This guide is for patients that are being admitted to the Victoria General Hospital for open thoracotomy pulmonary resection surgery for lung cancer treatment. Your surgeon will make a surgical cut between two ribs. The cut will go from the front of your chest wall to your back, passing just underneath your armpit. These ribs will be separated. Your lung on this side will be deflated so that air will not move in and out of it during surgery. Your surgeon may not know how much of your lung needs…
This guide is for patients that are being admitted to the Victoria General Hospital for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) pulmonary resection for lung cancer treatment. Your surgeon will make several small surgical cuts over your chest wall. A videoscope (a tube with a tiny camera on the end) and other small tools will be passed through these cuts.Then, your surgeon may remove part or all of your lung, drain fluid or blood that has built up, or do other procedures. One or more tubes w…
L'opération ouvre une nouvelle voie pour que les larmes puissent s'écouler directement dans votre nez. Un tube en plastique peut être mis en place pendant l'opération et retiré six semaines à 12 mois plus tard, selon votre chirurgien ophtalmologiste. La brochure fournit une brève description de la préparation pour l’opération, du déroulement de l’intervention et des soins qui suivent. On y traite aussi des symptômes qui exigent des soins médicaux. ; This pamphlet is a French translation of "Rep…
Un stéroïde peut être injecté dans votre œil ou autour de votre œil pour traiter des troubles qui causent de l’inflammation ou de l’enflure dans l’œil. Les mesures à prendre avant le traitement sont précisées. On explique aussi comment le traitement est fait et les soins à dispenser après le traitement (au moyen de gouttes pour les yeux). Les symptômes exigeant des soins médicaux immédiats sont indiqués. Une carte est aussi fournie. ; A steroid can be injected into or around the eye to treat co…
Tears are made by the lacrimal gland and other tear glands around the eyes. They drain through each punctum into the lacrimal sac, and then into the nose. The puncta are 2 small openings at the nose end of each eyelid. Small silicone (rubber) plugs can be placed into one or both puncta. The plugs block the openings, letting more moisture stay on your eyes to help with dry eyes. If the plugs have openings, they help your tears to drain better. This pamphlet explains what will happen when the pun…
Your surgeon will put an endovascular stent graft into your aorta. The aorta is the biggest artery in your body. Different diseases may affect your aorta. Your aorta needs to be repaired so it does not rupture (break) and cause severe (very bad) bleeding. This can lead to death. There are 2 ways to repair your aorta: TEVAR where the surgeon places a stent graft through a small incision in your groin, or through open repair where the surgeon makes a large incision through your breastbone and pot…
A phlebotomy is done to lower the amount of blood cells in your body. A needle is placed into your vein to let some of your blood drain through a plastic tube and into a bottle. This will make you feel better. This pamphlet explains how a phlebotomy is done, how to get ready for a phlebotomy, and what will happen after the phlebotomy.
La lumière est reflétée par des objets et pénètre par la pupille. Elle traverse la lentille et le corps vitré pour atteindre la rétine. Lorsque le cerveau reçoit ce message, la vision s’effectue. Un changement ou des dommages à la rétine peuvent entraîner une perte de vision. La présente publication explique comment savoir si votre rétine est endommagée, quels problèmes peuvent survenir sur la rétine, et quels types de traitements et d’opérations s’offrent à vous. ; This is a French translation…
Certaines personnes ont des problèmes de déglutition (difficulté à avaler). Cela signifie que certains aliments ou liquides peuvent se retrouver dans les voies respiratoires au lieu d'aller dans l'estomac. C'est ce qu'on appelle l'aspiration de corps étrangers. L'aspiration est le mot utilisé lorsque la nourriture ou le liquide « descend au mauvais endroit ». Ce dépliant fournit une liste de signes qui peuvent indiquer des problèmes de déglutition. Des conseils de sécurité pour éviter l'aspirat…
Lorsqu’une personne a de la difficulté à avaler les liquides clairs, il y a un risque que du liquide entre dans ses voies respiratoires plutôt que d’aller dans l’estomac. On appelle ce phénomène l’aspiration et cela se produit lorsque de la nourriture ou du liquide « passe dans le mauvais tuyau ». L’aspiration peut augmenter les risques de pneumonie (infection des poumons). Elle peut aussi être très désagréable et faire tousser. Lorsqu’on a un problème de déglutition (difficulté à avaler), il p…
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can happen when bacteria (germs) get into the urinary tract. The urinary tract is made up of your kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. UTIs are not sexually transmitted (partners do not spread the bacteria (germs) to each other). This pamphlet explains the signs of a UTI, how UTIs are treated, what you can do to help, what you can do for pain, and how to lower your chance of infection in the future. Symptoms that require medical assistance are listed.
