Life after a gastrectomy: Experience of patients with gastric cancer.

Objective: To describe the experience of patients with gastric cancer who have undergone gastrectomy.

Method: Qualitative study with 17 adults who underwent total gastrectomy in a cancer care centre in Bogotá, Colombia. The approach was phenomenological using the analysis proposed by Colaizzi. Descriptive codes, nominal codes and categories were identified as central issues. In-depth interviews were used and theoretical saturation sampling.

Result: From 165 descriptive codes, 27 nominal codes emerged that make up 6 subjects that describe the experience of the person who has undergone total gastrectomy: 1) a new opportunity, 2) a foreign body, 3) yearning to feel useful, 4) understanding other treatments, 5) sensing discomfort and symptoms, and 6) eating what I can.

Conclusions: The patient who has undergone total gastrectomy faces an experience as a cancer survivor that involves understanding how to manage physical discomfort, adaptation to diet, economic difficulty and unemployment. Viewing the experience as a new opportunity, and the requirements of other treatments implies having a social, emotional and spiritual support network. It is essential to consolidate monitoring programmes for survivors that respond in a timely manner to their needs.