Weight-loss surgery is done to help you lose weight. After the surgery, you will not be able to eat as much as before. Depending on the type of surgery you have, your body may not absorb all the calories from the food you eat.
Below are some questions you may want to ask your doctor or nurse before you have weight-loss surgery.
What are the reasons someone should have weight-loss surgery?
Are there are other ways of losing weight that I should try besides surgery?
What are the different types of weight-loss surgery?
What is the best surgery to help me lose weight and keep it off?
What can I do before surgery to lower my risk of complications? For which of my medical problems (such as diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure) do I need to see my doctor before the surgery?
How can I get my home ready before I go to the hospital?
How can I prepare myself emotionally for the surgery? What types of feelings can I expect to have? Can I talk to people who have had weight-loss surgery?
What medicines should I take the day of the surgery? Are there any medicines that I should not take the day of the surgery?
What will the surgery, and my stay in the hospital, be like?
What will my wound be like? How do I take care of it?
How active can I be when I get home? How much can I lift? When will I be able to drive? When will I be able to return to work?
When will my first follow-up appointment be after surgery? How often will I need to see the doctor during the first year after my surgery? Will I need to see doctors other than my surgeon?
Gastric bypass - before - what to ask your doctor; Roux-en-Y gastric bypass - before - what to ask your doctor; Gastric banding - before - what to ask your doctor; What to ask your doctor before weight-loss surgery
Updated by: Alex Nagle, MD, Director of Bariatric Surgery, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Gastrointestinal & Oncologic Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc.
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