Liver Diseases—After Surgery

Also called: Postoperative care, Recovery from surgery

After any operation, you’ll have some side effects. There is usually some pain with surgery. There may also be swelling and soreness around the area that the surgeon cut. Your surgeon can tell you which side effects to expect.

There can also be complications. These are unplanned events linked to the operation. Some complications are infection, too much bleeding, reaction to anesthesia, or accidental injury. Some people have a greater risk of complications because of other medical conditions.

Your surgeon can tell you how you might feel and what you will be able to do – or not do – the first few days, weeks, or months after surgery. Some other questions to ask are

• How long you will be in the hospital
• What kind of supplies, equipment, and help you might need when you go home
• When you can go back to work
• When it is ok to start exercising again
• Are they any other restrictions in your activities

Following your surgeon’s advice can help you recover as soon as possible.

Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research

• Bland diet (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Deep breathing after surgery (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Diet – clear liquid (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Diet – full liquid (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Getting your home ready – after the hospital (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Indwelling catheter care (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Post surgical pain treatment – adults (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Self catheterization – female (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Self catheterization – male (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Suprapubic catheter care (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Surgical wound care — closed (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Surgical wound infection – treatment (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Urinary catheters (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Urine drainage bags (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Using an incentive spirometer (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Hepatic disease

Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It helps your body digest food, store energy, and remove poisons.

There are many kinds of liver diseases:

• Diseases caused by viruses, such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C
• Diseases caused by drugs, poisons, or too much alcohol. Examples include fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.
• Liver cancer
• Inherited diseases, such as hemochromatosis and Wilson disease

Symptoms of liver disease can vary, but they often include swelling of the abdomen and legs, bruising easily, changes in the color of your stool and urine, and jaundice, or yellowing of the skin and eyes. Sometimes there are no symptoms. Tests such as imaging tests and liver function tests can check for liver damage and help to diagnose liver diseases.

• ALP isoenzyme test (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Ascites (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Diet – liver disease (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hepatic encephalopathy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hepatomegaly (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Liver disease (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Liver scan (Medical Encyclopedia)