What to expect Before and After your Bariatric Surgery

If you are obese and considering weight loss surgery there are some things to consider before and after your surgery. Patients mainly worry about the surgery, results and costs. There are other things to consider when having bariatric surgery, like dieting, exercise and medicine. Here are a few little tips that will help patients prepare them for life before and after their bariatric surgery in San Diego.

Before Surgery

1.       Diet: You will be asked by your doctor to start a liver shrinking diet up to two weeks before your surgery. Liver shrinking diet sounds scary but it is only drinking a lot of liquids (protein shakes and sugar free liquids) to reduce the size of your liver making the procedure easier for the surgeon. Special requirements are made for patients who have diabetes; your doctor will help you with that.

2.       Clothes: Depending on your individual surgery you could be held in the hospital for a few days, so bring loose fitting clothes for example oversized sleeping pants and a loose fitting t-shirt so you can feel comfortable and relaxed.

3.       Medicines: If you take certain health medicines continue to take all of your usual medicines in their usual doses. Again special cases are made for patients with diabetes, please contact you doctor about your medicine and surgery. There are certain medicines doctors require you to stop taking such as: Aspirin, Excedrin, Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen and Bufferin just to name a few. If you have any concerns or questions about certain medicines please contact you doctor.

After Surgery

1.       Diet: Patients no longer have to do the liver shrinking diet but eating healthy is something you should be doing to help lose weight and to become a healthier person. It would not make much sense to get a gastric bypass and then continue to eat junk food. Eating healthy will help keep the weight off and make you feel better.

2.       Exercise: Right after surgery you are going to want to rest and take things easy, to let your body recover. After you recover exercise is a major factor to help keep the weight off and continue to lose some of the weight you might still have.

3.       Support Group: Support groups are a big help for patients after their bariatric surgery. Going through a major medical surgery is a huge process and it is really good to talk about certain things with other people who are going through or have gone through a similar process.

Dr. Sunil Bhoyrul at Olde Delmar Surgical in San Diego, California has many years of experience working with patients who are interested in bariatric surgery. Helping patients gain a better understanding of what they are going to go through with their weight loss surgery is a major help. After all weight loss surgery is a huge medical operation and gaining all the knowledge and information is key and usually makes patients feel at ease when they know what to expect. Dr. Bhoyrul and his team at Olde Delmar Surgical are there to help patients gain a better quality of life and become happier and healthier.