Recovery after Bariatric Surgery

What you do immediately after bariatric surgery goes a long way in helping your long-term surgical recovery. By any account, this is a major surgical procedure from which you will be recovering. Additionally, obese patients may have health problems that make it more difficult to recover, including side effects and complications that are a direct result of their weight.

Healing

Maintaining your activity is very important for recovery and healing after surgery, so it is all the more important that, after surgery, patients make a point of getting up and walking as soon as they are able. Walking and exercise helps stimulate blood flow, speeding up healing and helping fight off infection. Exercise also releases endorphins, which can improve mood and outlook. That is exactly why we ask the patient to begin walking immediately after surgical recovery. The more a patient walks, within their physical limits, the greater the expansion of lungs and the increase in stamina. It will also start the process of burning calories and kick starting the weight loss process.

Wound Care

It is important to follow your post-op guidelines when taking care of your incisions. You will be given a detailed set of instructions for keeping the wound clean and bathing. You will always want to wash your hands thoroughly before touching the wound or the area surrounding the incisions. There may be steri-strips (little paper strips) across your wound or there will be staples. You may shower as early as 24 hours after the operation. Just soap as usual, allow the shower to rinse and pat dry. The steri-strips will remain in place even getting wet. Some swelling and redness is normal. If you notice a great deal of pain, unusual discharge, if bleeding increases or if the incision starts to give off an odor, call your surgeon immediately; these may be signs of infection. A full list of things to look out for will be provided to you by the office after surgery. Recovery can be quicker and less painful than you expect, if you follow the orders prescribed by your surgeon.

1. Post-operative Diet:

You will be on a clear liquid diet on post operative day one. On day two, you will be placed on a full liquid diet until seen in the office the following week. At that point you may begin eating soft foods. These typically are foods that you can press with a fork. Examples include tuna salad, ham salad, well cooked vegetables, and soft fruits. Soon after you will graduate to solid foods, but follow guidelines as not all foods are appropriate after surgery. Carbonated drinks are not appropriate after bariatric surgery. They cause an increase in gas in the intestine that fills the small pouch with bubbles. This makes nutritious intake less likely and passing flatus more common.

Caffeine and alcohol are also not recommended after surgery as they act as diuretics and can lead to dehydration. Particularly, after a gastric bypass, alcohol absorbs into the intestine very quickly. Only one or two drinks may significantly impair a patient. In addition, alcohol is an empty calorie with no nutritional value. The best beverages are water, protein drinks, and natural products such as milk.

In the end, following the guidelines provided to you by our office after the procedure will allow for the quickest healing time with the fewest complications. Remember, weight loss surgery is just a tool and the degree to which you change the lifestyle that led to weight gain, will determine your level of success.