Your discharge plan following a liver operation (HCC nurse specialist)
Date issued: January 2024
Review date: January 2026
Ref: C-477/Oncology/VA/Your discharge plan following a liver operation (HCC Nurse Specialist) v2
Your surgeons and nurses are thinking about your discharge from hospital, but we are aware there is a lot of recovery ahead and you may feel anxious about being at home. If you have questions, please ask the doctors and nurses in the days before you leave.
Once you are at home, you are still very much in our minds.
If you have any questions or concerns, we are available by phone.
Any Problems or Concerns Please Call:
Cancer Specialist Nurse: Plymouth (Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm)
Vicky Ashton (01752 431962)
Derriford Hospital Switchboard (01752 202082)
Stonehouse Ward: For out of hours/Weekends 01752 431489
Wolf Ward: For out of hours/Weekends 01752 439677
Your GP surgery or local Cancer Specialist Nurse
Summary of Discharge Information
When will I be seen again?
Your Cancer Nurse Specialist (Plymouth) will call you once you are home to check your progress. You will be offered an appointment 4 to 6 weeks after discharge. You will be seen by a Surgeon who will check that you are getting on as expected and will discuss with you if any further treatment (chemotherapy) is advised.
You may be followed up for 5 years, depending on your diagnosis. This can include clinic appointments and may involve regular scans performed at your local hospital.
Transport
Please think about transport arrangements for discharge. If you have any problems with this the nurse on the ward can arrange transport, although there may be a charge.
Wounds
You may be discharged home with wound clips still in place. You should be given a clip remover and wound dressings. Either the ward nurse will arrange, or you may be asked to arrange, a practice nurse or district nurse to remove the clips between 10 to 14 days after your operation. If you have had keyhole surgery, you may have surgical glue sealing your wounds. This will dissolve naturally.
Drains
If you are discharged with an abdominal drain in place, you will have a follow up clinic appointment for assessment of the drain in 1 to 2 weeks. When you empty the bag please make a note of the amount drained each day so the surgeons can make an assessment of whether to remove it at the clinic. Please ask for a replacement drainage bag.
The ward nurse will arrange for a practice nurse or district nurse to check the skin around the drain and replace the bag if necessary.
Prevention of blood clots
You will be advised if blood thinning injections are appropriate for you after your operation. These will start the day after surgery and continue for 28 days. The ward will discuss with you and your family whether you or a family member is able to give these daily injections and will show you how to do it. If no one is able to do this the ward will organise the practice nurse or district nurse to give them.
Medication
We endeavour to arrange for your medication to be ready to take home with you in a timely manner. Unfortunately, for all sorts of reasons, there may be a 4 to 6 hour wait for this from pharmacy on the day you go home. If medication has been stopped in hospital or there has been a change in medication and you would like advice, you can call the Cancer Nurse Specialists (Plymouth) or your GP regarding this.
You will be sent home on the same pain medication that you are taking before discharge. Please take this as required to keep you comfortable before reducing the amount you take. If you find that once at home you have increased discomfort because you are more mobile then please talk to your GP for advice. Some painkillers may cause constipation, in which case it may be helpful to take a gentle laxative.
Nutrition
If you would like further advice on nutrition, eating, and managing your weight after your surgery please contact your Cancer Nurse Specialists.
Written discharge summary
You will be given a copy of your discharge summary. This includes information about your operation and if you need follow up with your GP for further tests, for example blood tests. Your GP will also be sent a copy via the post or the ward nurse may ask you to deliver this to your GP if you are happy to. Your surgeons will also write to the doctors at your local hospital to update them about your operation.
Feeling unwell
If you feel unwell with symptoms of increased pain, temperature or vomiting, you should contact your Cancer Nurse Specialist (Plymouth), GP or Ward depending on time of day. If you feel very unwell you may need to visit your local Emergency Department. If you are admitted to a hospital other than Derriford Hospital please ask them to inform Derriford Hospital of your admission.
If you have any further concerns, problems or questions please don’t hesitate to contact the Cancer Nurse Specialists (Plymouth).
