How to care after total gastrectomy

If gastric cancer is more serious, the entire stomach often needs to be removed to prevent the spread of cancer cells. This treatment method is also better for patients with gastric cancer that has not yet spread. Among all tumors, the survival rate of gastric cancer patients is relatively high. Even if the entire stomach is removed, as long as you strengthen your regular maintenance and prevent the spread of cancer cells, the patient's survival will not be a problem.

How to protect the whole stomach after removal

1. Do not eat after the operation, and pass gas through the anus after the intestinal peristalsis is restored. After the gastric tube is removed, drink a small amount of water for five days after the operation, 4-5 tablespoons each time, every 2 hours. If the patient recovers normally after the operation, he or she can eat a low-fat semi-liquid diet two weeks after the operation. The protein content of the diet meets the normal requirement and the fiber content is very low.

2. The patient's diet should be based on the principle that he or she does not feel uncomfortable, and the diet should be low in residue, mild and easy to digest. The amount of food you eat should be gradually adapted from small to large and from thin to thick. You should chew slowly when eating to reduce the burden on the residual stomach. It is generally best to eat 5 to 6 times a day. At the same time, be careful to avoid foods that are too sweet, too salty, or too thick. If you experience symptoms such as nausea, bloating, etc. after eating, you should stop eating.

3. 2-3 weeks after surgery, some patients may experience symptoms such as palpitations, nausea, upper abdominal discomfort, dizziness, sweating, etc. after eating sweets (such as milk with sugar). These symptoms usually last for 15-30 minutes and then resolve on their own. This is called "dumping syndrome." To prevent this situation, if you want to eat sweets, you should also eat a moderate amount of easily digestible salty food and control your eating speed.

4. After discharge, the patient can eat soft rice. The staple food and side dishes should be nutritious and easily digestible. Avoid eating raw, cold, fried, sour and spicy foods that are irritating and prone to bloating. The patient should chew slowly, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, avoid high-fat foods and pickled foods, supplement with mineral iron and vitamins in moderation, avoid smoking and drinking, and have a regular diet. 3-6 months after the operation, you can gradually return to a normal diet according to your physical condition.

5. After gastric cancer surgery, you should take medication as prescribed by your doctor to prevent anemia, and also carry out other auxiliary treatments according to the specific situation, such as chemotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine treatment, immunotherapy, etc. More importantly, regular check-ups are necessary, such as stool occult blood, gastrointestinal fluoroscopy, B-ultrasound, chest X-ray, gastroscopy, etc., in order to detect the recurrence or metastasis of gastric cancer as early as possible.

6. Take note of the foods that often make you feel uncomfortable, and avoid them if necessary. The patient's iron absorption is affected by reduced gastric acid, and appropriate iron supplementation can avoid iron deficiency anemia. In addition, patients who have undergone total gastrectomy are advised to receive intravenous supplementation of folic acid, vitamin B12 and other trace elements once a year.

Indications for gastrectomy:

The most commonly used gastrectomies are total gastrectomy, subtotal gastrectomy, hemigastrectomy and antrectomy.

(1) Total gastrectomy is used for patients whose gastric cancer originates from a larger area of ​​the gastric body.

(2) Subtotal gastrectomy is suitable for duodenal ulcers, gastric ulcers with high bone acid secretion, and tumors in the distal part of the stomach.

(3) Hemigastrectomy is suitable for patients with gastric ulcer and low stomach acid.

(4) Antral resection is mainly used as an additional surgery for duodenal ulcer with vagotomy or selective vagotomy.