Any type of surgery is stressful for your body and you will need to take extra care of yourself in order to heal well. Any procedure that is performed on the stomach, liver, gallbladder, intestines, appendix, pancreas or spleen can be categorised as an abdominal surgery. 

Here are ten tips to speed up the healing process after such a surgery.

Be prepared: While preparing yourself for surgery, also prepare your home for your return after surgery. Stock up your fridge with soft foods and keep loose, comfortable clothes easily accessible. Ideally, finish your laundry and house cleaning before the surgery and move away furniture and other things that could trip you.
Understand your medication: After the surgery, you are likely to be prescribed medication to relieve the pain and help with the healing process. Understand the dosage of these medications as well as any possible side effects that you should watch out for.
Get out of bed: The more you move around, the faster your incision will heal. Moving about also aids in the digestive process and helps the bowel work efficiently.
Avoid lifting heavy weights: Do not lift anything heavier than 500 grammes without your doctor s consent. This includes your pets, laundry baskets, grocery bags etc. also, avoid vacuuming for a while.
Get some light exercise: It may be a few months before you can get back to your regular workout routine but ensure that you get a little light exercise every day. Walking is a great way to start.
Keep plenty of pillows at hand: Holding a pillow between your knees or against your stomach can help relieve abdominal pain and discomfort. You may also feel better by propping yourself up on a few pillows when sitting on a chair.
Drink plenty of water: Keeping your body hydrated is crucial to the healing process. Water aids in circulation and ensures that adequate nutrients reach all parts of your body. Ideally, one should drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day.
Care for your incision: Keep your incision clean and dry by washing it with soap and water daily and thoroughly drying it afterwards. Do not apply any ointment or cream on the area unless advised so by the doctor.
Take a close look at your diet: For the first few days, it is advisable to eat only soft or semi-soft foods that are easy to digest. You may gradually change to normal food as your body s tolerance levels increase.
Get plenty of sunshine: Exposing yourself to a little sunshine on a daily basis can make the recovery process less painful and make you more cheerful.

10 Quick Tips To Help You Recover Post Abdominal Surgery!

As soon as one is released from hospital after going through an abdominal surgery, the patient must make a checklist and an early recovery strategy before leaving home. Do follow the following tips and recover soon.

Do make prior arrangements for a safe and comfortable journey back to home. Ensure that you have made transportation arrangements to go home safely. Use your own car or book any cab or take any friend s help. Place a cushion over your abdomen to keep it safe from jerks.

Do go for post-surgery checkup. Book an appointment with your surgeon post-surgery. This would ensure that surgery did not cause any side-effect.

Understand the schedule for taking medicines. Usually the patients are given painkillers. If you think you are not getting relief from it then ask your surgeon to prescribe you an alternative. Patients are likely to suffer from constipation post an abdominal surgery. If that happens, intake more fibrous food, fluids and indulge in light physical activities. Patients can also ask for cheaper alternative medicines.

Check for certain signs and symptoms and take adequate steps:

Take adequate sleep. There are chances that you may feel dizzy and fatigue, therefore one must observe change in sleep patterns. Have patience. Things will become normal in due course of time.

You will also be subjected to little pain from the incision. Take your medicines as directed in order to get an early relief from pain.

Draining of yellow color liquid from the incision in little quantities post the surgery is normal. If the drainage continues even after 7 to 14 days with redness around incision, it is a clear symptom of infection. Consult your surgeon immediately for the cure.

Removal of urinary catheter from the bladder may cause minor difficulties during urination. Situation will become normal in few days. If discomfort persists, consult your surgeon.

Identify the following dangerous symptoms and call your doctor right away.

Persistent vomiting or nausea

Incapability to digest food or fluids

Swelling in leg

Abnormal body temperature

Infection at the surgical site

Maintain a healthy and supervised lifestyle post surgery.

It will take few days to return to your normal routine life. So have patience until then.

Go for morning and evening walks. Avoid heavy exercises as such activities may cause physical strain.

Take care of your surgical incision

Surgical incision should be regularly cleaned or washed gently. Try to keep the surgical site dry until the stitches are removed.

After 5-7 days of surgery, the stitches would be removed by the surgeon. Avoid putting ointment on the stitches until then. It will take few weeks for the scars to fade.

Under proper care and supervision, the patient will soon recover post an abdominal surgery and will be able to get their life back on track.

