Weight Loss Surgery: Expected Results and Recovery Journey

Written By: Care New England on January 17, 2022

Around 42.4 % of adults in the U.S. are struggling with obesity. Being overweight is a severe condition that can cause weight-related health issues such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, among others. If you are overweight, you should consider effective weight-loss strategies.

Exercises and a proper diet are the main methods you can consider for weight loss. However, if the strategy doesn't work or you have serious health problems, you may consider weight-loss surgery. The procedure involves changing your digestive system to limit how much you eat or reduce your body's ability to absorb nutrients.

What to Expect After Weight Loss Surgery

You expect to lose weight after bariatric surgery. But before the surgery, you should talk with your doctor to know how many pounds you can lose within a certain period after the procedure. It will help you manage your expectations. 

If you go for a sleeve gastrectomy, you should expect to lose around 40% of the extra pounds. While for gastric bypass surgery, you can lose around 60% of the extra weight. However, results may vary from one patient to the other.

Besides losing weight, you can enjoy health benefits after the surgery. 95% of patients claim that their quality of life has improved. People with sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and other weight-related illnesses may notice some improvement a few months after a successful medical weight loss procedure.

Possible Side Effects

Medical weight loss surgery is an effective procedure that poses potential health risks. Less than 5% of patients may experience serious health risks. Around 40% of people may experience manageable or less severe complications.

You may suffer from constipation due to changes in the digestive system. Your surgeon should advise you on how to deal with the condition. After the surgery, you may also have dumping syndrome, especially when you take high-sugar meals, such as fruit juices or sodas. 

Wound infection is another common side effect you can experience. It is characterized by redness, pain, or pus from the surgical wound. Antibiotics can manage it, but, if severe, further surgery is recommended. Other side effects include blood clots, leaks, and bleeding in stool, though very rare.

Recovery Journey

Most people stay in hospital for at least two days after medical weight loss surgery. If you undergo laparoscopic bariatric surgery (minor cuts), you are likely to heal after 3 to 5 weeks. Some people may take longer. If you undergo open surgery ( which involves significant cuts), your recovery time will be longer.

It would be best if you avoided heavy work such as lifting or pulling heavy items to ensure you recover fast. You should also avoid sitting or standing for long periods and awkward body movements around the stomach. Besides, it would help if you took healthy diets rich in vitamins and other essential nutrients. It is advisable to ask your dietitian for advice on what to eat and avoid after the procedure.

Exercising can also help accelerate your recovery journey after weight loss surgery. It would be best if you avoided strenuous exercises that may put too much pressure on your core. A good physical therapist can help you with the exercises, but you have to pay for them. It's worth it.

Follow-up appointments are also crucial. You should stick to the follow-up schedule even if everything is working as expected. If you find anything unusual, you should contact your doctor or visit them for further assessment. 

How to Maintain Best Results

You need to adjust your lifestyle after the surgery for the best results. It would help if you ate small meals. Your digestive system has been affected, and it may not hold much food. It would help if you took the right portions of nutritious meals as advised by your dietitian. Besides, it would be best to adopt healthy eating habits, exercise, and other strategies to avoid becoming overweight again.

Final Thoughts

Weight loss surgery is a perfect solution to obesity, especially if exercising and diet have failed to give you the best results. Despite the procedure having minor potential risks, many people have successfully lost weight and enjoyed an improved quality of life after the surgery.

Here at Care New England, we are the best you can trust about mental health treatment. Our team of professional physicians has the experience and expertise to give quality outcomes. Contact us for access to our consultation video about weight-loss surgery. 

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