Health guidance for gastric cancer patients after surgery

Postoperative health guidance for gastric cancer patients includes:

(I) Body Position

After the operation, the patient takes a supine position without a pillow, and takes a semi-sitting position after waking up from anesthesia. This is beneficial for breathing, limiting the peritoneal exudate, reducing the tension on the abdominal incision, and alleviating pain.

2. Activities

① Encourage patients to take deep breaths, and cough and expectorate effectively while protecting the incision to prevent atelectasis, aspiration pneumonia and other lung complications; ② Sit up or take a semi-sitting position in bed and move around on the first day after surgery; ③ Get out of bed and move around on the second day after surgery, gradually moving from the bedside to indoors and outdoors, with the range and amount of activity gradually increasing according to the specific situation; ④ Explain the purpose of early activity to patients, which can promote the recovery of intestinal function and prevent postoperative intestinal adhesions; ⑤ Start some self-care activities 5 days after surgery, such as washing face, going to the toilet, dressing, etc., to promote physical recovery; ⑤ Properly fix each drainage tube during activities to prevent the drainage tube from twisting or falling off, and avoid causing pain.

3. Diet

① Temporary fasting after surgery. Remove the gastric tube after intestinal peristalsis is restored and anus is exhausted. Give a small amount of water on the same day. Take half a liquid diet on the second day, 50-80 ml each time. Take full liquid diet on the third day, 100-150 ml each time. ② Avoid eating milk, soy products and foods that are easy to produce gas to avoid abdominal distension. Egg soup, vegetable soup, and lotus root powder are suitable. If there is no discomfort, gradually transition to liquid and soft food. ③ Take semi-liquid diet 1 week after surgery, and take ordinary soft food 2-3 weeks after surgery. It is advisable to use soft, easily digestible and nutritious food for food preparation. ⑤ Guide patients to eat small meals and regular and quantitative meals. ⑥ Lie flat for 20-30 minutes after eating to avoid dumping syndrome. ⑦ Avoid the intake of stimulating foods. Such as peppers, celery, strong tea, coffee and fried foods. ⑧ Avoid eating too sweet, too salty, and too strong foods, and quit smoking and drinking.

4. Rehabilitation guidance

① After discharge, family members should provide patients with a good recuperation environment that is clean, quiet and noise-free. ③ Develop good living habits, combine work and rest, and exercise moderately. ④ Develop the habit of eating slowly and chewing at regular times and quantities, avoid eating raw, cold, overly cold, overly hot, overly spicy and greasy food, and quit smoking and drinking. ⑤ Eat small meals frequently, and eat high-protein, high-calorie, high-vitamin, fresh and easy-to-digest food. ⑥ Pay attention to dietary hygiene, and advise patients to use aspirin, phenylbutazone, and adrenocortical hormones with caution, because they can cause gastric mucosal damage. ⑦ Eat less vegetables and fruits (oranges) with more fiber or foods that are clumped together (such as candied haws, sticky cakes, glutinous rice, and dried persimmons), which are prone to intestinal obstruction. ⑧ Avoid tension and fatigue, and do appropriate physical exercise, such as walking, Tai Chi, and gateball. ⑨ Follow the doctor's advice and receive radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and comprehensive treatment on time. ⑩ Follow-up examination should be conducted once every January to February within one year after surgery. If the condition is stable and the patient is in good health, follow-up examination can be conducted once a year after one year. See a doctor at any time if any of the following conditions occur: upper abdominal discomfort, pain, nausea, vomiting, hematemesis, melena, weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite, etc.

Most gastric cancer patients suffer from weight loss, malnutrition, depression, pessimism and despair, and lose confidence in treatment, which affects the success rate of surgery. Timely and effective preoperative and postoperative health guidance can help patients go through the surgery smoothly and achieve the best treatment effect.