You need support, not just before your bariatric surgery, but most importantly, afterwards. There are several side effects you may encounter after bariatric surgery. Some of them are:

Constipation: This is common after weight loss surgery. Your doctor can let you know how to handle it. Avoid granular fiber (Metamucil or psyllium), which can cause obstructions.

Dumping Syndrome: This happens after eating high-sugar meals after weight loss surgery. Sodas or fruit juices are often to blame. The sugary food rushes through the stomach and can cause nausea, vomiting, and weakness.

Gall stones: These are common when you lose a lot of weight quickly. Up to 50% of patients will develop gallstones after gastric bypass surgery, and these are usually harmless. Sometimes, gallstones can cause nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. About 15% to 25% of people need surgery to remove their gallbladder after gastric bypass surgery.

Wound infections: These can happen up to 3 weeks after surgery. Symptoms include redness and warmth, pain, or thick drainage (pus) from the surgical wound. Although most are minor issues, some wound infections require antibiotics and sometimes further surgery.

You also need to take care of your nutrition, post-surgery. It becomes relatively harder to absorb the following nutrients:

•    Iron
•    Vitamin B12
•    Folate
•    Calcium
•    Vitamin D

You can ask your doctor whether you need to take supplements to ensure that these nutrients are present in your diet. You also need to make certain permanent lifestyle changes after bariatric surgery. These include:

Eat small, frequent meals: The small stomach created by weight loss surgery can only hold so much. Eating large meals can cause problems. Many people with obesity are binge eaters. Adapting to eating smaller meals can be a challenge.

Commit to good nutrition: Ask a dietician to help you create a plan that will get you all the nutrients you need.

Exercise: It helps you keep the weight off, and it’s often easier after weight loss surgery, because losing weight may have helped your joints.

Please contact our San Antonio bariatric surgery center for additional information.  Whether you want to go in for a gastric bypass surgery in San Antonio, or any other kind of bariatric surgery, do take an informed decision and go for it… we are always here to help you achieve your individual weight loss goals!