What can I do to help my sister post-colon surgery?

shelley55 · New User Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 3

My sister is scheduled to have a section of bowel removed next week following a diagnosis of colon cancer.

For those of you who have had the non-laparoscopic surgery, aside from the obvious (lots of love and support) -- what [b]practical [/b] things can I do for her while she is in hospsital and afterwards? Is there clothing that will make her more comfortable on return home? Is there anything I can buy for her that will make her hospital stay more comfortable? What did you find most helpful/useful? I want so much to be there for her and do what I can to help.

Any advice would be wonderful. Thank you.

JayDS

I am a male, had my entire rectum removed in 2001 and was 45 at the time. I have a permanent colostomy. I was in hospital 10 days post-op.

One thing that really was appreciated by me was that my wife offered to do the sponge bath every day rather than the orderly.

It is much more comfortable having someone you know and love doing that than a complete stranger.

If TV is an extra cost it usually is not a lot and sure helps pass the time. You might offer to pay for that.

They will want her to get up and walk about a bit every day. That is a lot more comfortable again if you have someone with you who you know. It often not much of a walk, only up and down the corridor a few times.
The walking must continue during recovery at home. A 10 minute slow walk about the neighbourhood is all that is needed and one feels a lot safer if there is someone with you when you do this. She will be weak and a little shaky.

Clothing will be a little easier for a woman as a dress is looser than pants. However if it is cold where you are, a pair of loose waisted sweat pants will be comfortable and warm. For regular pants I wore suspenders rather than a belt until the scars healed.

Hope this helps

brainman

Hi Shelley55, I have not been through the surgery your sister will be having but I did have surgery so I can tell you some general things that helped me.

I did very well through my surgery. Yet I still needed some very practical help. I needed someone to help me get home, go on erands for me, help me get to follow-up appointment, take notes for me about what the doctors told me, and many other symilar things. While I was in the hospital, I really did not need much. It really just depends on how long she stays hospitalized. If she stays very long, she will need something to do. Does she like to read or work crossword puzzels?

Your sister is in my thoughts and prayers.
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shelley55 · New User Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 3

Thanks so much for the suggestions -- it gives me some very good ideas for her. I will definitely go up to bathe her each day and wash her hair. I will take a look around for some hospital clothes that might be useful. Can you tell me whether you were on IV for a few days after surgery? Should I look for something she can weath that will accommodate and IV?

JayDS

At the hospital post-op she will be in a hospital gown. One of those 'fashionable' smocks that open in the back. Embarassed

They want patients to wear those because in the case that something bad happens and she had to go back to surgery they can get that off quick. At least for the first few days. A bathrobe would be good for those walks down the corridor though, and warm slippers (not slippery soles though).

She will be on an IV after surgery. She will be getting pain meds and will not be eating until after the first bowel movement. Yes, despite having no solid food she will produce feces, the mechanism of which I am not sure of. So she will also be getting water and nutrients via IV.

She will lose weight as a result. In ten days in hospital I lost 15 pounds.
The kicker is that although one feels good about losing weight (at least those of us who are a little overweight to begin with) , after surgery you are so weak and tired that you don't get a lot of exercise. However your appetite comes back just fine. So she will likely gain the weight back in a few weeks after she gets home.

I was the first 3 days on nothing by mouth, then 2 days liquid diet, and the last 5 days I could eat solid foods. Luckily the hospital I was in actually had good food.

I had the pain meds by epidural drip for 5 days if I recall correctly, after that it was a demerol pump that I had control of. Both were IV's. I came off all IV's probably the day before I went home.

She may also have a surgical drain installed for the first 5 days or so. This drains fluid out of the abdomen near the surgical site. They will monitor it for pus and blood. She will also have a urinary catherter. This is very uncomfortable for a guy, I don't know how bad it is for a female. It is also embarrasing to have this tube running up between your legs.

