Immediately after ulcerative colitis surgery you will be moved into the recovery room, or, in some hospitals, into the HDU (high dependency unit) so that your condition can be closely monitored. Once you begin to recover you will be moved back to a general surgery ward.
You will be given some sort of pain relief, perhaps through an epidural (a fine tube attached to your back) or intravenously (through a drip in your arm, into a vein). The delivery of the pain-killing drugs may be automatic, or you may be able to control it by pressing a hand-held button. You may also be given medication to control anaesthetic side effects such as nausea and vomiting.
There may be several other tubes coming out of your body, including a drip to provide fluids, a catheter to drain and measure urine, and a drain tube near the operation wound or from your back passage. Some people will also have a nasogastric tube (a tube passed down through the nose into the stomach), which is used to remove secretions (fluids) or gas that may collect in your stomach after surgery. These tubes will be removed over the next few days and you should be able to start taking painkillers by mouth if you need them. You may find your throat feels sore from the breathing tube used during the operation. Gargles can usually help ease this.
To help get your circulation moving, you will be encouraged to get out of bed and into a chair as soon as you are able – probably within a day or so. As you continue to recover, a physiotherapist may visit you to show you some simple leg and chest exercises.
Depending on the type of surgery performed, some people are allowed to start drinking water within hours of their operation; others, however, will be asked to wait until bowel sounds are heard and they have begun to pass wind. So it may be a few days before you can start taking fluids and you may need to build up from small sips to drinking normally. You will then be encouraged to start eating a light diet.
If you have a stoma, the stoma care nurse will show you how to look after it and how to manage your stoma bag. If you have any problems, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Some people have found that a few days after the surgery they do not feel as well as they did immediately after the operation and can feel quite depressed. This is probably a reaction to the ‘shock’ of the operation and this experience usually passes.
You will be given some sort of pain relief, perhaps through an epidural (a fine tube attached to your back) or intravenously (through a drip in your arm, into a vein). The delivery of the pain-killing drugs may be automatic, or you may be able to control it by pressing a hand-held button. You may also be given medication to control anaesthetic side effects such as nausea and vomiting.
There may be several other tubes coming out of your body, including a drip to provide fluids, a catheter to drain and measure urine, and a drain tube near the operation wound or from your back passage. Some people will also have a nasogastric tube (a tube passed down through the nose into the stomach), which is used to remove secretions (fluids) or gas that may collect in your stomach after surgery. These tubes will be removed over the next few days and you should be able to start taking painkillers by mouth if you need them. You may find your throat feels sore from the breathing tube used during the operation. Gargles can usually help ease this.
To help get your circulation moving, you will be encouraged to get out of bed and into a chair as soon as you are able – probably within a day or so. As you continue to recover, a physiotherapist may visit you to show you some simple leg and chest exercises.
Depending on the type of surgery performed, some people are allowed to start drinking water within hours of their operation; others, however, will be asked to wait until bowel sounds are heard and they have begun to pass wind. So it may be a few days before you can start taking fluids and you may need to build up from small sips to drinking normally. You will then be encouraged to start eating a light diet.
If you have a stoma, the stoma care nurse will show you how to look after it and how to manage your stoma bag. If you have any problems, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Some people have found that a few days after the surgery they do not feel as well as they did immediately after the operation and can feel quite depressed. This is probably a reaction to the ‘shock’ of the operation and this experience usually passes.
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