The Day of Your Surgery: After Your Operation
What to Expect In the Recovery Room (PACU)		·      You will be watched closely and cared for until the effects of your anesthesia have worn off. That amount of time varies for each person, but it is probably where you will wake up after your surgery. ·      When you first wake, you may find that your vision is blurry. This is caused by the medicine used to protect your eyes during surgery. The blurriness will go away in a short time. ·      You will be receiving extra oxygen through a thin tube (nasal cannula) that passes into your nose. ·      You will have a Foley catheter to drain your urine into a collection bag. ·      You will be wearing special stockings called Sequential Compression Devices that intermittently squeeze your legs to help prevent blood clots and assist your circulation. ·      You will have one or two IVs in place after your surgery. Let your nurse know if you notice any swelling, redness, or irritation at your IV site. ·      You are likely to wake up with a nasogastric (NG) tube. This is a tube that enters through your nose and reaches into your stomach to drain accumulating digestive juices. ·      You may also have surgical drains, which are tubes that drain fluids out of your abdomen. ·      You will have a dressing over your incision. ·      When you are ready, you will be moved to your hospital room. ·      You may have had a gastrostomy (PEG) or a jejunostomy (PEJ) tube placed in your abdomen during surgery. This tube will allow you to receive food and medicine directly into your stomach if you have difficulty swallowing. If you still have your PEG/PEJ tube when you go home, Instructions on how to clean and care for the tube are included in this packet of information.
What to Expect Back in Your Room		·         You will be taken to the inpatient nursing unit where your room will be ready for your arrival after surgery. There is a bed, small cabinet, closet, and a bathroom available for you. ·         Your nurse will tell you about the hospital routine and check your temperature, pulse, and blood pressure frequently. ·         You will still be wearing Sequential Compression Device Stockings that will intermittently squeeze your legs to help prevent blood clots and generally aid with your circulation. These will be removed when you are ready to get up and move around when your doctor permits. ·         To help you recover quickly, and to prevent complications like pneumonia or blood clots in the legs, the nurses will help you get out of bed the evening of your surgery. The morning after your operation, you will be assisted with walks down the hall until you can manage on your own. ·         Breathing exercises with an Incentive Spirometer will help you prevent pneumonia and other respiratory complications. You should use your spirometer every hour while you are awake. Your nurse will review the use the Incentive Spirometer. Please refer to the instructional sheet in this packet.
How to Manage Your Pain		·         You can have medicine that will help relieve or decrease your pain so that you can move around more easily and recover faster.  ·         Let your nurses know if you are feeling pain or if the medication given to you is helping (or not helping) the pain. It is important for them to know if you are having any other reaction to the medication in addition to pain relief. Many pain medicines are available, and this information will help your doctor prescribe the best one for you.
Let your nurse know if you:		·         Have pain ·         Have nausea ·         Have difficulty breathing ·         Feel chilled ·         Feel feverish ·         Feel pain, redness, or puffiness at your IV site
Diet		You will begin to move from a liquid diet to more substantial foods as you adjust. This may take a couple days.
Your Hospital Stay		·         Your body needs time to recover and for your intestine to begin functioning again. You will need to stay in the hospital until this occurs. If you have any complications after your surgery, your stay will be longer.   ·         Until your intestine begins functioning again, you will be given nutrition through a tube directly into your intestine, or through your veins. When nutrition is delivered directly into your veins, it is called total parenteral nutrition (TPN). ·         Because you no longer have your entire pancreas, you may become diabetic after surgery. This means that you will need to check your blood sugar several times a day, and you will probably need to take insulin. (If you have had your entire pancreas removed, you will need to take insulin.) ·         You may experience digestive problems such as diarrhea and cramping and need to take enzyme pills to help you digest your food. ·         You may require vaccinations and antibiotics for the rest of your life to prevent infections if your spleen has been removed. ·         Your bandages will be monitored and changed as needed. It is important to keep them clean and dry.