Gastrectomy

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• A gastrectomy is surgery to remove part or all of your stomach when you have cancer in it. The stomach is a hollow organ that breaks down food into nutrients (small pieces your body can take in). Your stomach absorbs (takes in) some nutrients and the rest then pass into your small intestine (bowel). Your stomach is connected to your mouth by a tube called the esophagus. You can get cancer in the upper or lower part of your stomach, or in all of it. Your caregiver will do a partial or total gastrectomy that is tailored to the location of your cancer. The path food travels may be changed with surgery, such as going from your esophagus into your bowel. Surgery may be done to remove the cancer, decrease pain and allow you to eat better, or both.
  
  
• Stomach cancer happens when abnormal cells grow and form one or more tumors in your stomach. The tumors can pinch blood vessels and nerves, and press on and damage nearby tissues. Cancer cells may break off from the stomach tumor and travel to other organs or body parts. Your surgery may also remove all or parts of nearby organs and tissues. These include your esophagus, lymph nodes, small intestine, spleen, pancreas, liver, and colon (large intestine). Caregivers may only remove tumors that give you severe (very bad) problems and leave other tumors behind. Your cancer problems, such as pain, bleeding, or weight loss, may or may not get better after surgery. Even when tumors are removed, they may come back or spread to other parts of your body.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Medicines:

• Keep a written list of the medicines you take, the amounts, and when and why you take them. Bring the list of your medicines or the pill bottles when you see your caregivers. Learn why you take each medicine. Ask your caregiver for information about your medicine. Do not use any medicines, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, herbs, or food supplements without first talking to caregivers.
  
  
• Always take your medicine as directed by caregivers. Call your caregiver if you think your medicines are not helping or if you feel you are having side effects. Do not quit taking your medicines until you discuss it with your caregiver. If you are taking medicine that makes you drowsy, do not drive or use heavy equipment.

• Antibiotics: This medicine is given to fight or prevent an infection caused by bacteria. Always take your antibiotics exactly as ordered by your caregiver. Keep taking this medicine until it is completely gone, even if you feel better. Stopping antibiotics without your caregiver's OK may make the medicine unable to kill all of the germs. Never "save" antibiotics or take leftover antibiotics that were given to you for another illness.
  
  
• Pain medicine: You may be given medicine to take at home to take away or decrease pain. Your caregiver will tell you how much to take and how often to take it. Take the medicine exactly as directed by your caregiver. Do not wait until the pain is too bad before taking your medicine. The medicine may not work as well at controlling your pain if you wait too long to take it. Tell caregivers if the pain medicine does not help, or if your pain comes back too soon.

Ask your caregiver when to return for a follow-up visit. Keep all appointments. Write down any questions you may have. This way you will remember to ask these questions during your next visit.

• Ask your caregiver when you need to return to have your wound checked. You will also need to have your stitches, staples or drains removed.
  
  

Bathing: When you are allowed to bathe or shower, carefully wash your stitches or staples with soap and water. Afterwards, put on a clean, new bandage. Change your bandage any time it gets wet or dirty. If you cannot reach the bandage, ask someone else to help you change it. You may have steri-strips (thin strips of tape) on your incision. Keep them clean and dry. As they start to peel off, let them fall off by themselves. Do not pull them off.

Diet: You will be started on soft foods while you are in the hospital. Some examples are applesauce, baby food, bananas, cooked cereal, cottage cheese, eggs, gelatin, pudding, and yogurt. Your caregivers will check on how well you do with these foods to see when you can take regular foods. You may be able to take bigger and bigger amounts when your incisions heal completely. Your body may not get enough nutrients from food after your stomach is removed. You may need additional iron, folate, and vitamin B12. You may need a special diet if you get dumping syndrome. This is when you get loose, watery stools (BMs) very soon after you eat. Ask your caregiver for more information about the supplements and diet changes that may be right for you.

CONTACT A CAREGIVER IF:

• You cannot make it to your next appointment.
  
  
• You are getting frequent heartburn (burning upset stomach).
  
  
• You have chills, a cough, a sore throat, or feel weak and achy.
  
  
• You have nausea (upset stomach) or are throwing up food.
  
  
• You have trouble having a BM or are having diarrhea (loose, watery stools) often.
  
  
• You have questions or concerns about your recovery, medicine, or care.

SEEK CARE IMMEDIATELY IF:

• You are throwing up blood.
  
  
• You get a fever or chills.
  
  
• You have abdominal pain that does not go away or gets worse.
  
  
• You have trouble breathing or chest pain all of a sudden.
  
  
• Your bandages become soaked with blood.
  
  
• Your incision is swollen, red, has pus coming from it, or it starts to come apart.

Copyright © 2008 Thomson Healthcare Inc. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.

The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

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