After Surgery - Weight Loss Surgery: Obesity

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After surgery

For the first few months after surgery, your appetite will decrease dramatically and you'll eat substantially less food. If you eat too quickly or too much, your stomach pouch can overfill, and you may vomit or feel pain in the chest and upper abdomen. You may need to take supplementary vitamins (especially vitamins B₁₂ and D) and minerals (especially calcium and iron). After about a year, most people increase their food intake to 1,200 calories per day. You will need to be closely monitored by a physician, who can help address the common complications of bariatric surgery, such as gallstones, kidney stones, and ulcers. Some people develop other complications, such as a hernia at the incision site, or stenosis — narrowing where the stomach is attached to the small intestine. After a high-carbohydrate meal, a person who has had gastric bypass surgery may suffer from "dumping syndrome," a reaction that causes flushing, sweating, severe fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and intestinal gas. People who lose 100 pounds or more sometimes need additional surgery to remove sagging skin that won't return to normal.

Insurance coverage for bariatric surgery is variable but generally improving. In February 2006, Medicare announced that it will cover most bariatric procedures, including gastric banding and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, in appropriate patients who are treated at centers endorsed by the American College of Surgeons or the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. This decision may open the door to expanded coverage of other weight-loss treatments as well.

Last updated:	June 20, 2007