A Guide to Life After Surgery – Booklet

The aim of this booklet is to help those who have undergone oesophageal or gastric surgery how to live with the changes to their digestive system, so that these affect their quality of life as little as possible.  We hope it may also help carers, relatives and friends of the patient to understand what they have gone through and may be experiencing thereafter.   The booklet outlines the nature of the operations on the oesophagus or the stomach, and includes suggestions for what to ask the surgeon before the operation.  It outlines possible stages and speed of recovery after discharge from hospital, the problems of eating, and the significant changes in lifestyle that result from having had this operation.  It also addresses other aspects of living that may change, such as driving, eating out, sleeping, family relationships and getting back to work, and ends with a few detailed suggestions for healthy eating.  More background information on the operation can be found in our booklet ‘Oesophagogastric Cancer, the patient’s pathway’, and more extensive food recipes in our booklets ‘Swallowing & Nutrition when it’s difficult’, and ‘Recipes for when food is a problem’.