Appointments with a physician and a nurse in the diagnosing of colon cancer
At the outpatient clinic appointment preceding your surgery, you will meet with the surgeon, who will review your examination results with you and provide more information on your treatment plan.
The purpose of the appointment with the anesthesiologist is to devise an anesthesia regime suitable for you, meaning the general anesthesia and pain management. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia, and we often also administer an epidural anesthetic to alleviate postoperative pain. The anesthesiologist will ensure that your state of health is sufficient in view of the operation and recovery.
We will also discuss postoperative pain management at the appointment and select a pain rating scale to use for assessing pain after the operation. Because nutrition is of great importance for recovery from surgery, we will also assess the risk of your malnutrition at this point.
After the appointments with the surgeon and anesthesiologist, you will meet with a nurse with whom you will discuss your treatment plan and who will give you instructions on how to prepare for surgery.
The nurse will go through with you the information on the preliminary information form and the supportive therapies: such as your medication, height, weight, blood pressure, use of compression stockings, and instructions related to anesthesia. You will receive instructions on how to prepare for surgery and possible bowel cleansing. The nurse will also give you information on postoperative recovery.
After the surgeon’s appointment, your treatment will be discussed at a multi-professional meeting attended by surgeons, radiologists, an oncologist and the coordinating nurse. We plan your treatment on the basis of the examinations performed. It will be confirmed at this treatment meeting whether surgery is the primary treatment option or whether you will be referred to oncology for chemotherapy. If we make any changes to the plan, we will let you know.
We will notify you of the date of the operation well ahead of time, and you will be given the time when to arrive at the hospital on the weekday preceding the day of the operation.