What to expect after the bariatric surgery

Early after the weight-loss surgery

You will be recommended start drinking water by small sips already in the first few hours after the surgery. The first 3-4 days after the surgery you will drink only water under control of medical personnel.

You will be advised start walking same or the next day after the surgery, following your surgeon’s instructions.

You will be given pain medications to control pain.

Eating after weight loss surgery

We will provide you the 4 stages dietary guidelines.

Your first ‘liquid meal’ will be recommended on the 4th-5th day after the surgery. Take the eating slowly, same as drinking – start from a very small amount of 30 ml, then increase the amount day by day. Couple of months after you have left the hospital, you will be able to eat regular solid food, just the quantity will be much smaller than before.

After about six weeks, it should be relatively easy for you to enjoy a small meal. Aim to have three main meals a day. You can try also healthy snacks twice a day between meals. Establish regular mealtimes!

Learn!

  • Do not drink while eating! Drink at least 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after a meal.
  • Listen to your stomach, not your eyes!
  • Stop eating when you feel full, even if it seems that you have not eaten enough. One extra bite may cause significant discomfort and dumping.
  • Drink! The necessary amount of water is at least 1.5 l a day.

It is recommended to take additional vitamins and minerals after a gastric bypass surgery. Follow your surgeon’s recommendations!

Exercise after weight loss surgery

Exercise is important in the recovery from any operation. Walking is one of the most effective forms of exercise for this purpose.

Later a regular daily exercise program is highly recommended. Physical exercise improves muscle tone while you are losing weight. About six weeks after surgery you should be able to tolerate all but the most strenuous exercises.

Expected weight loss after gastric bypass and sleeve surgery

During the first year, patients lose, on the average, two-thirds of their excess weight after gastric bypass surgery.

The weight loss may be slower after sleeve gastrectomy surgery as it does not perform the malabsorption.

About 10% of patients fail to experience significant weight loss, primarily because they persist in consuming high-calorie liquids or soft foods, such as peanut butter, ice cream and sweetened sodas, which readily slide through the little stomach pouch.

The surgery itself should not be your only miraculously cure to obesity. The long term success will depend on your personal commitment and ability to really change your old bad habits.

Follow up

Follow-up visits / consultations with your surgeon are recommended periodically until your weight has stabilised. Blood tests done twice a year after gastric bypass surgery are required to help assess your health condition.

Benefits of weight loss surgery

Along with incredible cosmetic, social and self-esteem benefits, significant improvement of several health conditions is observed and registered in weight loss surgery patients.

Health conditions that can be prevented or improved with weight-loss surgery:

  • Diabetes type 2
  • Hypertension
  • Sleep apnea
  • Back and joint disease
  • High blood cholesterol
  • Gastroesophaegeal reflux disease – can be treated successfully with gastric bypass surgery.
  • Depression. Important to assess other reasons of depression as well. Obesity might be only one of them.
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Asthma. Several studies show that many patients have significant asthma symptoms improvement after weight loss surgery.
  • Cancer. Risk of developing several cancer types such as – cervical cancer, breast cancer, esophaegeal cancer, gall bladder cancer and others – is also associated with obesity.
  • Urinary incontinence. Excess weight in your abdominal area may cause urinary incontinence as there is an extra pressure on your bladder.
  • Infertility. Ovulatory disfunction, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are associated with obesity and overweight. In addition, obese women have a higher rate of baby miscarriage than women with normal weight. Treating obesity might be a serious consideration if a couple can not achieve pregnancy.
  • Liver disease.
  • Longevity. Weight loss improves several life threatening health conditions adding years to your life.

Risks and side effects of gastric bypass surgery.

Read more about post bariatric life in our blog!

Learn more about criteria, benefits and side effects of weight loss surgery by contacting us today!