Essential Care After Bariatric Surgery: Tips for a Smooth Recovery at Home

Now that you have been discharged from the hospital and have reached home, you might feel relieved but also apprehensive about home care after bariatric surgery. You might worry about whether stitches could break, experience pain at home, or have questions about how much to walk and whether or not to take a bath. These are some helpful points for your guidance.

Wound Care

• Change the dressings every day, if your doctor tells you to do so. Be sure to change your dressing always whenever it gets dirty or wet.
• You may have bruising around your wound or redness around the incisions, do not panic, this is normal.
• Avoid wearing tight clothing to prevent rubbing against your incisions.
• Stitches or staples are usually removed within 7 to 10 days after surgery. some stitches dissolve on their own. Your doctor will tell you if you have them.
• You can have a shower when advised by your doctor, let the water run over your incision, and do not scrub over the incisions.

Personal hygiene

• Take a shower daily.do not rub the wounds. let only water run on your incisions
• You can oil massage and wash your hair daily to feel fresh and active
• Change your clothes daily
• Clean your skin folds well with soap and water once a day and keep them dry, especially during the rainy season

Activity

• Walk as much as you can, move around, and use stairs at home
• Do not lift things heavier than 5 to 7 kgs in the initial months
• Increase your exercise slowly
• Take short walks
• Get up and move around if you have some pain in your belly, it may help
• Do not join the gym until recommended by your doctor.

Follow-up

• To help recover from surgery and changes in your lifestyle, see your surgeon regularly and other health care providers.
• The dietitian will teach you to eat correctly with your small stomach.
• The psychologist can help you deal with the feelings or concerns you may have after surgery.
• Blood tests are important as recommended by your surgeon, get them done timely to prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

When to Call the Doctor

• Temperature is above 100°F.
• You have redness, pain, swelling, or bleeding around your incision
• You have pain that your pain medicine is not helping
• You have breathing difficulty
• You cannot eat or drink
• You are vomiting after eating

These simple precautions will help you tide over the initial difficult time at home after your bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery is the best way to lose weight and regain health.