Abdominal Surgery - Tips To Recover From It!

The outcome and the procedure of an abdominal laparoscopic surgery vary among patients. The extent of the surgery, the length of the procedure, the surgeon, the hospital nursing staff, and a number of other factors vary with each patient.

Moreover, the recovery or the healing time also varies among patients. What applies to one patient may not apply to another. Generally speaking, surgeons will tell you that it takes only a few days to recover from a laparoscopic surgery, but this is not true to specific cases as in many cases, the recovery time has been longer than expected. So, a laparoscopic surgery is subjective to the health of the patient and the extent of the procedure; however, there are some tips that may prove to be helpful for you to deal with a laparoscopic surgery and to improve your healing process.

Here are some useful tips that you can follow before the surgical procedure.

After you have consulted your doctor and made up your mind on the procedure, then it will be useful to watch some surgery videos and read about the procedure to prepare yourself mentally. The videos can be gory and hence discretion must be maintained.
You can read blogs by patients who have undergone laparoscopic surgery to get a better understanding of the procedure and its implications.
Eight hours prior to the procedure, do not drink or eat anything.
Ask someone to accompany you on the day of the procedure.
Make sure that you fix a pre-op appointment with the surgeon to clear any doubts about the surgery, anesthesia or any such concern.
You can shave the part of your body where the surgery will be performed by yourself or be prepared for someone else to do the same at the hospital.
Prepare your hospital bag with the necessary items and inform the person accompanying you about the items in your bag.
Here are some useful tips that you can follow after the surgery.

Keep yourself active after the procedure to enhance the healing process and to relieve any flatulence.
Stick to comfortable clothing and preferably loose clothes.
Avoid taking a bath for a week or as advised by your surgeon.
To avoid constipation and to stay hydrated drink at least 2-3 liters of water a day.
Hold a pillow against your stomach to lessen the pain while sneezing or coughing.
Don t get up straight from your bed. Roll sideways and use the support of your arm to stand up.
Avoid driving for at least 2 weeks.
Go for regular check-ups with your surgeon or doctor to ensure that the incisions are healing properly.

Tips To Deal With Abdominal Laparoscopy!

In most cases, pain anywhere in the body can be explained as a symptom of some other problem, but sometimes, there is no reason for abdominal pain. This type of pain is known as chronic functional abdominal pain. This is a gastrointestinal disorder that cannot be explained through X-ray or laboratory findings. It can be triggered by altered sensitivity to nerve impulses in the brain and gut. People suffering from this condition are often so debilitated by the pain that it becomes the central focus of their life.

This condition cannot be cured, but with proper treatment, it can be managed so that it does not affect the quality of your life. The aim of treatment for this condition is to control the symptoms and improve functioning. When it comes to treating this condition, the patient s relationship with his or her doctor plays an important role as the condition cannot be proven through any form of testing and it has a great psychological effect on the person. Regular checkups are also a key to managing this condition effectively.

The first step towards achieving this is to identify possible emotional and situational triggers. Maintaining a journal that records these experiences can help with this. Further treatment is usually either through psychological treatment or antidepressants.

Psychological treatment is based on the understanding that the brain can block pain by diverting attention elsewhere. Nerve impulses that travel from the abdomen to the brain must pass through a type of  gate  that is controlled by nerve impulses generated by the brain. When these impulses close the gates, pain is blocked while when these gates are open, the pain can be magnified. Psychological treatment for chronic functional abdominal pain can be in the form of relaxation techniques, imagery, hypnosis and cognitive behavioral therapy. While relaxation techniques such as meditation and hypnosis help a person shift focus from the pain, cognitive behavioral therapy teaches a person how to change thoughts and perceptions in order to control the pain.

Antidepressants can also act as pain relievers. This form of medication stimulates the production of brain signals that close the  gates  of nerve transmissions. This blocks the pain but can take several weeks to be effective. Some people may experience side effects such as drowsiness and nausea and hence should never be taken without a doctor s supervision. In some cases, antidepressants may also be combined with cognitive behavioral therapy or medication to regulate bowels.

Ways to Treat Chronic Functional Abdominal Pain!

Dyspepsia is an uncommon word, but a very common problem. This medical condition is more commonly known as indigestion of the stomach and small intestine. The symptoms of this condition include abdominal pain, bloating, belching, nausea and a loss of appetite. They come and go varying terms of frequency and intensity. 

