What Will The Pre-operative Process Be Like?
Yes, you have talked to your doctor and you have decided to have a gastric sleeve (Tube Stomach) Surgery . Now I will talk about what kind of process awaits you.
First of all, at the first meeting, your doctor and other team members will conduct a thorough examination and evaluation of you. They will make a thorough preliminary assessment of whether you have had an operation before, the medications you use, the problems that obesity brings to you, and whether you have an obstacle to the operation.
In addition, in this meeting, you will be given a half-hour briefing with visual slides on obesity and its problems and the surgical method that is suitable for you. In this meeting, you will be able to find an answer to all your questions. You will also meet with a dietitian during this process. Your eating habits and how you eat will be evaluated in detail.
A Detailed Pre-Surgery Scan
A blood sample will be taken from you on an empty stomach during the preparation process before sleeve gastrectomy surgery . You will almost go through a check-up. Your liver and kidney functions, cholesterol level, vitamin levels, whether you have insulin resistance or diabetes, everything will be revealed. I'll tell you right now.
You will likely have low vitamin D levels. How am I guessing this? Statistics say so. In the preoperative evaluation, 90% of over 1000 patients we have operated on to date were deficient in vitamin D. If we detect any vitamin deficiency in you, we will replace them during the pre-operative preparation period.
You will be seen routinely by a cardiologist, pulmonologist, and internal medicine physician. The heart doctor will make you an ECO (heart ultrasound), take your heart X-ray, and the chest diseases doctor will evaluate your lungs. If there is a condition in your heart and lungs preventing the surgery, it will be examined in detail. An ultrasound will be performed for your upper abdomen and the condition of your fatty liver will be evaluated. It will also be checked for any stones in your gallbladder.
Your surgeon who will operate on you will perform an endoscopy on you before the operation. Don't worry, this process will take a very short time and you will be completely asleep. You will not feel anything. Why do we do endoscopy? Because we want to see the inside of the stomach that we will remove before the operation. We need to know if there is an ulcer, polyp or other condition in the stomach.
We will ask one last thing from you. We will ask you to follow a diet for 1 week before Gastric Sleeve Surgery . Although this is not very important for every patient, it is especially important in overweight patients with advanced fatty liver. Even 4-5 kilos to be given before the surgery will shrink your liver and make your surgery even easier. In addition, studies show that it is better to lose weight after surgery in patients who lose a certain weight before surgery.
What Will Happen On The Day Of Surgery?
Do not go in and out of crowded environments on the days close to the surgery. Covid-19 and flu-like infections may cause your surgery to be delayed. Do not inform everyone around you that you will have surgery. We surgeons don't like many visitors to the hospital after surgery. Actually, it's for your own good. Every incoming visitor gives you flu, etc. can transmit infection.
Yes, the big day has finally arrived. The day of the surgery… Prepare a small bag for yourself the day before the surgery. Take comfortable clothes with you. (such as shorts, t-shirts)
Have a good night's sleep. Drink plenty of water until that hour, do not eat or drink anything after 12 at night. Be at the hospital early the next morning. When you reach the hospital, the relevant personnel will accompany you and your hospitalization procedures will take place. Floor nurses experienced in bariatric surgery will prepare you. Your surgeon, who will operate on you in the morning, will see you before the operation and will relax you by chatting with you.
The operation will take approximately 1.5 hours . Your admission to the operating room may take 2-2.5 hours with the preparation stage . When you wake up, you will not have severe pain. After you wake up, we will take you to your room in the service after following you for a certain time. You will be able to stand up and walk 2-3 hours after the operation . We specifically want this.
You will stay in the hospital for a standard 2 or 3 days . You will start feeding with clear liquids 1 day after the surgery . In addition, we will constantly give you serum from your arm. We keep our patients in the hospital until they get enough oral fluid. The most common reason for returning to the hospital after discharge is thirst, that is, not getting enough fluids. Since we do not want this to happen, we hospitalize our patients for a standard 2-3 days .
What Will Happen After the Surgery?
You will be discharged on the 2nd or 3rd day. You will be given detailed written and verbal information about the post-discharge process by your doctor and dietitian. You are now a member of our family. The surgery was just the beginning. We will always be with you in your weight loss adventure, we will walk with you. Do not worry, you will be able to reach your doctor and dietitian instantly for every problem you experience.
What you need to focus on for 1 week after the surgery is to get enough water and protein. This is especially important in the first week, you should not be dehydrated. In the next period, you will follow a gradual diet list roughly consisting of soups, yogurt, eggs, purees, soft foods and solid foods. You will be able to consume solid foods 3 weeks-1 month after the surgery .
You will be in constant contact with the center that operated on you. Postoperative weight loss process continues for 1 year . This process is an important opportunity to learn about proper nutrition and rehabilitate yourself. If you think that I am losing weight easily and if you do not make good use of this opportunity, maybe you will reach the weight you want at the end of a year, but you will run the risk of regaining some of the weight you lost in the long term. We do not want this to happen in any of our patients and we attach great importance to the post-operative process in all of our patients.
