Bariatric Surgery Recovery
You can expect to be discharged from the hospital about 1-2 days after your bariatric surgery.
It is not uncommon to feel weak and tired for a few days after your discharge from the hospital. Your body is still recovering from the stress of surgery. Additionally, the feeling of weakness may be prolonged as your body begins to shed excess pounds.
Discharge Instructions
You may shower at your leisure.
Do not drive as long as you are on narcotic pain medications.
Do not attempt any strenuous activity, particularly heavy lifting, for approximately 4-6 weeks.
Walk as much as you wish, and climb stairs, as you need to.
You can return to work anywhere from 1-4 weeks after bariatric surgery. Time you return back to work will be determined by the kind of work you do and how physically demanding it is.
Follow-Up Care
Postoperative bariatric follow-up care after any weight loss surgery is extremely important. We want your bariatric surgery and weight loss efforts to be as successful as possible, and we know you feel the same. To this end, we cannot stress the importance of follow-up care enough. Patients who regularly keep their follow-up visits almost always lose more weight than those who skip their follow-ups.
Follow up visits help us to evaluate your diet patterns. Your follow-up visits are also necessary to help us recognize vitamin and iron deficiencies in the early stages of your weight loss journey so that appropriate treatment can be given. If you miss your regularly scheduled follow-up visits and the required postoperative blood tests, you can eventually develop vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Severe deficiencies may require shots or blood transfusions. In addition we recommend that you attend support group meetings.
First visit
Scheduled 1-2 weeks after bariatric surgery.
Second visit
Scheduled 4-5 weeks after bariatric surgery. A new solid diet is prescribed.
Quarterly visits
Scheduled at approximately 3-month intervals for the first year after the operation.
Annual / biannual visits
Scheduled at 6-12 month intervals after the first year. Follow-up will continue annually for an indefinite period of time.
Diet and Nutrition
Immediately after surgery you will be on a liquid diet, moving to soft foods and finally onto regular food. Dietitians will provide you with a specific food plan. When returning to regular food, keep in mind these general guidelines:
Eat proteins first.
Eat slowly. It takes time for your brain to realize your stomach is full. Eating fast can lead to overeating.
When you start eating solid food, it is essential that you chew thoroughly.
Don’t drink fluids while eating. They will make you feel full before you have consumed enough food.
Omit desserts and other items with sugar listed as one of the first three ingredients.
Avoid liquid calories. Omit carbonated drinks, high-calorie nutritional supplements, milk shakes and high-fat foods etc.
Limit alcohol intake.
Limit snacking between meals.
Using measuring spoons and measuring cups with each meal to start to understand portion control.
Patient Journey
Before and After
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