The usual stay is less than one week. After hospital discharge, recuperation at home is four to six weeks. Patients usually return to work or school in six to eight weeks. Your doctor will discuss this with you at your post-operative visit four to six weeks after surgery. Most patients are able to eat normal diets and lead normal lives following surgery.
Some people notice more frequent bowel movements.
Otherwise, their lives will be perfectly normal. Their sexual and social activities are unaffected. None of the procedures affects a man's ability to father children nor a woman's ability to have a normal pregnancy. However, the way in which a baby is delivered may be affected by the type of surgery and should be discussed with the surgeon. If other cancers are prominent in a family, directed checks of the organs involved should be offered to the affected or at risk family members.