Medication change Many patients ask me how long does it take to change medication after colorectal cancer surgery? Should I change the medication on the same day? In fact, the so-called “medication change” is to change the dressing of the patient’s wound (incision), that is, the gauze (commonly known as a big band-aid). The purpose of this dressing is to protect the wound from contamination by bacteria, etc., which can cause infection. If the dressing is wet, then pathogenic microorganisms will come into contact with the wound through the wet dressing, which can easily cause infection, at which point the dressing must be changed. Medication changes are not required on the day after surgery because the surgery is done in a sterile environment. Generally speaking, there is a basic principle for changing medication after surgery, which is every three days (2 to 3 times a week) until two weeks after surgery when the patient’s stitches are removed and the wound is healed. However, there are exceptions to everything, and this exception is that if the dressing at the wound is “wet”, it must be changed immediately. Stitch Removal After talking about dressing change, we are definitely concerned about stitch removal. Colon cancer surgery is performed on the abdomen and stitches are usually removed in about two weeks (14 days). However, the situation of each patient is different, some patients recover quickly while others recover slowly, so the removal of stitches will be determined according to the specific situation of each patient. If the patient is slow to recover, the stitches can be removed later; or part of the stitches can be removed first, and then the stitches can be completely removed when all of the wound has healed. When to Discharge There are many patients (most of them) who feel that they should be hospitalized for a long time after surgery because they have doctors and nurses around them, so it is convenient and their health is more secure if they need anything. In fact, long-term hospitalization is not good! Hospitals are crowded with people, and both patients, family members and medical staff carry more or less pathogens (bacteria, viruses). In the early post-operative period, because patients use more drugs, their resistance may be better and they generally do not have any problems, but with longer hospital stays, infections are especially likely to occur. Infections can sometimes be fatal for patients who have just had surgery. So, when a patient is recovering well and the doctor orders that he or she can be discharged from the hospital, it is a great thing for the patient’s recovery. Be sure to listen to your doctor!