Some of the common causes of dyspepsia are lactose intolerance, anxiety, regurgitated stomach juices, stomach ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome and excessive caffeine or alcohol intake. In most cases dyspepsia can be easily treated with home remedies. 

Here are the 5 best ways to treat it.
1. Lemon juice: Lemon juice cleanses the digestive system by flushing out waste material and undigested food. It also inhibits the formation of acids in the stomach and boosts appetite. Dilute the juice of 1 lemon in a glass of water to avail its benefits. You could also add half a teaspoon of fresh ginger juice to this. Ginger also aids in digestion and prevents flatulence.

2. Buttermilk: Buttermilk has cooling properties and helps calm the stomach and intestines. It is also suitable for people who are lactose intolerant. Drink a glass of buttermilk immediately after a meal to improve your digestion. You could also flavor it with roasted cumin powder or mint. Mint also helps in relieving indigestion and prevents buildup of gases in the stomach while cumin stimulates the secretion of pancreatic enzymes.

3. Yogurt: Yogurt is the best remedy for any stomach bug. It is rich in probiotics that help restore balance healthy gut bacteria and stabilize digestion. Yogurt can be had as an accompaniment to your meals or mixed with steamed rice to make it a meal in itself.

4. Fenugreek: Fenugreek boosts appetite and helps relieve indigestion. This herb is known for its soothing properties that cleanse the digestive system. Fenugreek leaves can be bitter and unpalatable. Hence, to benefit from this, boil the leaves and then lightly fry them in butter before eating them.

5. Pomegranate juice: Pomegranate juice is an excellent way to treat indigestion and diarrhea. Its antioxidant properties also make it a good remedy for heartburn. To benefit from pomegranate juice, dilute the juice of a pomegranate in a glass of water along with a tablespoon of honey.

Along with this, also take a look at your eating habits. Avoid eating on the move and chew your food properly. Eat only when you are hungry and control your portion sizes. Lastly, make the time to exercise for half an hour or so every day.

What Is Dyspepsia? 5 Best Ways to Treat It

Ulcerative Colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the lining of the intestine and the rectum. It is located just above the anus. Patients suffering from ulcerative colitis tend to have small ulcers in their rectum and the colon. These eventually flare up leading to diarrhea, bloody stools, anemia and abdominal pain. The inflammation starts from the rectum and eventually, spreads to the colon. Ulcerative Colitis tends to flare up and remit in an alternate phase. The remission can last from few weeks to few years.

Methods adopted to diagnose Ulcerative Colitis-
Ulcerative Colitis is very similar to an inflammatory bowel disease known as Crohn s disease. The only differentiating factor is the fact that, ulcerative colitis affects the colon whereas, Crohn s disease affects the digestive system and the small intestine. A doctor might prescribe certain tests such as the colonoscopy, blood tests, CT scan, pill camera, stool sample tests etc.

Why is surgery necessary to treat Ulcerative Colitis?
An estimated 40 percent of all Ulcerative Colitis patients need to undergo surgery to recover completely. The reason surgery becomes necessary to treat ulcerative colitis are the following:

Drug therapy and medication become ineffective.
Without undergoing surgery, the condition might increase the risk of developing cancer.
The colon has the risk of getting ruptured if surgery is not performed on time.
There could be excessive bleeding.
Toxic megacolon might set in.
Types of surgery available to treat Ulcerative Colitis
A procedure where the entire colon is removed is known as the colectomy. In case both the colons are removed, the procedure is termed as proctocolectomy. In this procedure, an external pouch needed to be attached to the stoma that collects the stools. There is another method known as pouch surgery. 

Pelvic pouch or ileal pouch is also termed as IPAA. This procedure doesn t involve permanent stoma. In this procedure, both the colon and the rectum are eradicated from the body. The small intestine is then used to form a J-shaped pouch, that serves as the new rectum. The pouch is then connected to the anus. The whole procedure is done via two surgeries.

What are the surgical complications of this procedure?

There could be an excessive bowel movement.
There are instances where an inflammation of the pouch is observed. This condition is known as pouchitis.
There could be a situation of intestinal blockage from adhesion due to surgery.
There could be pouch failure that can happen inside within 5 few years. This is observed in 4 out of 100 patients who are treated. In this case, the patient should go for a permanent ileectomy.

Ulcerative Colitis - What You Need To Know?

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