They took the urinary catheter out after about 6 or 7 days. They may or may not want her to pee in a jug for a day after the catheter comes out for testing. In my case I had problems with kidney function but that started before I got cancer. So my case would likely be different in that regard, than your sister.

You are an angel for doing this for your sister. You may feel that it is just something you have to do and how could you just sit back and do nothing. However that is the definition of such an angel. You two must be close.

shelley55 · New User Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 3

Thanks so much -- all of that info is really helpful. I'll make sure she has a comfy housecoat whose sleeves open for IV (I'm sure I can adjust one so it works). I'll get her a hospital nightgown that is more comfy than the ones they offer -- Her dignity is so important to her and I know that these small things will help.

Yes, we're close and I want to do whatever I can for her. Thank you thank you for helping me learn what to do.

cptmac · Experienced user Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 53

You can buy bath wipes, like disinfecting wipes, for the bath. I bought Dove. It smelled great. Remember everyone is different. I was able to bathe myself, however the first day I had to be under the watchful eye of nurses, in case I fell. I was able to take a shower after the third day, but the first time, again, I had to be supervised.

Because I love listening to music and playing video games, I loved my I-Pod. Plus, it was so lightweight, that I didn't have to worry about it being against my stomach. Books and magazines I had to hold up close to keep off of my stomach.

They had several computers at the hospital I was at, so I was able to keep up with my friends on e-mail. Plus, the staff printed off e-mail sent to me from the hospital. They, along with the mega cards I got, were fun to read.

My goal was to walk outside. So I bugged the hospital staff mercilessly until they let me out when the weather was nice. But, I had to go escorted.

I learned where all the fridges were, so I could get my own drinks and popsicles. There was also a chapel in the hospital that I visited on the three to four daily walks. I enjoyed visiting the kids wards, plus, they got video games in their rooms.

I thought the food was great. You may want to check with the Dr.'s about what kind of outside food will be allowed to be eaten. But I liked the food I got.

Bring bath towels from home. I like mine because they are big and fluffy. I also had about three robes. After all, hospitals are dirty places and I never wanted to wear the same clothes two days in a row.

Depending on how well she does, and where they place the IV, you can where civilian clothes. I had IV's on both arms and chose not to bother. But I saw people outside the hosptial with civilian clothes smoking cigarettes with IV's attached to them.

JayDS

Holy crap mac, you sailed through it, I am impressed.

I could not bath myself as the stitchs extended from just above that which makes me male to just under my ribs and until the epidural was removed my right leg was paralyzed.

The point about the towels is right on. I always asked for an extra towel to wrap around my pillow. Hospital pillows often have a moisture barrier and as such they made me sweat. That is why I wrapped it in a towel.

Although the hospital food was really pretty good I had an odd taste aversion possibly due to the pain meds. I could not bear to try the soups. My wife said they were good though and she usually has more of an aversion to salt than I do. To me soup just seemed to be a bowl of hot salt water.

sdiddy · New User Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

When I had my surgery, they had me walking around which really helped me. Also, my wife and kids gave me an incredible amount of love and support. They did give me a stuffed dog which we named Spot and I still have him. Spot ( and morphine) helped me sleep.

PammySue51 · Regular Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 12 Location: Ohio

Practical things to do for her -- try to organize a group of people that will take meals in for her for the first couple of weeks or until she is up to cooking. I wish more people would have sent food for us, but everybody thought everybody else was doing it so having it organized would be important. I got so sick of Cracker Barrel and Bob Evans. When someone would bring in a home-made casserole or some soup, I wolfed it down!

Also, offer to clean her house for her. A group of people from my sister's church came in one day and cleaned my house top to bottom. It looked so good and smelled so good -- it even made me feel better.

As you can see, my husband is not domestically inclined Wink

.

And, if you are so inclined, organize a group of people to pray for her physical as well as emotional needs as they go hand-in-hand sometimes. Prayer can work wonders

Hope this helps!
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