Thursday, 23 July 2020

Facts About Laparoscopic Surgery

Laparoscopy is a surgery that uses a laparoscope to make smaller cuts. As compared to traditional operations, laparoscopic surgery has several advantages. Since it involves less cutting, the patients have more minor scars; there is less internal scarring, the patient can get back to their normal activities sooner, they heal quickly, patients feel less pain. In contrast, the scars heal, and the patient gets out of the hospital quicker. 

If your doctor has advised you to undergo laparoscopic surgery, here are some facts that you should know about it. 

  • Laparoscopy generally addresses conditions like pelvic inflammatory disorders, endometriosis, and ectopic pregnancy, among others. On the other hand, the doctor might suggest laparoscopy to remove patches of endometriosis, appendix, or gallbladder, or detecting cysts, fibroids, and adhesions. Laparoscopy also aids with the biopsy of the internal organs, especially the abdomen. 
  • It is an outpatient procedure where you get to go home the same day the surgery is performed. It is one of the reasons why doctors and patients both prefer laparoscopy over any other traditional surgeries. However, in some cases, you may be asked to stay in the hospital overnight to rule out any complications if your condition was worse before the surgery. On the other hand, your hospital stay will also depend on what area you are being operated. For example, if the doctor performs the partial bowel resection, you may be required to stay at the hospital for a couple of days. 
  • Laparoscopy can affect your health if you don’t inform your doctor about certain things. If you are trying to conceive or pregnant, tell your doctor about it. If you are taking certain medications like blood thinners, be sure to inform your doctor. The doctor will then plan the surgery accordingly. 
  • You will feel a little sore post-surgery around the cuts. Although the pain is minute, if it exceeds, tell your doctor about it. 
  • Post-surgery, you will be restricted from performing certain activities like having sexual intercourse, driving, swimming, etc. 

Check with your doctor to know more about it.

Tuesday, 21 July 2020

Post-Surgical Kidney Stones Precautions and Tips

Our urinary tract is susceptible. Therefore, you must take intense care, especially after post-surgical kidney stones removal. Nowadays, a non-invasive technique is used for the removal of kidney stones known as lithotripsy. It is a Kidney Stones Treatment where high-frequency sound or shock waves are used to break up the stones in the kidney, ureter, or bladder. The shock waves break the stones into tiny pieces, which is then naturally removed from the body through urine. 

When you go through the procedure, it is reasonable to experience a small amount of blood in your urine for a couple of days post-surgical kidney stones. Moreover, you may also experience nausea and pain when the stone pieces pass. It may last for 4-8 weeks, depending on the severity of the stones in your kidneys or bladder. 

You may also have some bruising on the side or back from where the stone was treated with shock waves. There may also be some numbness or pain in the treated area. 

To make your life better post-surgery, you will need to induce self-care. Here are some precautions and tips that will help you cope with post-surgical kidney stones. 

  • First things first, take proper rest before you resume your daily activities (the doctor will tell you for how long you need to take rest)
  • Drink plenty of water daily after treatment. It will help you pass the broken stone pieces in your kidney with ease. And most importantly, follow a healthy diet with plenty of fluids like juices
  • Take medicine as prescribed by your doctor. There will be pain medications as well as something like alpha-blockers to make the passage of stones easier 
  • Make sure you frequently visit your doctor post-surgery to make sure that everything is in check 
  • Call your doctor if you experience any uneasiness like heavy bleeding, fever and chills, fast heartbeat, vomiting, or minimal urine production.


Tuesday, 14 July 2020

Everybody Should Know The Quality Of Life After Liver Transplantation


Going through a liver transplant means getting a new liver inserted into the body. While many fears how will be life after liver transplant, with restrictions before discharge and the care and sincerity expected post-hospitalization would help one lead a normal life just in a few weeks. To understand better, let us discuss the careful attention one needs to put regarding home care, medication schedule, and lifestyle changes that help the patient lead a normal and better life after liver transplantation.  

Home care: Attention to home care is very crucial in determining the healthy life and recovery of the patient after transplant. One should focus on the initial few months in building up the tolerance level to do the daily life chores, gaining back the body strength, and inducing flexibility in the overall health. Proper rest, well-balanced diet, enough boiling water consumption helps in recovering faster.

Normal Life Scenario: Though the recovery rate depends on person to person, most patients return to their normal work within 3-6 months and in severe cases, one year. Because of the post-transplant preparation by an experienced team of doctors of the specialized hospital like Max Health Care, usual life activities like playing a sport, getting back to exercise, socializing and travelling - are all possible within few months.

Lifestyle changes: Though people live an active normal life in no time, some lifestyle changes to make a better life after liver transplant is imperative. These include the restriction on the intake of alcohol or any exposure to toxic chemicals like paints, cleaners, insecticides, etc. One should prohibit rigorous exercise or lifting of heavy items until complete recovery. With the course of recovering, it will reduce the medication with time, but the patient should consume immunosuppression medications for the entire life. This is vital to fight against any infection or to treat side effects.

Tuesday, 16 June 2020

Warning Signs Of Kidney Stones You Should Know


Kidney stones are hard deposits of minerals and acid salts that stick together in concentrated urine. They can be painful when passing through the urinary tract, but usually don't cause permanent damage. The most common symptom of kidney stones is severe pain, usually in the side of the abdomen often associated with nausea. Most kidney stones eventually pass through the urinary tract on their own within 48 hours, with ample fluid intake.

