Tumor Ablation for Liver Cancer: What to Expect at Home

Your Recovery

Tumor ablation is a procedure to shrink a liver tumor. It may be done in several ways, such as by sending heat, cold, chemicals, or ultrasound waves into the tumor. For most ablation procedures, the doctor puts a special needle called a probe through the skin into the tumor in the liver. A newer type of tumor ablation, called histotripsy, doesn't require a probe to be put through the skin. Instead a machine uses focused ultrasound waves to destroy the tumor.

If your procedure was done with a probe, the area where it was put into your skin (the puncture site) may be sore for a day or two after the procedure. You may have a bruise. You may also have a dull pain in your belly or right shoulder for a couple of days. This is called referred pain. It's caused by pain traveling along a nerve near the liver.

You will have tests in the months after the procedure to check the liver tumor to see how well the treatment worked.

Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and contact your doctor if you are having problems. It's also a good idea to know your test results and keep a list of the medicines you take.

How can you care for yourself at home?

Activity

• Rest when you feel tired. Getting enough sleep will help you recover.
• Try to walk each day. Start by walking a little more than you did the day before. Bit by bit, increase the amount you walk. Walking boosts blood flow and helps prevent pneumonia and constipation.
• Avoid strenuous activities, such as bicycle riding, jogging, weight lifting, or aerobic exercise, until your doctor says it is okay.
• For 2 to 3 days after the procedure, avoid lifting anything that would make you strain. This may include a child, heavy grocery bags and milk containers, a heavy briefcase or backpack, cat litter or dog food bags, or a vacuum cleaner.
• You may shower 24 to 48 hours after the procedure, if your doctor says it is okay. Tape a plastic bag over the puncture site to keep it dry while you shower. Pat the puncture site dry. Do not take a bath for the first 5 days, or until your doctor tells you it is okay.
• Ask your doctor when you can drive again.
• Most people are able to return to work within 1 to 2 weeks after the procedure.

Diet

• You can eat your normal diet. If your stomach is upset, try bland, low-fat foods like plain rice, broiled chicken, toast, and yogurt.
• Drink plenty of fluids (unless your doctor tells you not to).

Medicines

• Your doctor will tell you if and when you can restart your medicines. You will also get instructions about taking any new medicines.
• If you stopped taking aspirin or some other blood thinner, your doctor will tell you when to start taking it again.
• Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label.
  • If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if you can take an over-the-counter medicine.
  • If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed.
  • Store your prescription pain medicines where no one else can get to them. When you are done using them, dispose of them quickly and safely. Your local pharmacy or hospital may have a drop-off site.
• If you think your pain medicine is making you sick to your stomach:
  • Take your medicine after meals (unless your doctor has told you not to).
  • Ask your doctor for a different pain medicine.
• If your doctor prescribed antibiotics, take them as directed. Do not stop taking them just because you feel better. You need to take the full course of antibiotics.

Care of the puncture site

• Keep a bandage over the puncture site for the first 2 or 3 days, or until your doctor says you can take it off.
• After the doctor says it is okay to take off the bandage, wash the area daily with warm water and pat it dry. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol. They can slow healing. You may cover the area with a gauze bandage if it oozes or rubs against clothing. Change the bandage every day.
• Keep the area clean and dry.
• Put ice or a cold pack on the area for 10 to 20 minutes at a time to help with soreness or swelling. Put a thin cloth between the ice and your skin. You can do this 2 or 3 times a day.

When should you call for help?

Call 911 anytime you think you may need emergency care. For example, call if:

• You passed out (lost consciousness).
• You are short of breath.

Contact your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if:

• You have loose stitches, or your incision comes open.
• You are bleeding from the area where the catheter was put in your artery.
• You have a fast-growing, painful lump at the catheter site.
• Your leg or arm is painful, cold, tingly, or numb or looks pale, bluish, or purplish.
• Bright red blood has soaked through the bandage over your incision.
• You have symptoms of a blood clot in your leg (called a deep vein thrombosis), such as:
  • Pain in your calf, back of the knee, thigh, or groin.
  • Swelling in the leg or groin.
  • A color change on the leg or groin. The skin may be reddish or purplish, depending on your usual skin color.
• You have symptoms of infection, such as:
  • Increased pain, swelling, warmth, or redness near the puncture site.
  • Red streaks leading from the puncture site.
  • Pus draining from the puncture site.
  • A fever.
• You have pain that does not get better after you take pain medicine.
• You are sick to your stomach or cannot drink fluids.
• You cannot pass stools or gas.

Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if you have any problems.