Recommendations for patient's
Recommendations for patient's
Before surgery
You can expect to be discharged from the hospital about 1-2 days after your bariatric surgery.
It is common to feel weak and tired for a few days after your discharge. Your body will need a few days to recover from the stress of surgery. Also, weakness feeling may be prolonged, because your body begins to shed excess pounds.
Discharge Instructions
You may shower but not bath until cleared by MD.
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.We will provide all needed paperwork for your work.
Step by step:
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You will need to report to the hospital for pre-admission testing as an outpatient, during which any necessary blood and diagnostic tests will be run.
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Take a very good care and maintain skin hygiene especially of the intended operative site.
Discuss your medication list with your Primary care physician
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Do not take aspirin, ibuprofen (e.g., Advil, Motrin), Coumadin and Plavix. If you are taking any of these drugs, please notify Dr.Hassan or Dr.Pavelko as these drugs tend to cause increased bleeding during surgery.
Follow all instructions regarding calorie free diet as advised during your office visit with our team.
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The admitting office will contact you with the scheduled time you should arrive at the hospital. Usually this will be 2-3 hours prior to surgery.
Drink only liquids (no solid food).
Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your surgery.
Take a bath or shower the night before surgery or the morning of your operation.
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Packing for your hospital visit? Don't forget to bring your comfiest PJs, the newest edition of your favorite magazine, and the most exciting book you can find - you're gonna be there for at least one night! Just make sure you don't get too comfortable...you don't want to stay in the hospital any longer than necessary!
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The doctor will meet with you before you are rolled to operating room.
You will remain under the general anesthesia throughout the entire procedure.
Your family and friends are welcome to wait in the waiting room of the hospital during the operation. The surgeon will speak to them shortly after the operation is completed.
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Gastric Band (LAP-BAND) is usually performed less than 1 hour. Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass is generally takes about 1 to 2 hours. The surgery can last longer based on the complexity of the clinical condition.
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Most patients spend 1-2 hours in the recovery room and than they will be transferred to their room on the surgical floor. It is typical for patients to go home the same day after Gastric Band Procedure. All patients after Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy or Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass surgery will be admitted to the hospital for at least one night.
After you are completely recovered from the anesthesia, we encourage you to be out of bed and walk in the corridor. We will prescribe pain medications to make you comfortable. Nurses will teach and encourage you to do breathing exercises and incentive spirometry.
Your clear bariatric diet will start on next day. It is common to experience some nausea and even vomiting initially, which will be contolled with medication. Every day after surgey you will feel better. In most cases one can expect to be discharged later afternoon.
Recovery
You can expect to be discharged from the hospital about 1-2 days after your bariatric surgery.
It is common to feel weak and tired for a few days after your discharge. Your body will need a few days to recover from the stress of surgery. Also, weakness feeling may be prolonged, because your body begins to shed excess pounds.
Discharge Instructions
You may shower but not bath until cleared by MD.
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.We will provide all needed paperwork for your work.
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.
Step by step:
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Scheduled 1-2 weeks after bariatric surgery.
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Scheduled 4-5 weeks after bariatric surgery. A new solid diet is prescribed.
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Scheduled at approximately 3-month intervals for the first year after the operation.
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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.
Life After Surgery
Following bariatric surgery, your weight will come off gradually. Your greatest weight loss will occur during the first several months after the operation.
Over the long term, we stress consistency of weight loss rather than the speed at which the pounds come off. After a few months, your rate of weight loss will gradually decrease. This is normal. It happens because the weight which is lost is fat (adipose tissue) rather than lean body mass (muscle). Hence, the more fatty tissue that is lost, the less remaining fat on the body that there is to be lost.
Attend follow-up visits with the doctors and support staff at GC Bariatrics.
Eat smaller portions and stop when you feel full.
Choose healthier foods for better nutrition. Proper nutrition is essential after weight loss surgery.
Take vitamins and minerals replacements as advised.
Exercise regularly doing the physical activities you enjoy most.
Participate in support group meetings both in person and online.
Celebrate your weight loss success with friends and family (but not with food!)
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Obesity-related medical problems will likely improve with a modest degree of weight loss after your surgery. Blood pressure, blood sugar (glucose) in diabetics and blood fats (cholesterol and triglycerides) in patients with hyperlipidemia need to be monitored regularly. You’re encouraged to see your own medical doctor at regular intervals after the operation, particularly for adjustments in any medications you take. With steady weight loss, patients often require lower doses of medications for diabetes and high blood pressure. With a little luck, you won’t require any medications for these problems after achieving a substantial amount of weight loss.
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We usually recommend waiting for 12- 18 months after surgery prior to getting pregnant. Weight loss surgery significantly increases fertility and as a result some form of contraception is advised to avoid unexpected pregnancy.
After the surgery there is less risk of complications during pregnancy or childbirth and as a result most patients go on to have a healthy child.
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At GC Bariatrics, we view weight loss surgery as an effective way to improve your health through weight loss. Cosmetic improvements are not the main intention of the surgery but a side effect that many of our patients like!
Not all patients will need plastic surgery after weight loss surgery. While exercise can help tone muscles, unfortunately in some cases, no amount of exercise will get rid of sagging or excessive hanging skin caused by major weight loss.
If you find that you have excessive sagging or hanging skin around the abdomen after weight loss you may be a good candidate for panniculectomy. During a panniculectomy, surgeons will remove excess skin in your abdominal area, called the pannus, which causes an apron-like overhang.
Whereas a panniculectomy removes just excess skin around your middle section, a tummy tuck removes excess skin and also involves tightening of the abdominal muscles under the skin in most cases. If you are concerned about having a firmer, smoother stomach after weight loss, a tummy tuck (also known as an abdominoplasty) is more likely to give you the results you desire.
Body contouring after major weight loss removes excess skin and fat and improves the shape and tone of your underlying tissue in areas such as Upper arms, Breasts, Buttocks, groin and thighs. The result is a more normal appearance to the body, with smoother contours.
Panniculectomy, tummy tuck and body contouring are not substitutes for weight loss or exercise. Patients who’ve lost weight should be at least 12-18 months post-op and have reached their goal weight prior to having cosmetic procedures and skin removal.