You need to have someone who is willing to pick you up from the hospital and who will help you during your recovery at home. You should make sure you have this person lined up before you go into surgery.After bariatric surgery you will not be able to care for yourself. You will need someone to help you remember to take medication, assist you in getting up and down, and generally take care of you.
If you don't want to ask one person to do all this work for you, consider asking friends or loved ones to take shifts. You could have one person pick you up from the hospital, one person stay with you at night, and another person to care for you during the day.;
, Once you wake up after surgery you should be kept there until you can walk at least a few steps on your own. This may take between 24 and 48 hours. This time allows the medical staff to know that you are medically stable and that your pain is under control enough to allow you to get home without too much distress.


Leaving the hospital too early can be dangerous to your health. If you have negative side effects from the surgery, such as internal bleeding, it is important that they are caught before you leave the hospital. Overall, it is important that you become medically stable before you leave the care of your doctor and nurses., When you have the surgery, you will be given a local anesthetic to numb the area of the incision or you will be given general anesthesia. After you are released from the hospital, this anesthetic on the incision area will gradually wear off. Your doctor may prescribe pain medication for you to take after the surgery.When taking pain medications you should avoid operating heavy machinery, such as driving a car. You should also be careful to use the medication as prescribed and let your doctor know if you are taking any other medications or have any allergies to other medications., It is important that you do not exert yourself too much while you are recovering from surgery. Too much physical exertion could open up the incision or damage the changes made inside your body.Most people that undergo bariatric surgery can drive a car within two weeks.
Wait four to six weeks to return to all normal activities, such as lifting heavy objects or doing high-impact exercise.
 Your surgeon should schedule a checkup exam within a week or two of your surgery. The doctor will ask you how you are doing and they will also inspect your incision site to make sure it is healing correctly.


When you go to your checkup exam, ask your surgeon any questions you have about the surgical recovery or the procedure.
 For several months after surgery, it's important not to overtax your digestive system. At each stage of the diet, divide your food into several small meals a day. Eat or drink slowly, taking at least half an hour for each meal. Eating too quickly after bariatric surgery can cause too much food to enter your intestine, causing vomiting, dizziness, and diarrhea.Foods high in fat and sugar are more likely to cause these symptoms.
You can try different strategies to help you eat slower, such as waiting two or three minutes between bites. Chewing food extremely thoroughly is recommended during recovery, and will also slow your eating., The hospital should have you consult with a registered dietitian after your surgery. Typically, the first day or so of recovery involves a clear liquid diet to allow your digestive system to ease back into digestion. Sip the liquid slowly and drink no more than 3 ounces (90 mL) at a time.Clear liquids include clear stock, water, and herbal tea., Your doctor or dietitian will likely recommend vitamin and/or calcium supplements, since you may have trouble getting enough of these on your new diet (even after recovery). Take these as directed.If you had a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, one type of bariatric surgery, it's especially important to get extra B vitamins, iron, and calcium. This is less of an issue for gastric banding patients., If everything is going well after a day or so, you can start drinking more liquid (still sipping slowly), and opaque liquids such as low-fat milk, broth, and strained cream soup. After several days, you can eat solid foods pureed with liquid to make a smooth paste. Lean ground meat, beans, and cooked vegetables are examples of foods that puree well.Consult your dietitian regularly and let them know if you have any trouble digesting food.
High protein foods can help you recover faster. Nutrition shakes and pureed meats or beans are good sources of protein.
Remember to eat small meals throughout the day. Try starting with six meals, each comprised of ½ to 1 cup (120 to 240 mL) of food and liquid.
 After a few weeks, with doctor's approval, add small pieces of easily chewed food to your diet. Finely diced meat, soft fruit, or soft cooked vegetables are all good options. Chew each bite thoroughly to a pureed consistency before swallowing, to avoid blocking your now narrower digestive tract.Remove the skin and seeds from fruits and vegetables before eating.
 Your stomach capacity may not be large enough to handle a drink as well as a nutritious meal. Wait 30 to 45 minutes after each solid food meal, then slowly sip liquids. It should take you about 30 to 60 minutes to drink one cup (240 mL)., You can typically introduce firmer foods eight weeks after surgery, starting with small amounts of finely diced food. You can then slowly ramp up to larger pieces and harder foods, achieving your new permanent diet within four months. Consult with your doctor and registered dietitian regularly to make sure your digestive system can handle the changes, since this schedule can vary.Introduce each "new" food one at a time to see how you respond.

At this stage, avoid nuts and seeds; stringy or fibrous foods such as corn and tough meat; carbonated drinks; dried fruit; bread; and fried food. Use caution with spicy food and crunchy food. You can try these foods later on, with professional guidance.
Treat alcohol with extreme caution. You will likely absorb it (and become drunk) much faster than you did before the surgery. You are also now at higher risk for alcohol-related disorders and health problems, such as ulcers., Even after full recover, your diet and eating habits will likely be drastically different than they were before. Your doctor and dietitian can give you specific advice based on the type of surgery you had. The general rules you followed during recovery may help you adapt to your permanent diet as well. Because you are not eating much food overall, a significant portion of it should be protein sources to meet your needs. Continue to minimize fat and sugar, take vitamin supplements, and avoid fluids at mealtimes., Five or six small meals per day work well for many people, with each meal no large than ½ to 1 cup (4-8 oz / 120–240 mL). The size of your digestive tract has been permanently decreased, so you will always need to restrict yourself to small quantities of food to avoid nausea, diarrhea, and other unpleasant symptoms.You will also need to chew your food thoroughly before swallowing. Also consider grinding all meat that you eat before you cook it. This will allow you to better digest it.
 Exercise is essential to keeping healthy and maintaining a healthy weight. Find exercise routines that your find fun and entertaining, as well as exercises that make your sweat and work hard. With a combination of fun and challenging exercises, you are more likely to keep doing it on a regular basis.Consider hiring a personal trainer to keep you motivated and on task when you are exercising.
Explore new activities that give you new ways to get exercise. For example, start hiking and see if exploring nature on foot will motivate you to exercise more.
 Right after bariatric surgery, you are likely to experience a significant weight loss period. However, after that period of extreme weight loss, you will need to find a way to maintain your new weight. This can be best accomplished by maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes moderation in eating and regular exercise. To help you maintain this new lifestyle, seek out nutritional counseling and psychological support.Getting support from professionals and following your doctor's instructions about diet and exercise has been shown to drastically increase your chances of maintaining your weight loss.
 Hopefully everything with your surgery and recovery will go smoothly. However, you should be aware of the things to look for that could signal a problem. Problems with your bariatric surgery could occur right after surgery or long afterwards.As you recover from surgery, look for signs of infection at the incision site. This can include pus or discharge coming from the wound or excessive tenderness and redness.
Pay attention to your digestion after surgery. It will take a few weeks for your digestion to normalize but it should eventually. If you continue to have indigestion, nausea, or vomiting, you should let your doctor know.
If you have a gastric balloon, the balloon is filled with dye that will turn your urine blue or green if it is leaking. If you have this happen, contact your doctor right away.
Line up someone to help you recover.
Wait until you can walk to leave the hospital.
Manage your pain post surgery.
Limit activities throughout recovery.
Go to a medical checkup post surgery.
Eat small amounts slowly.
Start with a clear liquid diet.
Ask about supplements.
Move on to opaque liquids, then puree.
Introduce solid foods.
Do not drink fluids with your meals.
Ramp up gradually for the first few months.
Follow your physician's instructions about your long-term diet.
Continue to eat small meals throughout the day.
Exercise regularly.
Seek support.
Recognize signs of a problem.
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