Gastric Bypass
Surgery FAQ's
-
Will I get
blood clots
after gastric
bypass surgery?
-
What if I can't
eat a few days
after gastric
bypass surgery?
-
What should I
eat after
gastric bypass
surgery?
-
What should I
eat when I go
to a
restaurant?
-
Can I eat fast
food?
-
Do I have to
exercise after
gastric bypass
surgery?
-
What happens
after gastric
bypass surgery?
Will I get blood clots after
gastric bypass surgery?
Blood clots form because
of pooling of the blood in
the large veins in the legs.
This occurs when patients
move their legs less, such
as either during surgery or
when spending a time in bed
recovering after surgery.
Stress, such as from gastric
bypass surgery or injury,
causes the blood to clot in
these pools to clot more
easily. Combine these
changes with thickening of
the blood that can occur
after surgery due to mild
dehydration, and the result
is an overall increased risk
of blood clots forming in
the legs. Your doctors will
use early ambulation,
automatic compression
stockings, and blood
thinners to prevent these
clots from forming. Be sure
to do what you can to help,
by getting up as much as is
practical, and by putting
your compression stockings
back on when you get back
into your hospital bed, and
your risk of forming blood
clots will stay low,
hopefully just a few percent
or less.
return top
What if I can't eat a few
days after gastric bypass
surgery?
It is hard to eat much 5
days, or even a week or 2
after surgery. Your small
stomach pouch, and the
opening between the pouch
and your intestine are
swollen and almost closed
off. You also are recovering
from major surgery, and
don't feel like eating much.
Concentrate on taking
liquids so you don't become
dehydrated, and eat simple
pureed and soft foods as you
are able to. The problem up
till now has been too many
nutrients. You probably have
great nutritional reserves,
and can go for some time
without depleting your
stores. As you feel better
and the swelling goes down,
and you learn what agrees
with you, you will take
more. As you begin to take
more, try to lean toward
high protein foods and
supplements, bearing in mind
that some people can't take
dairy products or dairy
based supplements. Do let
your doctors know how you
are doing, especially if you
have diabetes, so that they
can adjust your medicines as
your intake goes up and
down.
return top
What should I eat after
gastric bypass surgery?
A: Follow these four simple
rules faithfully and the
weight will come off and
stay off. Break these rules
continually and long term
you will gain weight. Your
surgery is a tool to be used
with these four rules and
experience shows that unless
you follow them, we cannot
predict any weight loss
results. When patients reach
a 'plateau' and stop losing
weight, it is usually
because they are not
following these simple but
very important rules!
Protein first every meal:
Eat the protein portion of
your meal first, very meal!
One to three meals per day.
Eating protein helps the
body to feel 'full' and
sends a signal to stop
eating. Protein is very
important to building tissue
in the body muscle, your
organs, your brain
everything is built with
proteins. Now, the body does
not need three meals a day,
so listen to your hunger
cues and don't worry about
the clock. It the beginning
- after you can tolerate
solid food - most patients
only eat one or two meals a
day.
No snacking between meals:
Eating anything flavorful or
containing calories in
between meals is considered
snacking. Do not eat between
meals at all! If you
absolutely have to snack,
the only snack that is
acceptable is protein. In
the beginning, turkey jerky
is a good protein and you
must work at it a little to
eat it! Later on, after 6
months, beef or venison
jerky is acceptable but
only if you just have to eat
something. The main problem
with snacking on flavorful
food is that it contains
glucose or some other sugar.
We feel good when we eat
sugar and when that sugar is
gone one to three hours
later our brain sends a
message to snack again!
Snacking actually makes us
hungrier! Do not open the
door to snacking. Snacking
will slow down or even stop
your weight loss! And
depending on how much or how
often you snack, you can
actually gain weight! Not
good! You can get this big
again. Remember, the surgery
has only changed your
digestive system and not
your eating habits. Your
commitment to a change in
lifestyle is the key to
making the surgery work for
you for the rest of your
life.
Drink water: Drink
water, drink water, drink
water! Especially in the
beginning, when you can only
tolerate a mouthful at a
time, it is so important to
continually sip water all
day - and make sure you
drink 48 to 64 oz. a day
minimum - that's 2 to 3
quarts per day. Eventually,
you will able to drink 2 to
4 oz. at one time. No tea,
soda (with or without
sugar), coffee, or juice are
allowed. There are a couple
of problems with drinking
flavorful liquids in between
meals. First and most
importantly, it encourages
snacking not good! Second,
flavored drinks with any
sugar can cause dumping
making you very sick!
Exercise: Exercise every day
for at least 30 minutes.
Walking is fantastic
exercise and is probably the
easiest way to get started
exercising. We understand
that in the beginning you
may struggle with a simple
walk down the hall and that
your energy level can be
very low. Your job is to
move your body a little more
every day. At 4 to 8 weeks
(everyone is different) you
will mostly feel back to
normal. After you have been
cleared by your physician,
you may begin other forms of
exercise. Eventually,
incorporating both aerobic
and resistance training into
your daily exercise routine
will help you remain healthy
- at a healthy weight - for
the rest of your life.
return top
What should I eat if I go to
a restaurant?
