Discharge from hospital today

Hi bluestar . I seem to remember that’s pretty much how my discharge went. I had a follow up with the surgeon 2 weeks later and I think that was mentioned in the discharge papers. I presume he will have a follow up with the stoma nurse at some point too.

Great to hear that he’s well enough to be discharged - there’s nothing like your own bed. I’ve attached a link to a booklet about eating well and there’s a bit about eating with a stoma - it’s important to stay hydrated and chew everything well

https://bowelcancerorguk.s3.amazonaws.com/Publications/EatingWell_BowelCancerUK.pdf

Take care

Karen x

Great news for you & your dad! I rememeber that was how I was discharged - with the letter, a bag full of Tabs. & Blood thinning injections for a month. However, beforehand, I had a chat with my surgeon, various nurses. I think they talk to the patients - rather than relatives. (I had none there.)

But the patient should be left with a contact number card - so that anytime they can communicate with them, & detail any problems.

Best of

Marianne

Hi bluestar 

I was discharged with a carrier bag of meds and a letter, but didn’t speak to anyone before I left other than in the morning when the doctor told me I could go home. The stoma nurse then visited me at home very regularly for the first few weeks-note this was not the hospital stoma nurse, but one in the community affiliated to the particular stoma supply company the hospital used. I was in hospital for 2 weeks and after the first 2 nights in hdu I was on the usual hospital food and told to eat normally, not that I had an appetite!

Sarah xx

Hi. 
It’s lovely that your Dads ready to go. 
I left with a large bag of painkillers, blood thinner injections and a yellow bucket for the used jabs

I kept a food diary starting with food I could tolerate and when I added something different I could tell which food wasn’t tolerable then but maybe later. 

What operation has he had? I couldn’t lift anything heavier than a cuppa and had to take it very easily early days. I had power naps, drank lots and ate as healthy as I could 

Hi Sarah,

apologies for delayed response. Your update on your discharge mirrors dad.  He is happy at home and got a good night's sleep. Had a walk into town today & is coping well.  The Nurse phoned to check on him this afternoon but I had to run through things with her as Dad can't deal eith phone conversations. We covered everything I could think of.

One question I wonder if you can help answer.  Dad's dealing ok with the stoma bag changes but I'm not sure how "full" he should expect them to be.  He didn't have much hospital food but has been eating "normally" since home yesterday pm.  I know on one of the info sheets we had they said he may need lactose?? Is that something to consider & if so when?

Thank you so much x 

Dear Artsie,

apologies delayed response.  Thank you for your info. Mirrors Dad's discharge,  so I now know it was a normal procedure, though I do think it would've been more reassuring to see someone before he came home.  He's happy snd slept well last night. Had a walk in to town earlier. Eating ok and coping with bag changes alright. 

Thank you for your support 

X

Hi Marianne,

thank you for your words of reassurance.   It's good to know that this is the norm though I would've preferred to see someone to chat things through.

We got a phone call from the Nurse this afternoon but dad struggles with phone conversations so I went through things with her.

Dad is bright and happy to be home.

X

Dear Karen, 

apologies delayed response.  Got Dad settled at home and he is definitely happier. Doing ok and I'm trying not to fuss but worry he will try and do too much !

Thanks for the info. I will have a read later.

X 

Hi bluestar 

I am amazed your dad went out walking already but it it’s brilliant he was able to do that! As regards the stoma bag, sometimes it’s a personal preference. For me, I don’t like anything sitting in the bag, so typically for me if I feel it start to fill up I will change it. It depends on whether or not your dad uses a drainable bag or a closed bag?

I use a closed bag, so it’s easy for me to change it quickly and frequently. Sometimes, if I have an issue, my bag will fill very quickly and can burst off my body, so I’m conscious to change regularly, but I’m aware that this can be a challenge when you’re first getting used to a stoma. It sounds like your dad is doing really well, and that’s absolutely fantastic. 

Sarah xx