Post-Op Process
When you arrive in your hospital room, a staff member will help you get out of bed and walk a few steps. You will get out of bed and walk every two to four hours. Walking is very important to prevent blood clots. You will also have compression boots or stockings on your legs to prevent blood clots. These should be on while you are in bed. To keep you from getting pneumonia, you will use a small breathing device called an incentive spirometer, which helps you breathe deeply.
The day after gastric bypass surgery, you may go to Radiology for an upper GI X-ray. You will be asked to drink a liquid and X-rays will be taken to make sure there are no leaks from the surgery.
Once you are awake following the gastric sleeve surgery, you will begin to sip small amounts of clear liquids.
You should begin feeling better by day two after surgery. You will continue to get out of bed to walk and sit up in a chair. If your urine output is normal, your bladder catheter will be removed. Your IV pain medicine will be changed to liquid medicine you can take by mouth. We will start planning your discharge from the hospital in the next day or two. Once you are walking, tolerating your diet, your pain is under control and you are not running a fever, you will be discharged from the hospital.
Discharge from the hospital varies from patient to patient, depending on their medical condition. Gastric bypass and gastric sleeve patients who live more than one hour from Nationwide Children’s must stay at the Ronald McDonald House, located across the street from the hospital, for the first week after discharge. This allows us to see you immediately if any problems develop. The social worker will assist you with making these arrangements.
Follow-up Appointments
YOU MUST RETURN FOR ALL OF YOUR FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENTS!
You will have a follow-up appointment one week after being discharged from the hospital. Future visits will be scheduled based on how you are doing at your first visit. Some patients require more frequent visits.
At these appointments, you will see a doctor or nurse practitioner, dietitian, physical therapist, social worker and psychologist. You also may need to follow up with other physicians who are part of your care. You will need fasting labs done occasionally to monitor co-morbid conditions, such as diabetes, as well as to keep track of vitamin and mineral levels.
