After Surgery — what to expect
The surgery. You are now ready for your surgery. There will be some other preparations for the day of the surgery, such as not eating after a certain time, and then some very stringent dietary and behavioral changes you must follow after your surgery. But these differ depending on which weight loss surgery you choose. Obesity Solutions will educate you on those before you commit to the procedure, as they will be lifelong changes that can affect your choice and your qualification for the program.
Your post-operative comfort. We strive to make you as comfortable as possible, including offering equipment, such as beds and wheelchairs, suited to bariatric patients.
Pain management. Weight loss surgery is no more painful than most other abdominal surgeries. To best manage your pain, at the end of the procedure the tissues are injected with a long-acting numbing medicine. The anesthesiologist also gives you a dose of pain reliever as you awaken.
Back in your room, you can give yourself a narcotic pain reliever intravenously with the PCA (patient-controlled analgesia). We also supplement that as needed with Toradol, a drug in the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory class. These measures keep most patients quite comfortable. Before discharge, we convert your pain med to an oral liquid narcotic pain reliever, usually Lortab elixir.
Follow-up visits. After leaving the hospital, we ask our "out of town" weight loss patients to stay in the Gainesville area until their 1-week post-op office visit. By then, you will have eaten your first soft protein. Our surgeon checks your week’s progress and usually takes out any drains (from laparoscopic procedures) or staples (from open procedures).
All patients are seen again 6 weeks after surgery, when gastric banding patients receive their first band adjustment. Gastric band patients continue follow-up every 4 to 8 weeks for the first year. Bypass and gastric sleeve patients are seen again at 6, 12, and 18 months after surgery and then annually for the rest of your life.
We want to follow you throughout your life to ensure you achieve the maximum surgical weight loss benefit, maintain the highest level of good health, and know that we are here for you to answer any questions or address any issues that arise.
Lab test follow-ups. Following weight loss surgery, the altered diet — and for gastric bypass patients, the altered digestive system — can make you susceptible to dietary insufficiencies. So it’s vital to pay close attention to meeting your nutritional needs, including water and protein intake and vitamin and mineral supplementation. At Obesity Solutions, we insist on twice-yearly lab tests, so we can identify and help you remedy any nutrient deficiencies that might arise.
On-going support programs. Nobody heals in isolation, so Obesity Solutions hosts weekly and monthly support group meetings where our weight loss surgery patients can find fellowship, support, and encouragement. In addition to scheduled guest speakers, patients share the difficulties and triumphs they’re experiencing as they overcome morbid obesity.
We also publish a periodic support group newsletter. Click here to view the latest edition of our monthly newsletter and sign up for the mailing list.
We will never perform a weight loss surgery then turn you loose without providing the tools to manage your eating disorder and your new lifestyle. Our goal is to offer you lifelong support, so you can enjoy the most healthy and satisfying life possible.