About the surgery
You have been under observation for your abdominal pain, and you are going to have a keyhole surgery (laparoscopy) so that we can examine you more closely. During a keyhole surgery, we examine the organs in your abdominal cavity through small openings in the abdomen.
If we find signs of disease, we can often complete the treatment during the same procedure.
There may be waiting time
We cannot give you an exact time for your surgery, but we will do our best to keep you informed. Because we receive emergency patients around the clock and only have one operating theatre for emergency surgery, the order of procedures may change at short notice. The order is decided by the doctors. Therefore, please be aware that there may be waiting time, and your surgery may be delayed.
Important preparation
You must fast before your surgery
You must not eat or drink before your surgery. This means:
- Stop eating 6 hours before your surgery.
- Stop drinking milk products and juice with pulp 6 hours before your surgery. Do not use milk in your coffee or tea either.
- Stop drinking all types of cold and hot drinks 2 hours before your surgery. We recommend that your last drink should be a large glass of squash (sugary concentrate diluted with water) 2 hours before your surgery. The sugar helps prevent nausea and feeling unwell.
We will help you with the exact timing. If you do not follow the fasting instructions, your surgery will be cancelled.
Please tell us if you have diabetes, as special precautions apply.
Remove hair
Before the surgery, you need to remove any hair on your abdomen. You must use a trimmer, which we will lend you. We will explain how to use it. Do not use a razor, as it can cause small cuts in the skin and increase the risk of infection.
Remove nail polish and jewellery
During the surgery, we will place a monitor on one of your fingers to measure the oxygen level in your blood. For this reason, you must remove nail polish and artificial nails before your surgery. You can borrow nail polish remover in the ward. You must also remove your watch, jewellery and piercings. You are welcome to bring your glasses, hearing aid and dental prosthesis to the operating theatre. If you wear contact lenses, you must take them out before the surgery.
Take a shower
We recommend that you take a shower before the surgery. As a minimum, you must clean your navel using a cotton bud, which we will provide.
You will be given clean hospital clothes before the surgery. You are not allowed to wear your own clothes or underwear.
Brush your teeth
Before the surgery, you must brush your teeth thoroughly. We will give you a toothbrush and toothpaste.
We will give you pain relief and blood-thinning medicine
Shortly before you are taken to surgery, you will be given preventive pain relief medicine. You must take it with as little water as possible.
To prevent blood clots, we will also give you an injection with blood-thinning medicine in your thigh. You will also be given compression stockings.
The surgery
You will have general anaesthesia
The surgery is done under general anaesthesia. To give you the anaesthetic, we will insert a cannula in your hand. You will receive medicine through the cannula that makes you sleep and feel no pain.
The surgery
Once the anaesthetic has taken effect, the doctor will make a cut in your navel and possibly 3–4 small cuts in the lower part of your abdomen. A camera on a thin tube is inserted into the abdominal cavity. Your abdomen will be inflated with air to give us a better view of the organs and to create more space. The wounds are closed with stitches.
After the surgery
Waking up after the surgery
When the surgery is finished, we will take you to the recovery unit, where you will wake up from the anaesthetic. In the recovery room, you will be connected to equipment that monitors your heart rate, blood pressure and temperature. Most people feel tired and need to rest, but short visits are allowed, subject to agreement with the nurse.
The anaesthetic may cause nausea
You may feel sick or vomit because of the anaesthetic. If needed, we can give you medicine to relieve the nausea.
You may eat and drink after the surgery
We will offer you something to eat and drink when you return to the ward.
We will talk to you about the surgery
After the surgery, we will explain how it went.
You may have shoulder pain
After the surgery, some people experience pain in the right shoulder. This is because air was pumped into the abdominal cavity during the procedure. The air can irritate the diaphragm, which may feel like shoulder pain. This is normal and will go away on its own after a few days. The more you get up and move around, the faster the pain will disappear. A heat pad can also help relieve the pain.
Move around after the surgery
You should get out of bed and start moving as soon as possible after the surgery. This will help you recover more quickly and reduce nausea and the risk of complications.
You will be discharged
Most people are ready to be discharged on the same day as the surgery. You are ready if you:
- do not have nausea or significant pain
- have eaten and drunk
- have passed urine without any problems
- have been informed about what to watch out for at home.
At home
Important precautions for the first 24 hours
After having general anaesthesia, there are some precautions you must follow during the first 24 hours. Please note that you:
- must not drive a car or other vehicles
- must not operate machinery
- should not drink alcohol.
Sick leave
Whether you need sick leave depends on your individual situation. If you do need sick leave for a period, you can get a sick leave notice from your own doctor.
You may need a follow-up appointment
After the surgery, we will assess whether you need a follow-up appointment. If we have not already scheduled an appointment at the hospital, you will receive one via Digital Post or regular post.
You will be given more information to take home
We will give you information about what to be aware of once you are back at home.