon and other members of the healthcare team to provide your care. A nurse will care for helping you recover faster and with fewer complications so you can return home sooner. you before, during and after your surgery. He or We invite you and your family to take part in your recovery process. Knowing your plan of care and she will guide you through your recovery and with the colorectal nurse navigator, provide ongoing being part of it will help you recover faster. education to meet your needs. Who is a part of the your surgery and is available to you if you have any Dietician: Your surgeon may ask a dietician to help questions or concerns about your care. The colorectal you during your hospital stay. A dietician will help multidisciplinary team? nurse navigator can assist you with coordination you with the dietary recommendations made by of appointments, supportive service, counseling, You will be seen by a variety of specialists before, during your surgeon. A dietician can educate you on good integrative therapies and other information. and after your surgery. Your surgeon leads the team by nutrition and healthy eating habits. directing every step of your care. The following is a short Clinical Nurse Specialist in Wound and Ostomy Care: Physical Therapist: Your surgeon may order physical description of other team members’ roles: A clinical nurse specialist will see you if you have therapy (PT) as part of your recovery. A physical a colostomy or ileostomy planned during surgery. House Staff: House staff are residents and fellows that therapist can help you with problems of strength You will meet them at your pre-admission testing will see you while you are in the hospital. A resident and movement after surgery. They can also provide appointment. While you are at the hospital, they will is a medical doctor in his/her residency training. A you with a personal home exercise program. teach you how to care for your ostomy at home and fellow is a resident who has chosen to extend their how to order supplies. Wellness and Support Services: A chaplain is training in a specialty area. Both residents and fellows available to give spiritual support during your hospital report directly to your surgeon. Discharge Planner/Care Coordinator: A discharge stay. Chaplaincy services are available 24 hours a planner/care coordinator will see you at your pre- Physician Assistants & Nurse Practitioners: Physician day, seven days a week. TGH also has an integrative admission testing appointment and he or she will assistants and nurse practitioners are mid-level medicine program. The integrative medicine assess whether you will need additional support after practitioners who specialize in colorectal surgery. program provides therapies to patients experiencing you go home. He or she will speak with your doctors They will see you daily with the team and assist you stress, anxiety and acute or chronic pain. Our and nurses on a regular basis to see whether there is as an outpatient. They will help coordinate your care integrative medicine team can provide you with a need for you to have special medical supplies or while in the hospital and work with other members of techniques and aides which will: services at home. the team toward your discharge. • Enhance your comfort Anesthesiologist: An anesthesiologist is a medical • Help you relax doctor trained in the relief of pain and care of • Improve your ability to rest the patient before, during and after surgery. An anesthesiologist will meet with you prior to surgery to • Aid in clearer thinking discuss the medication used during the surgery. • Improve your circulation Colorectal Nurse Navigator: The colorectal nurse • Increase your sense of well-being navigator specializes in the care of the colorectal • Reduce your stress surgery patient. He or she will contact you before • Improve the natural healing process 6 • Preparing For Your Colorectal Surgery 7 What are the advantages The decision to perform the open procedure is a judgment decision made by your surgeon of minimally invasive either before or during the surgery. When the colon surgery? surgeon feels that it is safest to convert the laparoscopic procedure to an open one, this is not Results vary depending upon the type of a complication, but