Frequently Asked Questions
Most people (65%) experience some level of nausea and vomiting. It's most common in the first 24 hours but may persist for a few months. However, you should be able to get some liquid and food down. If you are throwing up everything you eat, contact you doctor. You should also contact your doctor if medications are not improving your symptoms, you feel dizzy, you are not urinating, or your heart rate is fast while resting.
Constipation is common after procedures involving general anesthesia. You may not experience daily bowel movements during the liquid diet or until you introduce raw vegetables into the diet. There are several constipation aids, such as stool softeners and laxatives, that you can use to help with bowel movements.
Many people experience reflux, especially after a sleeve. Most new or worsened reflux resolves with weight loss. Reflux can be treated with antacid medications with some people needing to take antacids over a prolonged period of time. Call your doctor if you are experiencing reflux on a daily basis.
There is always some fatigue following surgery. Depending on the individual, it should resolve 2-4 weeks after the operation. If you experience fatigue for more than 3 months, speak with your surgeon or PCP about lab work to test for thyroid problems or vitamin deficiency.
Many gastric bypass patients (up to 85%) experience dumping syndrome occasionally; it does not occur after sleeve. Dumping is caused by certain foods, usually sugary or fatty foods, moving too quickly from stomach to intestine. Symptoms include sweating, dizziness, nausea, fast heart rate, and diarrhea. Dumping can occur anywhere from 30 minutes after eating to 3 hours after. If you are experiencing dumping, try to change the foods you're eating.
It is normal to experience plateaus in any weight loss journey! You should also expect that you will lose less weight per month over time. If you are experiencing weight regain, think about tracking you mood, sleep, food, and exercise to see if there are things you can change.
Many people (50%) experience hair loss after surgery. This usually occurs in the first 1-6 months. The hair loss is experienced as hair thinning (vs. falling out in patches). Unless hair loss is a pre-existing condition, the hair grows back but can take 6-12 months. To reduce the likelihood of hair loss, make sure you are maintaining your protein intake and taking your vitamins. You can also take biotin.
It is recommended you don’t get pregnant for two years after surgery. Discuss with your doctor if this timing may be a concern. Weight loss can help with infertility and PCOS and can help make the pregnancy safer. Make sure you let your OBGYN know you had a bariatric procedure.
The most important thing to reduce scaring is to keep the incisions out of the sun for the first year either by covering them or using high SPF sunblock. Second, massage the scars a few times a day. You can also use silicone strips that can be purchased at most pharmacies or some of the creams/lotions for scarring may help.
Not everyone experiences loose skin after surgery but about 70% of people say they have some kind of excess skin. Having excess skin does not appear to relate to age, amount of weight loss, or pre-surgery BMI, so it is hard to predict if you will have loose skin. Some insurance plans will cover excess skin removal, but it is best to wait until you've plateaued - at least one year.