Before and after · recovery
The first photograph
Taken on the ward in the days after surgery: sitting up, blanket on, a mask still in hand, the team around the bed. This is the phase of small wins — the first walk to the corridor, the first proper meal, the drain coming out.
The second photograph
Weeks later, in the OPD, standing without support. Weight is coming back, colour is back, and the visit is almost a formality: reports reviewed, wound checked, questions answered.
What made the difference
Enhanced recovery protocols — walking within 24 hours, early feeding, minimal drains and tubes, pain control without heavy sedation — and a family that followed the plan at home. Recovery is a partnership between the team and the people at home.
Why we share it
Patients facing major surgery want to know what the other side looks like. This is what it looks like.
“Every patient asks the same question before surgery: 'Will I be normal again?' Photographs like these answer it better than I can.”
What this means for you
- Early walking and early eating shorten recovery after major abdominal surgery
- Weight and strength return over 4–8 weeks
- Follow-up visits are short, structured and reassuring
Dr Manoj Gupta
MBBS, MS, DNB (GI Surgery). Senior Director & Head, Robotic & Laparoscopic GI Surgery, GI Oncology and Liver Transplant, Yatharth Super Speciality Hospital. 20+ years, 500+ liver transplants.
Patient photographs are shared with consent. Identifying details are withheld for privacy; recovery timelines describe the typical course for this type of surgery.