The warning signs of kidney stones include symptoms like pain in the back or abdomen, pain or burning sensation during urination, blood in the urine, cloudy or smelly urine, nausea and vomiting, fever, and chills. These signs tell you that something is wrong with your kidneys. Sometimes kidney stone pain starts as a dull ache but it can quickly escalate to severe cramping or sharp, pain which a patient usually feels in the back or underneath the rib cage. The pain can also radiate into the lower abdomen or groin. 

Kidney stones treatment consists of fluids and urinary retention medications. The treatment includes pain relievers and drinking lots of water to help pass the stone. Medical procedures may be required to remove or break up larger stones. Pain relief may require narcotic medications. Lithotripsy procedure uses sound waves to break up large kidney stones so they can more easily pass down into the bladder. Other options for kidney stones removal are tunnel surgery and ureteroscopy. 

Natural remedies for kidney stones include drinking plenty of water, minimizing the intake of coffee, alcohol, tea, and soda while passing a kidney stone, drinking lemon juice, and raw apple cider vinegar and eating foods that are diuretic. In addition to flushing out the kidneys, apple cider vinegar can help ease pain caused by the stones. The excess fluid encourages urination, which helps move the stone along. 

Thursday, 11 June 2020

Recovery Time After Liver Transplant


A liver transplant is a surgical procedure that removes a liver that no longer functions properly and replaces it with a healthy liver from a deceased donor or a portion of a healthy liver from a living donor. Liver transplant is a treatment option for end-stage liver disease and acute liver failure. The most common technique is orthotopic transplantation, in which the native liver is removed and replaced by the donor organ in the same anatomic position as the original liver. It is a complex surgical procedure requiring careful harvest of the donor organ and meticulous implantation into the recipient. Liver transplantation is highly regulated, and the surgical procedure is only done at designated transplant medical centers by highly trained transplant physicians and supporting the medical team. The duration of the surgery ranges from 4 to 18 hours depending on the outcome.

Recovery time after liver transplant is usually six months or more before the patient feels fully healed. The liver begins to regenerate itself almost immediately. During surgery, about 40 percent to 60 percent of the donor's liver is removed. The average hospital stay for both recipients and donors is seven days and the recovery time for donors is about two months. The patient may be able to resume normal activities or go back to work a few months after surgery.

Life after liver transplant depends on the success rate of the transplant. In general, about 75% of people who undergo liver transplants live for at least five years. Whether you are giving away part of your liver or getting a new one, life often goes back to normal a few months after liver transplant surgery. Within three months, the liver reaches its normal size and the patient can get back to the normal routine. 

Tuesday, 9 June 2020

How To Recover And Stay Well After Laparoscopic Surgery


Laparoscopy is a surgical diagnostic procedure used to examine the organs inside the abdomen. It is a low-risk, minimally invasive procedure that requires only small incisions. Laparoscopy uses an instrument called a laparoscope to look at the abdominal organs. Laparoscopic surgery is performed in the abdomen or pelvis using small incisions with the aid of a camera. It is a modern surgical technique offering several advantages to the patients as compared to the open procedure. It reduces pain due to smaller incisions, reduces hemorrhaging and recovery time is much shorter. The key element is the use of a laparoscope, a long fiber optic cable system that allows viewing of the affected area by inserting the cable from a more distant, but more easily accessible location. 
After laparoscopic surgery, patients can resume all normal activities within a week. They need to make a follow-up appointment with the doctor about two weeks after laparoscopy. After the surgery, it is recommended that patients begin light physical activity as soon as possible to reduce the risk of blood clots. They must also get adequate rest with sound sleep so that the body can repair and heal faster. 
Laparoscopic surgery is a different experience for everyone based on the patient’s expectations, the extent of surgery, the length of surgery, and how one responds to pain. Laparoscopy is usually done on an outpatient basis, although an overnight stay may be required if the surgery is complex or lengthy. 
For the first two or three days after the laparoscopic surgery, it helps to have a family member or a friend stay close to the patient who can take charge of managing the medications for the first couple of days and arrange meals during that period. 

Sunday, 31 May 2020

Questions To Be Asked Before Enlarged Prostate Treatment


Enlarged Prostate or Benign Prostate Hyperplasia is a medical condition where your prostate cells grow, thereby leading to gland enlargement, further contributing to squeezing of your urethra. You may face a wide array of symptoms, which may even lead to severe or frequent urination problems.

Here are some questions to ask your medical practitioner 

  • Will you please help me in knowing more about my medical condition?
  • How fast will my disease lead to the stage of progression?
  • Will this likely contribute to the development of prostate cancer?
  • Are there any genetic influences that I need to be explicitly aware of?
  • What leads to the development of an enlarged prostate?
  • What are the signs and symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia?
  • What are the possible complications associated with this medical condition?
  • What are the possible diagnosis options available before me for detecting the presence of my medical condition?
  • When is it necessary to seek medical assistance for Benign Prostate Treatment?
  • What are the long-term effects associated with Enlarged Prostate Treatment?
  • What treatment options are available before me?
  • What are the chances of improving or eliminating symptoms and how long they are believed to last?
  • What is the most conservative and effective treatment available for the patients at this point in time?
  • What are the possible side effects of the several treatment options available before me?
  • Do I need to bring a change in my lifestyle or my diet after undergoing surgical enlarged prostate treatment?

Diagnosis

Ahead of recommending you for the Enlarged Prostate Treatment, your doctor will subject you to specific diagnostic procedures –

  • Digital rectal examination
  • Urine Tests
  • Blood Tests
  • Prostate-Specific Antigen Blood Tests
  • Urinary Flow Test
  • Postvoid Residual Volume Test
  • 24-hour Voiding Diary
  • Transrectal Ultrasound
  • Prostate Biopsy
  • Urodynamic and Pressure Flow Studies
  • Cystoscopy