Day 1: Surgery Day

After awakening from gastric sleeve surgery, which takes around 45 minutes, you will have some soreness, but the soreness generally isn’t very severe. The nurses will have all of the necessary medications to keep your pain to a minimum. Expect to see 5 incisions. The largest is usually the sorest and will be where your surgeon has removed part of your stomach.

You’ll be attached to an IV, and pain medication can be provided as needed. Anesthesia may make you nauseous, but this feeling should disappear quickly. You will start on a liquid diet once you are transferred to your room on the surgical floor.

Moving may be a little uncomfortable at first, but you have to get up and start moving as soon as possible. The more you move after your surgery, the better you’ll feel tomorrow.

The Day After Surgery

If you are tolerating your liquid diet without problems and ambulating effectively, you will be able to go home on the day after surgery. You will meet with the dietician prior to leaving the hospital. After being discharged, make sure to read the post-operative instructions and have your prescriptions filled for pain and nausea medication.

After Surgery: Week 1

You will continue on the liquid diet for 5 days. After that diet, you will advance your diet according to the guidelines that you learned in the pre-op nutrition class. If there are any questions, always refer back to the book that you received in the meeting.

Make sure to get 60 grams of protein and 64 ounces of fluid daily. Also, you will need to start taking your bariatric supplements as directed in the pre-op prep class.

You need to start establishing a regular exercise regimen and increasing your goals weekly.

Week 2-Month 3

You will start to see rapid weight loss during this time. You may still feel tired but should have more energy than you did before surgery. Your mood could fluctuate, but otherwise, you should be feeling a lot better.

After 30 days, your physical activities are unrestricted. You can start weight lifting or anything else that will increase your calorie consumption.