It’s vital to follow the advice and direction of the surgeon performing your gastric sleeve surgery. Many things about your lifestyle will change as a result of this bariatric procedure. Consider these areas of change when opting to undergo gastric sleeve surgery:
Follow the dietary recommendations and stages outlined by your surgeon and dietician.
Observing diet recommendations is essential for achieving optimal success after this procedure. Ignoring the advice can result in complications during recovery. Uncomfortable side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and cramping may occur if you choose to eat foods high in fat and sugar content or disregard the outlined phases of food consumption.
Avoid heavy living and adhere to time off work recommendations
Recovery times will vary among individual patients but a 2 week period away from work is typical. Don’t risk complications by returning to your occupation too soon.
Follow-up appointments
It’s important to keep in touch with your bariatric surgeon to ensure that the healing process following gastric sleeve surgery is progressing well. Follow-up appointments will also remind patients of weight-loss goals and accomplishments.
Exercise
Exercise, as tolerated, is critical for weight-loss and as an aid to facilitate healing. Your doctor will likely prohibit you from driving until post-op pain has gone away and pain medication is no longer being used. Daily 30- minute walking session is an excellent goal to shoot for following post-op surgery. Discuss exercise goals with your physician.
Cooking
Patients may find that taste preferences may change during the post-op period of gastric sleeve surgery. Use the Internet to locate new recipes that adhere to dietary recommendations. This will be a motivator to help patients stick with new healthy eating habits.
Ask for help
It’s important to have a good support system in place during this phase of bariatric surgery. Support groups are an excellent source of help in coping with the lifestyle, emotional, and physical changes associated with gastric sleeve surgery. Immediately following the procedure, it may be helpful to have a family member or friend assist patients at home until post-op discomfort is gone and full strength has returned.
Continue medications as directed by your doctor
Some patients find that losing a significant amount of weight enables them to eventually eliminate some medications for the treatment of diabetes or hypertension. It is never a good idea to stop medications without consulting the prescribing physician. Discuss any changes in medications with a health professional who can provide a complete assessment and provide recommendations.
Supplements
It will probably be necessary to supplement a diet with multivitamins and other supplements for a lifetime following gastric sleeve surgery. Your doctor or dietitian can specify specific vitamins you will need to ensure you are getting the proper nutrients in your daily diet.
Monitor calories
Your doctor will likely prescribe a target for daily calorie consumption. A diet of 600 to 800 calories per day is common but may differ according to individual specific needs for weight loss.
Avoid drinking high-calorie liquids. Instead, opt for low-calorie fluids such as water, sugar-free juices, and unsweetened tea. Avoid carbonated beverages which can result in the stretching of your new pouch. It’s also recommended to abstain from the consumption of alcohol following gastric sleeve surgery.
Choosing gastric sleeve surgery requires a lifelong commitment to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These changes may take some time getting accustomed to, but the benefits of committing are numerous.