For many Los Angeles County cancer patients, surgery is the best way to treat the cancer that is growing in their body. In most of these surgical procedures, a mass or tumor will be removed, and the patient will have to spend time recovering after the fact.
While many Glendora patients will benefit from cancer surgery procedures, it’s important to note that there are risks and complications associated with any surgery. Your general surgeon will explain the particular risks and complications that you may experience on an individual basis, but below are some of the general side effects that may affect patients.
What Are Common Post Cancer Surgery Problems?
Most patients will experience some sort of discomfort or pain after their surgery is complete.
Regardless of what type of surgery you require, you will likely feel pain immediately following the procedure. Some procedures will be more painful than others, and the recovery time will vary based on the patient and the individual circumstances.
Patients should work with their surgeon in order to manage their pain and to prevent their pain levels from getting in the way of their surgical recovery and cancer treatment.
Infections are a common risk of surgery.
Patients should be especially vigilant about watching out for the signs and symptoms of lung infection. Patients who develop a fever or increased pain, redness, or swelling at the sight of the incision should contact their surgical team as soon as possible. Patients should do breathing exercises after their surgery in order to prevent a lung infection, and subsequently pneumonia, from forming.
Some patients may find that they have either internal or external bleeding after their operation.
Any kind of excessive bleeding is serious and should be mentioned to a doctor. In the event of internal bleeding, another surgery may be required. In this circumstance, the surgeon will do an exploratory surgery in order to find the source of the internal bleeding and stop it.
Post-surgical patients are at a high risk of developing blood clots.
This is mainly because of the time they spend resting after their general surgery procedure. Blood clots most commonly form in the legs, and blood clots become problematic when they break off and continue to travel throughout the body. They are especially dangerous if they reach the lungs. Following their operation, patients should focus on sitting up, moving around, and getting out of bed when they can.
In many cases, cancer treatment begins with a surgery procedure. It is important that patients follow all post-operative instructions that are provided to them by their doctor, for this is the best way for them to heal as quickly as possible and to continue on with any other necessary cancer treatments.
Whether you are facing a lung cancer diagnosis and require surgery or you are facing a stomach cancer diagnosis, you will want to work with an expert general surgeon who will minimize the risks of your surgery and help you recover as quickly as possible.
