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Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth
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Risk factors for heart disease: infections
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A fat-like substance called a lipid. It is used to build cell membranes, hormones and bile acids
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The inability of the body to produce, or the inability to metabolize, the human hormone insulin; Diabetes insipidus, usually a disorder of the ...
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Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures
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Hormones - Proteins produced by organs of the body that trigger activity in other locations.
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Awaiting moderation 16 Article
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Breast surgery: staying in hospital after operation BREAST SURGERY: STAYING IN HOSPITAL AFTER OPERATION
An operation to remove a lump from the breast will probably last about 20 to 30 minutes; mastectomies may take up to an hour. Therefore you are likely to be away from the ward for no more than 3 to 4 hours. You may feel drowsy and slightly sick as the effects of the general anesthetic wear off. If your mouth is dry, you can take sips of water, but drinking too much immediately after your operation can make any nausea worse. As your digestive system will not be affected by the operation, you will be able to eat as soon as you want to.
Following a mastectomy, you may be returned to the ward with a drip inserted into your arm. This contains a saline solution to replace the fluids that have been lost from your body during the operation, and will be removed after about 24 hours or when you are able to drink freely.
Drainage tubes
One or more small tubes will extend out of the side of the dressing covering your wound, each draining into a plastic bag or bottle, which will probably be placed beside you in the bed. Although the drainage system is cumbersome, you will be able to get up and move around the ward while it is still attached, but do remember to make sure the collecting bag(s) is supported before you do so. It may be taped to the.-side of your body or pinned to your nightdress. The weight of an unsupported bag will pull on the wound, causing discomfort.
During the first day following your operation, fresh blood and fluid will drain into the collecting bag. On the second day, the amount of fluid will probably have reduced substantially, and may be mostly clear, with a small amount of blood. Following a wide lump excision, the single drainage tube may be removed after about 24 hours. Each of the two tubes required after a mastectomy will be taken out when the drainage into them has reduced, which may be anything from 1 to 7 days after your operation.
The wound
Your wound will probably be covered by a clear dressing with an overlying pressure dressing to reduce bruising. The pressure dressing consists of a wad of gauze covered with Elastoplast strapping which is quite tightly applied after wide lump excisions and mastectomies. This will probably be removed after about 24 hours, once a doctor has visited you on the ward to check your wound.
If you do not want to be able to see the wound through the remaining clear adhesive dressing, do ask a nurse to cover it with gauze. You may find the sight of the blood-encrusted wound, the stitches and possibly some bruising upsetting. However, it will improve each day, and it should have healed and begun to look a lot better after a couple of weeks.
The wound may have been stitched with an absorbable material that will dissolve of its own accord in time, and only its ends may be visible. Alternatively, the stitches may be of a nonabsorbable material, possibly with a small white bead attached at each end. Stitches of this type will have to be removed 7 to 14 days after your operation. Many wounds are now stitched with a single continuous stitch, and appear as a single straight line.
The pull of the stitches may cause a feeling of tightness which will improve after a few days.
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