If you have decided with the help of your doctor that undergoing gastric bypass surgery is a solution to your health care and weight loss needs, there are a few things you need to know about before you go into the surgery so you can feel at ease and do your best to help your body heal. In the following article, we will go over some basic concerns and the steps you can take to deal with them.
Pre-Op Gastric Bypass Surgery Tests
Before one decides to go into any type of operation, the doctors must know what the state of health is for their patient to ensure that no unnecessary obstacles or unforeseen problems arise. With this type of surgery, there may be extensive testing needed depending on each patient’s history. Some tests you can expect to undergo are:
- Complete Blood Count
- Upper GI or Electrocardiograph
- Gallbladder Ultrasound
- Sleep Studies
- Cardiology Evaluation
- Psych Evaluation
- Pulmonary Function testing
- Echocardiogram
Your doctor will also ensure that you do not have any heart issues, diabetes, high blood pressure, or any other conditions that could be of concern or even cause complications before or after surgery.
Getting to Know Your Medical Team
There will be a series of visits you will need to undergo before you are booked in for surgery. Once you start your doctor visits and testing processes, it is normally within six months before your surgery. You will also need to secure funding for your surgery as well unless you have an insurance policy that will cover these types of surgeries. You will want to know who the team of specialists will be who will be taking care of you both in the operating room and after. These specialists can include dieticians, psychologists as well as both doctors and nurses. Because many obese people suffer from various health problems, this surgery may be considered high risk and you must ensure that you are working with an experienced surgeon that you trust.
Balanced and Nutritious Pre-Op Diet
A couple weeks before your surgery is booked you will need to switch to a liquid-based diet. While this may seem hard to take, it is necessary to prepare your body for the surgery. If you are a caffeine lover, you will need to cut out all coffee and tea during this stage of preparation. You are encouraged to drink protein drinks for breakfast and lunch. For dinner, you may have a salad with protein. If you are still hungry, you may have another protein drink for a snack later on. You must drink at least 8-10 glasses of water per day as well.
Three days before your surgery you will need to start taking a daily laxative. Once you are taking these laxatives, you will only be able to consume a clear liquid diet. This includes drinks such as sugar-free juices, herbal teas, Gatorade, broth, Jello, popsicles, and low-carb Slim-Fast and Atkins shakes. The night before your surgery you will need to stop consuming any food or drink completely or if your surgery is scheduled for later the following day, ensure that you have fasted for eight hours beforehand.
Gastric Bypass Pre-Op Tips for Preparation
If you would like to help your situation and ensure that the proper care is administered to you during and post-op, you will want to gather together a file of all of your test results and medications. Also if you are a smoker, you will need to stop! Patients who smoke have a greater risk of complications after surgery. If you are concerned you will not be able to, your doctor should be able to help you with a quit-smoking aid that will not interfere with your medications or pre-op preparations. Also, most doctors recommend that starting a week before you go into surgery you stop taking any non-steroidal medications such as Advil, Aleve, or Aspirin. These medications can cause you to bleed unnecessarily after surgery and could complicate matters. If you have high blood pressure or heart medication though, you may still have those without risk of harm.