Bariatric Surgery | During Hospital Stay
In the operating room
- When you come to the operating rooms entrance, the nurse will take you to the operating room after doing some controls.
- When you lie on the operating table, some instruments will be attached to your body in order to follow you closely during the operation and to control your breathing and heartbeat.
- You will then be put to sleep quickly with anesthesia.
- You will not feel pain during the operation.
- The duration of the operation may change depending on the type of surgery.
When You Come To Your Room
- When you are brought to your room, you will have green surgical clothes, serum in vascular access, probe, and compression stockings.
- First of all, nurses and assistant staff will take you to bed, dress you in the clothes you brought before, and warm you up.
- The nurse will make some controls (such as blood pressure, pulse, temperature) and will inform you about what you need to do after the surgery.
- You will be able to convey all your problems to your nurse.
- If you experience nausea, pain or shortness of breath, inform your nurse.
Should I exercise after surgery?
- From the day of the surgery, you should start moving by getting out of bed and taking steps, even if it is a short distance. You need to increase the duration of exercise day by day. Also, don’t forget to do deep breathing and coughing exercises regularly as your nurse will teach you.
- Moving and exercising after the surgery will help your recovery process.
- Changing positions in the bed while lying in the hospital, moving our arms and feet when we cannot get up, increases blood circulation and accelerates your recovery.
- After the operation, your nurse will walk you first and tell you how to do it. Afterwards, you should take frequent walks until discharge.
- Factors such as obesity, sleep apnea, anesthesia, surgeries increase the chance of clots. You are also in this risk group. This is why blood thinner injections are made. It is very important to start walking early after the surgery, not to sit or lie down for a long time, in order to prevent clot formation.
- Before the surgery, you should start doing the deep breathing and coughing exercises taught by your nurse. Deep breathing will make you feel better, increase the oxygen level of your blood and speed up the healing of your wound. Deep breathing and coughing are very important in restoring your lungs after general anesthesia (narcosis), preventing infection and expelling sputum. For these reasons, you should repeat the breathing and coughing exercises hourly.
In the recovery unit after surgery
- After your surgery is completed, you will be sent to the recovery unit.
- When you wake up, you will have an oxygen cannula/mask in your nose, serum in your arm, urinary catheter and the socks you wear to prevent clots on your feet.
- It will be important that you take care to breathe deeply.
- You will be warmed with a blanket to bring your body temperature back to normal/to prevent you from getting cold.
- If everything goes well when you wake up, your nurse will send you to the service with a staff member.
- Your relatives / companion will be waiting for you at the door.
- In case of any problems during or after the operation or depending on your additional diseases, you can also stay in the intensive care unit for a while after the operation. Your doctor will decide whether you should be brought to the intensive care unit or service in accordance with your health condition
What should I do when I have pain?
- During the post-operative hospital period, you will be given medication to relieve your pain. If you feel pain despite the treatment, please inform your nurse.
- When you have pain, you can evaluate your pain with a score between 0 and 10. “0” means you have no pain, “10” means you feel unbearable pain that you can’t even imagine.
- Pain from laparoscopic bariatric surgery is less than expected. However, the intensity of pain is different for everyone. After the surgery, some feel a lot of pain, some feel little pain. Do not let pain prevent you from breathing deeply, moving and sleeping comfortably.
How should I eat after surgery?
- You will start eating and drinking at the time your doctor and nurse decide in accordance with your post-operative health condition and surgery. Your feeding process will be in four stages.
- In the first stage after the surgery, you will only consume clear liquids (such as water, tea) in the hospital.
- It is important that you do not eat anything other than what was given to you at the hospital.
- You should drink the liquids given to you very slowly, in at least 30 minutes.
- You should stop eating immediately when you feel fullness or discomfort.
- Day after surgery
- Do the breathing exercise.
- Sit in a chair while eating or drinking.
- Walk every two hours or more often.
- Let your nurse know when you have pain.