How is it done?

Thanks to modern surgical methods, these operations are now routinely performed with laparoscopic surgery. In laparoscopic surgery, your abdomen is not opened to reach the operation site. Your abdomen is inflated with $\text{CO}_2$ gas, and 4-6 tubes called trocars of various diameters (5mm, 10mm, 12mm, and 15mm, varying according to the type of surgery and the surgeon’s preference) are placed into your abdominal wall. Surgical instruments are passed through these to reach the organs where the operation will be performed, and your surgery is carried out.

Although laparoscopy is the most frequently used method as a routine procedure today, robotic surgery is also an alternative surgical method.

Rarely, these operations may be performed with open surgery. Open surgery is generally a method that can be applied after any problems that may arise during laparoscopy or robotic surgery. It should be kept in mind that every closed method (Laparoscopic or Robotic) has a certain potential to be converted to open surgery.

What preparations are required before hospital admission?

Since your surgery is a surgical procedure to be performed on the digestive system:

Generally, it is useful to start consuming liquid food 1-2 days before the surgery, so that your intestines are empty during the operation and your need to use the toilet is delayed and easier afterward.

If you are using blood-thinning medications, you must warn your doctor about this and give your doctor time to stop these medications and start alternative ones instead.

It is safe to continue using the routine medications you must take, except for blood thinners, until the night before the surgery. Blood pressure medication and heart medication can be taken on the morning of the surgery with a small amount of water, at least 2 hours before the operation, with your doctor’s knowledge.

If you smoke, it is absolutely necessary to quit smoking at least 1 week before the surgery or reduce it to the lowest possible level. This is a situation that will directly affect your lung performance after the surgery.

You should generally stop all solid or liquid food intake around 10-11 PM the night before the surgery, and you should be ready with at least 6 hours of fasting on the morning of the surgery.

Take a bath at home before being admitted to the hospital for the surgery. Remember that you will not have the opportunity to bathe for at least 2 or 3 days.

Do not wear nylon underwear when coming to the hospital. Nylon underwear can interact with some electrical devices used during surgery and cause skin burns.

It is useful to bring slippers, personal hygiene supplies (toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving kit, etc.), and sufficient underwear when coming to the hospital.

How long will I stay in the hospital?

Although your hospital stay is affected by many factors such as whether you were admitted the night before the surgery or on the morning of the surgery, how long your surgeon makes it a principle to keep the patient in the hospital after the surgery, and whether a surgical problem has developed after the surgery, it is generally about 3-4 nights.

What will happen during my stay in the hospital?

If you were admitted to the hospital the night before the surgery, you should use a protective blood thinner in the hospital. If you are admitted on the morning of the surgery, you should use it at home. This treatment will be planned and administered by your doctor. 

Be sure to use the toilet before going down to the operating room on the morning of the surgery. The time between being taken from your bed for the surgery and returning to your bed will generally be a time frame of about 3-4 hours, although this varies depending on the surgery to be performed.

This entire period is not the time spent on the surgery; the pre-operative preparation period in the operating room, your surgery, and your awakening procedure after the surgery are included in this process. You will mostly be taken back to your bed on the floor after the surgery, and generally, intensive care is not needed after the surgery. The process in the days following the surgery is as follows:

• Day of Surgery: Approximately 4-5 hours after returning to your bed, you are encouraged to get up for your first walk and take a small walk inside the room. All your treatments on the day of surgery are administered intravenously, and food intake is not permitted.

• 1st Day After Surgery: Today is the day you start drinking water sip by sip. We allow you to drink about half a glass of water per hour during the day. We encourage you to increase the amount of walking during the day and have a more active day.

• 2nd Day After Surgery: Today, if there is no significant fluid coming from the drain, we remove the drain in your abdomen and start you on foods such as soup, compote, and fruit juice. The 2nd day is the main day when the transition to oral feeding begins. Following the removal of your drain, we also allow you to take a bath. Again, it will be beneficial for you to take plenty of walks.

• 3rd Day After Surgery: The 3rd day is the day your discharge planning is made after we see that everything is going well. If you have no problems with food intake and we believe there are no surgery-related complications, we discharge you on the 3rd day following the surgery.

When can I start my normal life?

Your return to normal life is highly dependent on the job you do. If you work a desk job, you will be able to perform your job for short periods on the 3rd or 4th day after being discharged from the hospital. However, the standard rest period for this job group is about 7-10 days. If you work a job that requires physical labor, you can rest for a period of 15-20 days and then return to work.

What will my control and follow-up process be like?

You will have routine check-ups in the first month after being discharged from the hospital, and then at 3-month intervals. After one year has passed since the operation, your check-ups will be done at 6-month intervals, and after the end of the second year, you will have a control plan once a year.