Understanding what to expect during your post bariatric surgery recovery and care in Turkey is crucial for achieving lasting success and comfort.
In Turkey, you will receive personalized, high-quality care that meets your specific needs. From the immediate post-operative phase to long-term lifestyle changes, each step plays a vital role in reaching your health objectives.
- Expect attentive wound care and pain management at the hospital.
- Your diet will gradually transition to protect healing.
Stay aware of side effects for proactive care. - Physical activity helps reduce excess skin and improve recovery.
- Bariatric surgery requires lifelong follow-ups and adjustments.
Immediate Post-Surgery Care
After your surgery, you will need to stay in the hospital for two to three days. Immediately after your anesthesia wears off, doctors will suggest you start walking to relieve gas buildup.
During your stay, the medical team will take care of your wounds, will give you IV drops for pain management, and you will be given liquid meals to support your stomach’s recovery.
First Six Months
The most important part of your recovery is diet and exercise. You need to increase your activity level and diet phases gradually.
Depending on the bariatric surgery you had, you may need to use supplements. If so, your doctor will advise you.
Complications and Side Effects
- Constipation
- Gas
- Post-operative Anemia
- Vomiting
- Nasua
- Hair loss
- Reflux
- Malabsorption
- Malnutrition
Diet and Nutrition After Surgery
Depending on what kind of bariatric surgery you underwent, your diet plan will change. No matter which weight loss surgery you had, you will be able to gradually increase from liquid to solid food. Here’s a table of what your stages will look like:
Phases / Surgeries | Gastric Sleeve | Mini / Gastric Bypass | Gastric Balloon |
Phase 1: Clear Liquid | 5-7 days | 7-10 Days | None |
Phase 2: Full-Liquid | 3-5 Days | 3-5 Days | 5-7 Days |
Phase 3: Pureed Food | 7-10 Days | 7-10 days | 4 Days |
Phase 4: Soft Food | 7-10 Days | 7-10 Days | None |
Phase 5: Solid Food | Lifetime | Lifetime | Lifetime |
Always start your meals with your proteins. They will give you more satisfying satiety.
You should drink some water every hour, especially one hour before your meals. Staying hydrated is crucial for your recovery.
If you are to eat out, you can either find bariatric surgery-friendly restaurants or prepare your meals.
Supplements and Medications
Weight Stall and Management
Typically, a weight stall happens after 3 months of your surgery. If you experience a plateau, there are some adjustments you can make in your daily life.
- Do not change your diet plan before consulting your dietitian. You should keep up with your diet program.
- Check if you are drinking enough water. If not, try to drink more.
- It could be the time to increase your activity level. You can change or adjust your exercise plan.
- One of the most effective ways to break through your plateau is to schedule your sleep. Sleeping between 10 pm to 2 am is crucial for your hormones and your body’s functioning throughout the day.
Drinking Alcohol and Smoking
During the pre-surgery diet, it is suggested you stop drinking alcohol and smoking. It is to prepare you for the post-op period.
During your recovery, you should stop smoking for at least 6 months, and alcohol for a year.
Smoking and alcohol consumption negatively impact your recovery. Smoking slows down the healing of your wound and leads to infection.
Alcohol alters your metabolism and because bariatric surgeries are metabolic surgeries, it takes longer to get rid of the intoxications.
As your stomach is smaller, your diet and nutrition intake is balanced with food and supplements. In the case of alcohol consumption, a patient cannot get enough nutrition and water.
Staying hydrated is crucially important and alcohol dehydrates the body intensely. That’s why caffeine is also not recommended.
It’s best to avoid alcohol and smoking to prevent stomach irritation and digestive issues.
Physical Activity and Exercises
Physical activity will become a part of your life. However, you need to gradually increase your activity level and what makes you feel best.
Physical activity and exercises not only help you lose weight but also prevent muscle loss and focus more on fat loss. With the help of bariatric surgery, exercising can help you balance your hormones, minimize excess skin, and improve insulin sensitivity. Here’s a weekly table of exercises you can do after your bariatric surgery:
Physical Activities | Start After |
Walking | Immediately after surgery |
Running | Gradually increase after a week |
Yoga&Strecthing | After 2 weeks |
Swimming | After your wounds heal |
Pilates | After 6-7 weeks |
Crossfit | After 8-10 weeks |
Fitness&Lifting weight | After 8-10 weeks |
If you don’t think your body is ready to increase the activity level, take your time and start after you feel ready.
How to Prevent Excess Skin with Exercise
Exercise will help you preserve your muscles. However, even if you exercise, you may experience excess skin after losing weight. Exercising can minimize the chances, however, if you are thinking of an excess skin removal surgery, you may consider body lifting procedures.
Excess skin happens because of loss of elastin and collagen production. You can support your skin by consuming collagen type 1 to support elastin production in your body. Consult your doctor for collagen supplement suggestions.
Long-Term Lifestyle Changes and Management
Bariatric surgery is a lifelong commitment that mainly involves adjusting your diet and staying active. Find physical activities you enjoy and make them a regular part of your routine.
Your diet won’t always be super strict. Once you’ve found a good balance, you can enjoy cheat meals now and then. But day to day, it’s important to steer clear of sugar, refined foods, and anything processed.
Pregnancy After Bariatric Surgery
You can absolutely get pregnant after bariatric surgery, but it’s best to wait 18 to 24 months to give your body time to heal.
With your hormones balancing out, surprise pregnancies can happen, so please take precautions. Waiting is important because getting pregnant too soon could lead to premature birth, a smaller baby, or slower growth during pregnancy. It’s all about giving yourself and your future baby the best chance for a healthy start.
Follow-Up Appointments
You can reach out to your doctor anytime if you suspect a complication. However, three follow-up appointments will be scheduled during your recovery. These will track your weight loss, review blood test results, and assess your overall progress. The follow-ups will take place at 3 months, 6 months, and after 1 year.
Dietitian support will be provided for an entire year.
Support Groups
If you feel the need for psychological support, joining a support group during your recovery can be really helpful. It’s common for bariatric patients to feel isolated or even depressed after surgery. Some may lose their appetite, feel like food doesn’t taste the same, or struggle with the smell of cooking.
Being part of a group with people who share similar experiences can make you feel understood and supported. You can connect with others through face-to-face groups or online communities on social media.
References:
Goel, Ramen et al. “Complications after bariatric surgery: A multicentric study of 11,568 patients from Indian bariatric surgery outcomes reporting group.” Journal of minimal access surgery vol. 17,2 (2021): 213-220. doi:10.4103/jmas.JMAS_12_20
