Getting prepared for your weight loss surgery involves more than the doctor’s appointments, support group building and psychological readying you’ve been experiencing. It also involves some old fashioned pre-operative instructions that increase the safety and comfort of your surgery.
In this section we will discuss the first group of instructions which involve behavior modifications that should take place in the months and weeks before surgery.
1. Start taking a multi-vitamin everyday: Once you have made the decision to have surgery, even if the actual procedure won’t happen for six months, you should begin taking vitamins. Not only will this improve your health and your body’s ability to heal, but it will also help your body avoid nutritional deficiencies that can be experienced after certain kinds of weight loss surgery. Getting into the habit of taking vitamins before surgery will help you remember to take them afterward.
2. Stop smoking: Smoking can increase your chances of having blood clots in your legs or getting pneumonia, two of the potential complications of anesthesia use. Additionally, it reduces your circulation so that your skin cannot heal as quickly and it prevents your lungs from working properly as it collapses tiny sacs of air within them. Smoking can even cause increased stomach acid production which can give you gastric ulcers after surgery. Therefore it is vital that you stop smoking at least 30 days prior to surgery.
3. Start an exercise routine: Adjusting to life post-surgery is challenging enough without adding the confusion of a new and unfamiliar workout routine. By exercising for a few weeks prior to surgery you can create a schedule and routine that will be easy to keep after surgery.
4. Limit or avoid alcohol. Alcohol is very high in calories with no nutritional value. When you begin rapid weight loss after bariatric surgery, your liver becomes especially vulnerable to toxins such as alcohol.
Alcohol can cause Dumping Syndrome.
5. Arrange for time off of work: Most patients are able to return to work no more than two weeks after surgery, but you need to discuss that with your doctor. Be sure to take the right amount of time off for your surgery so you can allow the healing process to do its work before you begin stressing your body with movement and travel. While it is not necessary to disclose to your employer the nature of your surgery, you should explain that your movements could be limited for several weeks after your return.
Next, let’s discuss the preparation you must complete during the final days before your surgery.