Post-Op
You will wake up from surgery in the recovery room from which you will be released when all your vital signs have been checked and you have been cleared to go back to your room.
In the next few hours (or a couple of days for some) you might feel some back/shoulders soreness; during surgery your abdominal cavity was inflated in order to allow the surgeon to use his laparoscopic tools. As a result your muscles were somewhat stretched and you now feel the way you’d feel after a workout. You will also be sweating a little through your scalp; that is a result of the gases used during anesthesia evaporating from your body.
We encourage our patients to get moving as soon as possible. This helps stimulate bowel movement and the passing of gas. You won’t be allowed to drink anything until you’ve passed gas, so the sooner the better. This can take anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days.
The first time you have a bowel movement you may notice some dark, or bloody streaks in your stools, they are leftovers of some of the blood lost during surgery (only small amounts of blood are lost during surgery).
Bariatric surgery is done laparoscopically, so incisions are small and recovery time fast. You will be released from the hospital a few days after surgery and allowed to proceed with your recovery at home (if you live in Taiwan) or in a nearby hotel. There is no need to remove the stitches which are of the soluble type, however, we will schedule a follow up appointment with the surgeon one week after surgery to make sure that all is well with you.
Once you have returned to your home country and you normal life, the follow-up will consist of a monitoring of your weight loss variations and metabolic profile. You should send us a copy of blood tests done every three months (the first year), six months (the second year), or yearly (after the second year) to enable us to follow your case. You can also ask questions about your current health condition by email. Your primary care doctor can assist you in the monitoring and most are quite aware of the changes in the medical condition of bariatric patients.
After surgery you are advised to:
- Start gently with liquid or pureed foods and gradually build up to three daily meals of low in fat and sugar solids.
- Stop eating when full.
- Give priority to the protein component of your meal.
- Drink one to two litres per day of calorie-free and fizz-free fluids between meals.
- Take vitamin and mineral supplements.
- Expect phases of weight change with initial loss peaking at 18 months, followed by a period of stabilisation. To avoid further weight gains, stick to a healthy diet and exercise. Remember that bariatric surgery is a way to kick start a new life, and that in order to make it a lasting success active involvement of the patient is necessary.