Bariatric Surgery and Recovery at Alexian Brothers Advanced Weight Solutions

 Our Tests, Treatments and Therapies 

The Operation 

On the day of your gastric bypass or adjustable gastric band surgery, you will meet the anesthesiologist and the operating room nurse who will care for you. They will go over your record and confirm your consent for surgery. You may be asked the same questions several times as a safety measure to ensure that all your information is correct.

When everything is ready, you will be moved to the operating room where you will be assisted onto the operating table. You will be asked to breathe oxygen through a mask to increase the amount of oxygen in your body before anesthesia is administered. Whey you are ready, the anesthesiologist will inject some medication into your IV which will put you to sleep. The anesthesiologist will monitor your blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, muscle tension and blood oxygen levels continuously throughout the operation. With the gastric bypass procedure, a small drain will be left in place after surgery. The drain is used to monitor your new stomach pouch and your recovery process. This drain will be removed in the surgeon’s office, at your first post-operative appointment. 

Day One Following Surgery 

Once the anesthesia wears off and you regain consciousness, you will be given pain medication through an IV that will also be your source of fluids during your entire hospital stay.

Most patients are then transferred to the post-operative surgical unit. While you are there, you will be carefully monitored by experienced bariatric nurses trained in surgical weight loss recovery. On occasion, a patient's medical condition may require more careful monitoring, in which case he or she will be moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) before being transferred to the post-operative surgical unit.

During your hospital stay following gastric bypass, you will be able to self-administer pain medication as needed through a Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA). The PCA has a push button that's connected to a special computer that distributes a prescribed dose of pain medication directly into your IV line, relieving any discomfort from pain safely and quickly. After the adjustable gastric band procedure, most patients are able to tolerate liquids orally and can swallow liquid pain medication safely and easily.

After the operation, the nurse will ask you to sit up in bed, breathe deeply, cough, and use Incentive Spirometry (a device that promotes lung expansion). When you are in surgery, you are lying down and not breathing as deeply as you would normally, and because of this, some of the air sacs in the bases of your lungs may close. Breathing deeply and forcing yourself to cough will open these closed air sacs and help prevent breathing problems. This is an essential step in your recovery, and you will repeat it often during your hospital stay. It's so important, that we will actually teach you this procedure before your surgery so you can practice beforehand.

Some hours following your surgery, nurses will get you up for your first post-operative walk. Walking is as essential to your recovery as deep breathing and coughing exercises. For your entire stay in the hospital, the nurses will encourage you to take a walk around the floor every couple of hours to help avoid blood clots. 

Day Two Following Surgery 

As your recovery continues, we monitor your pulse, temperature, and blood count carefully. You will have an Upper GI series of X-rays to confirm that the connections between your stomach and intestines are healing without difficulty (gastric bypass patients) or that the band is staying properly in place (adjustable gastric band patients).

After the Upper GI X-rays, you will be given a menu with instructions on how to start the clear liquid diet. Your "new" stomach is much smaller and will be filled with one medium-sized swallow of water! The water takes about five minutes to pass through your stomach and you will need to wait before taking another sip. If you feel full or nauseated, you are drinking too fast. Learn how this feels in the hospital, because when you go home, you will need to sip water all day in order to meet your basic daily fluid requirements. It can be a real challenge to adjust to this water deficit. You can easily become dehydrated if you don't keep sipping your liquids.

Until you are released to return home, you will continue with your coughing and breathing exercises and walking sessions. 

Day Three Following Surgery 

Depending on the person, instruction and preparation for leaving the hospital begins on the second or third day. If you have staples in your outer skin, they will be removed and your skin will be taped. The tapes will stay on for several more days and you will be allowed to shower and get them wet, but pat them dry gently so they don't get rubbed off prematurely.

If a drain has been inserted, it will be left in when you are discharged from the hospital and removed in approximately one week. If you have a gastrostomy tube, it will need to remain in place for at least two weeks after surgery. The surgeon will remove it when you visit his office for follow up. When you are able to take fluids well, have no fever, and are breathing and walking well, you will be allowed to go home. 

Recovering from Surgery 

As you recover at home you will slowly start to return to your normal day-to-day routine. You might not feel your full strength and stamina for a few weeks but this is a normal. Most people who have undergone bariatric surgery do not have pronounced difficulty. If you do experience problems, such as vomiting, fever, or pain please call The Kane Center at 847-255-9697 who will discuss your symptoms and determine what action is required. At times, re-admission to the hospital is necessary for additional treatment.

As a result of having weight loss surgery, you now have a reliable tool to help you lose weight. It is important that you learn how to successfully utilize this tool for long-term weight loss success.

For this reason, you will be required to attend the Healthy Lifestyle Class for Post Bariatric Surgery Patients. This class is free and will provide tips on eating right, exercising and taking care of your health needs. You may attend this class one to four weeks after surgery.