From the Stony Brook Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss Center
Obesity is common, serious, and costly. More than one-third (36.5%) of U.S. adults have obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Indeed, obesity is now understood to be a national epidemic and a major contributor to some of the leading causes of death in America, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some types of cancer.
Bariatric surgery is designed to cause weight loss, and has demonstrated its effectiveness in treating obesity and minimizing or eliminating the risks of these potentially life-threatening dieases.
Staying in control of your weight aids good health now and as you age.
Here, the bariatric team of the Stony Brook Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss Center, which is directed by our bariatric specialist Aurora D. Pryor, MD, provides answers to frequently asked questions about life after bariatric surgery:
Q: What will my life be like after the surgery?
A: Bariatric surgery is not a quick fix. It’s part of an ongoing journey toward transforming your health through lifestyle changes. After surgery, you will feel satisfied and fuller with less food. Positive changes in your body, your weight and your health will occur, if you maintain the diet and exercise routines recommended by your bariatric program.
Q: What support will I receive in adjusting to new daily habits?
A: Our comprehensive, multidisciplinary bariatric program uses a team approach involving a program coordinator, psychologist, nutritionist, and other healthcare professionals. Each expert is dedicated to providing support for bariatric patients both before and after surgery. Our psychology team runs a six-week pre-surgical group and a 10-week post-surgical group to help patients to foster effective behavioral coping strategies.
Q: Can I get pregnant after bariatric surgery?
A: Most doctors recommend that women wait at least one year after the surgery before a pregnancy. Consult your surgeon as you plan for pregnancy.
Q: What about postoperative pain and discomfort?
A: Most patients report some discomfort and soreness rather than pain.
Q: How long is recovery?
A: It depends on the procedure but generally ranges between two and three weeks.
Q: How often will I be able to eat?
A: After the initial recovery period, most patients are instructed to eat 1/4 cup, or 2 ounces, of food per meal. As time goes on, you can eat more (as instructed by your medical team). Most people can eat approximately 1 cup of food per meal (with 4 ounces of protein) a year or more postsurgery.
Q: When can I go back to my normal activity level?
A: Your ability to resume presurgery levels of activity depends on your physical condition, the nature of the activity, and the type of bariatric surgery you had. Many patients return to normal levels of activity within three to six weeks of surgery.
Q: How much exercise is needed after bariatric surgery?
A: Exercise is an important part of success after surgery. You may be encouraged to begin exercising, limited only by discomfort, about two weeks after surgery. The type of exercise depends on your overall condition, but the long-term goal is to get 30 minutes of exercise three or more days each week.
Q: What is "dumping syndrome"?
A: Eating simple sugars (such as sugar, honey, and corn syrup) or high-fat foods can cause dumping syndrome in patients who have had gastric bypass surgery. This occurs when these products, which have a small particle size, are "dumped" from the stomach into the intestine at a rapid rate. Water is pulled into the intestine from the bloodstream to dilute the sugar load. This flush of water causes symptoms that can include diarrhea, rapid heart rate, hot flashes or sweating and clammy skin, and dizziness.
Q: What is the long-term follow-up schedule?
A: Gastric band patients need to work with their surgeons to have their band adjusted several times during the first 12 to 18 months after surgery. Bypass patients typically see their surgeons for three to five follow-up appointments the first year, then once per year thereafter. Over time, gastric bypass patients will need checks for anemia (low red blood cell count) and vitamin B12, folate, and iron levels.
Q: Should I participate in a support group?
A: Support groups give patients an excellent opportunity to talk about concerns and share ideas. Patients help keep each other motivated, celebrate small victories together, and provide perspective on everyday successes and challenges. Our monthly support groups will offer this assistance, in addition we can direct you to online support groups.
Q: How do patients who loss major weight deal with the loose skin?
A: Our interdisciplinary team includes plastic surgeons who provide body contouring procedures that address areas of excess fat and/or skin. Body contouring procedures help further improve the body's shape after losing a significant amount of weight.
| In programs like ours at Stony Brook, you can meet with dietitians, psychologists, and surgeons to help decide what approach for weight loss is right for you. You can often find extra information online as well, through websites, support networks, or even seminars. The National Library of Medicine's "Weight Loss Surgery" site and Stony Brook's Health Information Library's "Surgical Weight Loss Guide" site are both very informative. Our own website at the Stony Brook Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss Center provides a wealth of information, as well. |
For more about information life after bariatric surgery and/or our bariatric surgery program, please call Catherine M. Tuppo, program coordinator of the Stony Brook Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Center, at 631-444-2619.