An augmentation mammaplasty (breast enlargement) is usually done under general anesthetic. This means you will be put to sleep for the surgery. The surgeon will make a pocket between the chest wall and breast tissue. They will then place a saline or a gel implant into this pocket. This pamphlet explains what will happen after your surgery, including how to care for the incision(s), discomfort, and instructions about activity. A list of symptoms that require immediate medical attention is provid…
The retina is a very thin delicate tissue at the back of the eye that turns light into images. The macula is the very small central area of your retina. It gives you the central vision needed to do things like reading, watching TV, and seeing faces. There are 2 types of age-related macular degeneration (AMD): dry and wet. With dry AMD, changes happen slowly over months or years. There is no treatment for dry AMD. With wet (also called ‘exudative’) AMD, changes often happen quickly. It is possib…
La rétine est une membrane fine et délicate à l’arrière de l’œil. Elle transforme la lumière en images. La macula est la partie centrale et toute petite de la rétine. Elle vous donne la vision centrale nécessaire pour faire des choses comme lire, regarder la télé et voir les visages. Il existe deux formes de dégénérescence maculaire liée à l’âge (DMLA) : la forme sèche et la forme humide. Dans le cas de la dégénérescence maculaire sèche, les changements se produisent lentement, durant des mois …
This pamphlet is about laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair. A hiatal hernia happens when part of your stomach moves up into your lower chest through an opening in the diaphragm. Topics include what to expect after surgery, including intravenous (IV), nasogastric tube, face mask or nasal prongs, pain management, and deep breathing and coughing. Activity after your surgery and nutrition are also explained. A clinical pathway and glossary are also included. The French version of this pamphlet 1899, …
La présente brochure porte sur la chirurgie laparoscopique de la hernie hiatale. On parle de hernie hiatale quand une partie de votre estomac remonte dans la partie inférieure de votre thorax par un orifice dans le diaphragme. Les sujets traités sont, entre autres, à quoi s’attendre après la chirurgie (intraveineuse, sonde nasogastrique, masque ou canule nasale), la gestion de la douleur et les exercices de respiration profonde et de toux. On y traite aussi de l’activité et de la nutrition aprè…
The most common side effect from radiation therapy treatment is a skin reaction. No matter what area of the body is being treated, most patients will have a skin reaction. This pamphlet explains what a skin reaction is, how long you will have a skin reaction, what creams and lotions may help, what to avoid, if it is OK to wash and bathe, and how to use a saline soak and take a sitz bath. Other topics include whether your markings will come off, if you need to wear any special clothing near the …
Intermittent catheterization is a way to drain urine (pee) from your bladder at different times. A catheter (thin, hollow tube) is passed through the urethra (short tube where urine from your bladder is moved outside of your body) into the bladder to drain the urine. This pamphlet explains why a catheter may be needed, how to put the catheter in, how to wash your catheter, and things to remember. A list of symptoms that require medical attention is provided.
The prostate is a gland that makes seminal fluid. Prostate cancer is a disease where cancer cells start to grow in the prostate gland. These cancer cells grow into a tumor and can spread to other parts of the body such as the bones and lymph nodes. This pamphlet explains what causes prostate cancer, what hormones are, what testosterone does, how hormone therapy works for prostate cancer, how long you will be on hormone therapy, and side effects. A list of resources for further information is pr…
During this special X-ray test, a colourless dye is injected into your blood vessels so that they can be seen on X-ray. An angiogram can be used to X-ray blood vessels in various parts of the body. This pamphlet describes getting ready for the test, how the test is done, and care after the test.