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When to call your doctor after weight-loss surgery

Description

You will lose weight quickly over the first 3 to 6 months. During this time, you may have body aches, feel tired and cold, or have dry skin, mood changes, and hair loss or hair thinning. These problems should go away as you take in more protein, as your body gets used to your weight loss, and your weight becomes stable. Weight loss slows down after about 12 months. You will likely feel colder than usual during the winter after surgery.

In the days to weeks after your surgery, call your health care provider if:

Your temperature is above 100°F (37.7°C) for more than 4 hours.

You see any of these changes around your incision:

  • More redness
  • More pain
  • Swelling
  • Bleeding
  • The wound is larger or deeper

The drainage coming from or around your incision:

  • Is increasing
  • Becomes thick, tan, or yellow, or smells bad (pus)

Also call your provider if:

  • You have pain that your pain medicine is not helping
  • You have trouble breathing
  • You have a cough that does not go away
  • You cannot drink or eat
  • Your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow
  • Your stools are loose, or you have diarrhea
  • You are vomiting after eating
  • You have leg pain or leg swelling

In the weeks to months after your surgery, call your provider if:

  • You are vomiting regularly after eating
  • You have chest pains or heartburn soon after eating
  • You have diarrhea that is not going away
  • You feel tired all the time
  • You have dizziness or are sweating
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Review Date: 1/30/2018

Reviewed By: John E. Meilahn, MD, Bariatric Surgery, Chestnut Hill Surgical Associates, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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