Surgery room here at VIDA
Finally, the long wait is over, your surgery date has arrived. You may be feeling an overwhelming mix of emotions from excitement to down right anxiousness. But one thing is for sure; you are in the best hands possible with surgeons that truly care about you. As part of the process leading up to your surgery day we will make sure to communicate with you, answering all your questions in order to prepare you both physically as well as mentally.
Lets now take a quick look at what goes on the day of your surgery. You will arrive at our facility and be asked to change into a cap and gown. We will then go over any remaining questions and concerns regarding the logistics as well as after care. Pre-op prepping takes about twenty to thirty minutes and the surgery itself takes an average of an hour to an hour and a half. The method that we utilize is laparoscopic in which a 0.5–1.5 cm incision is made for 99% of the patients. We say this because there is a 1% chance of having to make a larger incision if the patient’s liver is too large, this happens if the person does not shrink their liver through a diet given to them prior to surgery. During surgery CO2 gas is used in order to expand the stomach, this is why some patients experience shoulder and upper back discomfort, which is completely normal.
On average people return to work 3-7 days after surgery, this is also dependent on the nature of your job (desk job or high movement). Your recovery diet can be split into 2 stages consisting of 10 days per stage. During the first 10 days patients can only have clear liquid foods such as Gatorade, tea, gelatin, and broth. Stage two starts on day 11 were non-clear foods such as yogurt, puree, applesauce, and cooked blended vegetables can be consumed. Three weeks post op a patient may begin testing with salts and gradually build to solids that are easy to chew like salmon, chicken legs, and meat fillets.
For more information about bariatric surgery, or to find out which weight loss surgeryis right for you, please contact VIDA Bariatrics.
Dr. Miguel Alessandrini of VIDA Bariatrics