The rule of thumb is always
eat protein. Most will
gladly grill or roast a
piece of chicken, fish or
steak. Even if not mentioned
on the menu restaurant's
menu most willingly makes
substitutions of permitted
vegetables spinach, green
beans etc., instead of
potatoes or rice. If the
restaurant simply will not
prepare a dish which you are
permitted to have order
something with fish, poultry
or steak and a separate
plate. Take the protein and
scrape off the offending
sauce, breading, etc. and
place it along with any
permissible vegetables on
your "keeper" plate and give
the "Fattening Stuff" back
to the waiter (you don't
need the temptation to sneak
a taste and no-one in your
party needs extra fat or
calories). If there is one
food you can eat with
impunity it is protein. At
the dinner party load up on
salad and protein (push the
gravy or sauce to the other
side of your dish) and dig
in! Although you may not be
following the program 100%
it won't be too bad or hurt
your progress that much.
return top
Can I eat fast food?
Many patients worry about
where they can get meals in
fast food chains or
restaurants. It is very easy
to get the types of food you
need at many of the fast
food chains such as Burger
King, Wendy's, or
McDonald's. (These are good
choices to make even if you
have not had the surgery.)
All three offer salads that
are low in calories and fat.
Both Wendy's and Burger King
offer Chunky Chicken Salads.
Unfortunately, Long
John Silver's offers fish
and chicken entree's which
are both fine (remember no
rice, coleslaw or bread
sticks) and they will be
happy to substitute a salad
for the starches you are not
permitted to have. Most fast
food restaurants offer a
grilled chicken sandwich,
which will be permissible
for lunch if you eat only
one slice of bread and
request it without
mayonnaise. Arby's offers
the only turkey sandwich in
the fast food circuit, which
is fine with only 1 slice of
the bread. Mrs. Winner's
offers broiled chicken with
green beans. Remember the
old standby at any of these
fast food places. You can
always order a garden salad
and a hamburger patty
with mustard. This is a
quick meal that is available
at all the fast food chains.
return top
Do I have to exercise after
gastric bypass surgery?
It's important to exercise
while trying to lose weight.
Walking is the key. The bike
manufacturers and gym owners
would like you to think that
heavy exercise is the key,
but, research is
recommending less vigorous
and stressful physical
activities for those of us
who wish to lose or control
our weight. Most patients
have adequate amounts of
lean body mass. In many
overweight individuals this
mass will be very close to
or exceed their ideal weight
range. This means that they
do not need additional
muscle and need to lose fat.
Remember you cannot exercise
fat and can only exercise
muscle. Our body responds to
exercise by increasing
muscle size and thereby
increasing lean body mass.
Adding additional lean body
mass to an individual who is
trying to loose fat
undermines the whole
process. It is quite likely
that you will gain weight if
you exercise extensively.
This will be more pronounced
if your protein intake is
increased while dieting.
return top
What happens after the
gastric bypass surgery?
After your Gastric Bypass
surgery, you will begin to
awaken in the post-op
recovery room, in what may
seem like just an instant.
Many patients will have
little or no recollection of
being there, a normal side
effect of the medicine given
to you during anesthesia.
Ordinarily, your breathing
tube is removed from your
throat as you begin
awakening usually before
you are aware of it being
there.
You will be started on pain
medication by the nurses in
recovery as soon as you need
it. The IV line for fluids
and medications that was
started in the operating
room will remain with you
for your entire stay in the
hospital and will take care
of your required fluid
intake. Although you won't
be allowed to drink water
for the next day or so, you
will be allowed to suck on
ice chips after the first
day if your mouth is dry.
About 4 hours after surgery,
the nurses will ask you to
sit up again, only this
time, you will dangle your
legs off the side of the bed
and put your feet on the
ground.
We check to see that your
vital signs are ok, your
pain medication is ok and
that you are recovering
normally in preparation for
your first walk. The nurses
will get you up again in
preparation for your first
walk about 5 hours after
surgery. Along with your
deep breathing and coughing
exercise, walking is
essential to your recovery.
For your entire stay in the
hospital, the nurses will
get you up and make you walk
around the floor about every
2 hours. As your recovery
continues, we monitor your
pulse, your temperature, and
your blood count carefully.
If you are showing good
medical progress, we start
you on swallows of water,
followed by Jell-O and broth
your meals for the next
few days. Don't worry about
finishing your meals. When
you feel full or just don't
feel like eating stop.
Depending on the patient, on
the second or third day you
will be instructed in
preparation for leaving the
hospital. If you are taking
fluids well, can tolerate
Jell-O and broth, don't have
a fever and are breathing
and walking well, we will
send you home.
return top
|
