The following identifies areas
that will be important for patients to follow after weight loss
surgery.
::
Diet
::
Going Back to Work
::
Birth Control and Pregnancy
::
Long-Term Follow-Up
::
Support Groups
Diet
The modifications made to your
gastrointestinal tract will require permanent changes in your eating
habits that must be adhered to for successful weight loss.
Post-surgery dietary guidelines will vary by surgeon. You may hear
of other patients who are given different guidelines following their
weight loss surgery. It is important to remember that every surgeon
does not perform the exact same weight loss surgery procedure and
that the dietary guidelines will be different for each surgeon and
each type of procedure. What is most important is that you adhere
strictly to your surgeon's recommended guidelines. The following are
some of the generally accepted dietary guidelines a weight loss
surgery patient may encounter:
-
When you start eating solid food it is essential that you chew
thoroughly. You will not be able to eat steaks or other chunks of
meat if they are not ground or chewed 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.
-
Omit carbonated drinks, high-calorie nutritional supplements, milk
shakes, high-fat foods and foods with high fiber content.
-
Avoid alcohol.
-
Limit snacking between meals.
Going Back to Work
Your ability to resume
pre-surgery levels of activity will vary according to your physical
condition, the nature of the activity and the type of weight loss
surgery you had. Many patients return to full pre-surgery levels of
activity within six weeks of their procedure. Patients who have had
a minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure may be able to return to
these activities within a few weeks.
Birth Control
and Pregnancy
It is required that
women of childbearing age use the most effective forms of birth
control during the first 16 to 24 months after weight loss surgery.
The added demands pregnancy places on your body and the potential
for fetal damage make this a most important requirement. If
you do become pregnant or think you may be pregnant, notify your
bariatric surgeon or obstetrician right away.
Long-Term Follow-Up
Although the short-term
effects of weight loss surgery are well understood, there are still
questions to be answered about the long-term effects on nutrition
and body systems. Nutritional deficiencies that occur over the
course of many years will need to be studied. Over time, you will
need periodic checks for anemia (low red blood cell count) and
Vitamin B12, folate and iron levels. Follow-up tests will initially
be conducted every three to six months or as needed, and then every
year for your lifetime.
Support Groups
The widespread use of support groups has provided weight loss
surgery patients an excellent opportunity to discuss their various
personal and professional issues. Most learn, for example, that
weight loss surgery will not immediately resolve existing emotional
issues or heal the years of damage that morbid obesity might have
inflicted on their emotional well-being. Most surgeons have support
groups in place to assist you with short-term and long-term
questions and needs. Most bariatric surgeons who frequently perform
weight loss surgery will tell you that ongoing post-surgical support
helps produce the greatest level of success for their patients.
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