No matter how minimally invasive, surgery is surgery, so you can expect a few side effects after it is over. Of course while some side effects may be normal, others may be an indication that there is an infection or other underlying problem so it is important to pay attention to the intensity of your side effects and let your doctor know if anything seems abnormal.
Symptoms to Expect During Recovery
Swelling and bruising: A moderate amount of bruising and swelling is to be expected after the surgery. If you notice the swelling becoming excessive and you experience tenderness with it, you may have an infection and should contact your doctor.
Pain and discomfort: If you were to assign your pain to a scale of 0-10 with 0 representing no pain and 10 representing severe pain, you can expect post-surgery pain to be in the 1-6 range. Anything beyond that should be brought to your doctor’s attention.
Numbness: Your body is full of tiny little nerves and during surgery many of them can be cut when the incision is made. It could take up to three months for the sensation to come back to that area—if it ever does. If you use a heating pad in the area of your incision, be sure to limit the time you use it to no more than 20-minutes so that you don’t inadvertently burn yourself.
Itching: Any time you have a cut or wound that is healing, you will experience itching. The same holds true for the incision for your weight loss surgery. Eventually, your steri-strips will fall off and you can begin using vitamin E or a topical antibiotic on your incision to ease the itching and help the healing. Remember, don’t drown your incision in topical ointments and vitamins, just dab a small amount.
Scars and Redness: Initially after weight loss surgery, you will experience red, purple or dark pink scarring in your incision area. You must use sunscreen to protect this delicate skin even if it is underneath a bathing suit. Within about one year the scar should fade.