What to Expect During Your Recovery from Sleeve Gastrectomy

Posted on Feb 11th, 2019

At Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery, one way we support you through your life-changing decision to opt for a sleeve gastrectomy is by ensuring you’re prepared. When you come in to see us, we fully explain your procedure and what you can expect from your recovery and beyond.

Here’s a quick rundown on what recovery from a gastric sleeve surgery is like.

Recovery begins before the procedure

During your visits ahead of the procedure, Dr. Chengelis works with you to prepare your body for surgery to ensure optimal recovery. It’s very important that any medical conditions, such as diabetes, are well-managed prior to surgery, as this can impact your healing.

You’ll be asked to provide Dr. Chengelis with a list of all medications and supplements you take regularly, and some of these, like blood thinners, may need to be discontinued for a short time before surgery.

If you smoke, you’ll need to quit for at least 12 weeks prior to surgery. Smoking greatly inhibits the body’s ability to heal after surgery by reducing the amount of oxygen reaching your tissues.

The procedure itself

Dr. Chengelis uses a minimally invasive method of performing your sleeve gastrectomy by inserting small instruments through very small incisions in your abdomen. The benefits of this procedure over a traditional large incision include less blood loss, reduced pain, less trauma to surrounding tissues, and decreased recovery time.

Your stomach is re-shaped to create a reduced-sized pocket and the remaining organ is removed. This leaves you with a permanently smaller stomach which limits the amount of food you can eat at any time.

Immediately after surgery

When you wake up from your procedure, you’re in the recovery area with a medical team who monitors your condition, treats you for any complications, and keeps you comfortable.

Going home

Because of the minimally invasive techniques used by Dr. Chengelis, you may be surprised to learn you can often go home within just 24 hours of your sleeve gastrectomy. Home is where you’ll feel most relaxed and rested, and you can stay gently mobile.

Rest, relaxation, and adequate sleep are important to your recovery, but it’s best to get up and move around at home rather than stay in bed. Dr. Chengelis will prescribe pain medication to help you manage any discomfort so you can keep moving.

Your recovery from the surgery may take a week or longer, but learning how to adjust to your new stomach size and way of eating can take longer.

What you’ll eat after surgery

For a time following surgery, your diet will be limited to non-carbonated liquids, after which you will progress to introducing small amounts of pureed foods. As your recovery continues, our team will guide you in gradually advancing your diet to include solid foods.

Our expert team of nutritionists have years of experience in counseling patients about how to ensure they get what their body needs from their diet with their newly reduced stomach capacity.

You’ll come in for checkups with Dr. Chengelis and the team so they can monitor your health for several months following surgery to ensure you are recovering optimally.

Long-term results and recovery

Although every patient is different, many lose up to 70% of their excess body weight over the first two years following a sleeve gastrectomy. Your personal success depends on how much excess weight you have to lose and how well you follow our team’s guidelines for lifestyle changes. It’s well worth it, because losing your excess weight can lead to a marked improvement in quality of life and the health conditions linked to obesity.

Dr. Chengelis and the rest of our team are ready to talk to you about taking the next step to improving your health with bariatric surgery. To discuss your options and whether you are a candidate for a sleeve gastrectomy, call or click to make an appointment at our Troy, Michigan.