How soon can I go home after my surgery?

By home after surgery
 

Q: How soon can I go home after my surgery? 

A: You might be discharged after a few hours, or you may stay for a couple days, a week, or more. The length of your hospital stay depends upon the purpose and extent of your surgery; how quickly you're healing; if any further tests, procedures, or therapies are necessary; and if you need to learn self-care techniques for specific body changes. The length of your hospital stay may also be determined by what your health insurance will cover. Your health care team should be able to give you a general idea of how long you'll be in the hospital following surgery. Use that as a guideline for recuperation planning.
--Kathy Newman, RN, BSN

Here's what you'll need to know about your postsurgical care.

Latest Cancer News
ACOG Updates Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines

November 20, 2009 — The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has revised its cervical cancer screening recommendations: the organization now recommends that women begin screening at the age of 21 and receive screening at less frequent intervals. These recommendations will be published in the December 2009 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

New Velcade®-melphalan Transplant Regimen for Multiple Myeloma

November 20, 2009 — Researchers from France have reported encouraging results with adding Velcade® (bortezomib) to high-dose melphalan followed by autologus stem cell infusion for initial treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. The details of this Phase II study appeared in an early online publication in Blood on November 2, 2009.

Folic Acid May Be Beneficial in Patients with Recurrent Colorectal Adenoma Who Are Folate Deficient

November 20, 2009 — Researchers affiliated with the Health Professional Follow-Up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study have reported that folic acid supplementation in patients with recurrent colorectal adenoma was not protective or harmful in most patients. However, patients who were folate deficient had a significant 39% decrease in adenoma recurrence. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication on October 28, 2009 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Select news items provided by Reuters Health