Caat55 wrote:PCA, med pump is gone. Have a drain, catheter and ileo. Spent 5 hours in chair did two laps. Emptied bag and changed it with stoma nurse. Now back to bed for a nap.
It looks like you are making very good progress towards recovery and early discharge. Gradually, all of the tubes and other paraphernalia (except for the stoma bag) will be removed before you are discharged. You didn't mention anything specific about the IV lines. Do you still have tubes leading to an IV catheter, or have they taken those away already? These are the tubes for giving you IV fluids, IV medications, or IV nutrients whenever necessary
The next time you see the Surgeon or the Resident, you can ask what they are looking for in order to know that you are ready for discharge. Normally, they have a checklist of conditions that have to be met before you will be discharged. For example, they need to know that your bowel is no longer under temporary paralysis from the anaesthesia. They also need to know that you are able to eat well and to excrete well. Sometimes they look at the color and amount of output in the drain-tube bag, etc.
It would be good if they could give you some explicit instructions on what to do and what not do do once you have been discharged -- i.e., what kinds of things to eat or not to eat, what kinds of physical effort to do or not to do, what kinds of meds to take or not to take, etc.
There are general instructions like this posted on many hospital websites (see links below), but it would be best if you could get a set of instructions personalized for your particular circumstances. Take care, and let us know how thing are going. After you are discharged, you will have about a month or so of rest and recovery before starting your 4 months of XELOX regimen.
Caring for Yourself after Surgeryhttps://www.oregonsurgical.com/patient-info/instructions/colon-resection-surgery-polyps/ Colon Surgery Dietshttps://www.verywell.com/colon-surgery-diets-797399