This diary is to help you record your daily goals after your surgery. It can be helpful for you to see how you are able to do a little more each day, when you are recovering in hospital and when you get home.
Please note
Please bring this diary with you on admission and remember to refer to it during your inpatient stay and at home when discharged.
(You will be given a paper copy of this leaflet from nursing staff).
Each day the amount you are able to do will increase and you will see this in your diary pages. It will also tell you what to expect each day. If you need any help filling in your diary pages please ask one of the nurses or your co-ordinator.
You will be asked about how you are coping with:
- Washing and dressing
- Moving around
- Eating and drinking
- Pain control
- Exercises to help with breathing and your blood circulation
- Heparin injections
My Calendar – Gives you day-by-day objectives to follow.
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) in renal donor surgery
Pain control
- 6 hours after surgery
– Intravenous painkiller and oral painkillers - Day ONE after surgery
– Oral painkillers - After discharge
– Oral painkillers as per discharge instruction
Food intake
- Night before surgery
– Stop eating at midnight - Morning of surgery
– No food - 6 hours after surgery
– Start on soft food
– Chew gum 4 times a day - Day ONE after surgery
– Solid food as tolerated
– Continue chewing gum regularly - After discharge
– Resume normal eating pattern (Balanced healthy diet)
Fluid
- Night before surgery
– Drink 5-6 glasses of fluid - Morning of surgery
– Drink only clear water until 06:00 am then fast - 6 hours after surgery
– Drink 5-6 glasses of water as tolerated - Day ONE after surgery
– Drink 5-6 glasses of water or any liquids - After discharge
– Drink plenty of liquids
Skin care
- Night before surgery
– Shower as normal - Morning of surgery
– Shower as normal
– Be ready for 07:30 am - 6 hours after surgery
– Drink 5-6 glasses of water as tolerated - Day ONE after surgery
– Shower as normal
– Keep dressings covered - After discharge
– Shower as normal
– Keep dressings covered as per discharge instruction
Activity
- Night before surgery
– No smoking or alcohol - Morning of surgery
– Do relaxation exercises such as deep breathing exercises - 6 hours after surgery
– Sit upright
– Do regular leg exercises
– Eat evening meal in chair - Day ONE after surgery
– Walk around the ward
– Eat meals in chair
– Prepare for discharge - After discharge
– Continue exercise as per discharge instruction
The afternoon following your surgery
You will return to the ward you were admitted to after your surgery. You will have a drip for fluids and a drip for your painkiller and oxygen tubing. These are temporary and will be removed the day after surgery.
Moving around
Six hours following surgery you will be encouraged to sit out in a chair for two hours. The nurses and ward staff will help you do this. Please do not attempt this on your own.
Eating and drinking
Two hours after your operation you will be able to eat and drink as you feel able, unless instructed otherwise by your surgeon.
Pain Control
Regular pain relief tablets will be started in addition to your Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) pump.
Please complete your checklist at the end of each day
You will find this in the paper copy you have received from nursing staff. It can also be found in the PDF file that you can access at the top of this webpage.
Day 1 – Day after surgery
Hygiene
You will be encouraged to be independent with showering, but please ask a nurse or ward staff if you need assistance.
Moving around
Today, aim to sit in the chair for a total of 8 hours, with short rest periods on the bed. You will be encouraged to walk around throughout the day.
Eating and drinking
Build up your diet as tolerated and chew gum regularly. It is important to drink 2 litres (5-6 cups) throughout the day.
Pain Control
Your intravenous analgesia will be discontinued and you will continue with regular pain relief tablets.
Please complete your checklist at the end of each day
You will find this in the paper copy you have received from nursing staff. It can also be found in the PDF file that you can access at the top of this webpage.
Day 2 after surgery
(complete either in hospital or at home)
Hygiene
You will be encouraged to be independent with showering, but please ask a nurse or ward staff if you need assistance.
Moving around
Aim to sit in the chair for a total of 8 hours, with short rest periods on the bed. You will be encouraged to walk around throughout the day.
Eating and drinking
Build up your diet as tolerated and chew gum regularly. It is important to drink 2 litres (5-6 cups) throughout the day.
Pain Control
You will continue with regular pain relief tablets.
Please complete your checklist at the end of each day
You will find this in the paper copy you have received from nursing staff. It can also be found in the PDF file that you can access at the top of this webpage.
Day 3 after surgery
(complete either in hospital or at home)
Hygiene
You will be encouraged to be independent with showering, but please ask a nurse or ward staff if you need assistance.
Moving around
Aim to sit in the chair for a total of 8 hours, with short rest periods on the bed. You will be encouraged to walk around throughout the day.
Eating and drinking
Build up your diet as tolerated and chew gum regularly. It is important to drink 2 litres (5-6 cups) throughout the day.
Pain Control
You will continue with regular pain relief tablets.
Please complete your checklist at the end of each day
You will find this in the paper copy you have received from nursing staff. It can also be found in the PDF file that you can access at the top of this webpage.
How we decide you can go home
You will be seen by the surgical team on a daily basis and they will allow you to go home if:
- You feel confident about going home
- You are eating and drinking enough
- You are walking round the ward fairly comfortably
- You are passing wind
- You do not have a temperature or any signs of wound infection
- You are passing urine without difficulty
- Your blood results are satisfactory
- You are able to self-medicate
Going home
Moving around
Continue to move around regularly when you get home as this helps your gut movement.
Eating and drinking
Continue to eat regularly and drink at least 1-2 litres of fluid during the day.
Pain control
Continue to take your pain relief medication regularly as prescribed by the doctors on discharge.
Medication
You will be discharged home with pain killers and laxatives to take regularly. Continue to take these as instructed until your bowels have returned to a normal pattern.
Your wound
Most live donors have dissolvable stitches. You will be advised to shower daily to help the stitches dissolve.
If you have stitches or staples your practice nurse or district nurse will need to remove them. We will arrange for them to come to your home or for an appointment at your GP to have them removed. You will be advised on when this will be when you are discharged
Leeds Kidney Unit – Live donor patient feedback
Please could you spare some time to complete a short survey on your experience with the live donor team by visiting this link below:
Click here to leave your patient feedbackWe greatly appreciate your feedback as this really helps us to identify how we can continually improve our service.