Description
This is the OPA’s most comprehensive overview of the surgical operation and the consequent life-altering pathway to the fullest recovery possible. Diagrams illustrate the nature of surgery for an oesophagectomy and for a gastrectomy, and the changes to the anatomy of the digestive tract. It is useful not only for those who have undergone either of the two surgical operations, but also for carers, relatives and friends of the patient. It will help them to understand what stages of post-operative treatment, gradual recovery, and consequent changes in life-style the patient has been, or is going through. It offers brief advice on questions to ask in preparing to undergo surgery, and detailed advice on managing the new patterns and problems of eating and drinking that post-surgical patients may experience. 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 some detailed suggestions for healthy eating. This booklet can be read alongside the booklets listed below on:
Preparing for surgery: ‘Oesophagogastric Cancer, the patient’s pathway’, and
Problems, remedies and recipes for healthy eating: ‘Swallowing & nutrition – when it’s difficult’.
