Patient education: Gastric bypass – Discharge instructions (The Basics)

What are discharge instructions? — Discharge instructions are information about how to take care of yourself after getting medical care for a health problem.

What is a gastric bypass? — Gastric bypass is a type of weight loss surgery. The most common way to do this is called "Roux-en-Y gastric bypass," sometimes called "RYGB." For this surgery, the doctor closes off part of the stomach, leaving only a small pouch for food (figure 1). Then, they connect the pouch to the middle part of the small intestine. This allows food to "bypass," or go around, part of the stomach and small intestine.

How long it takes for you to recover, and what you need to do, depends on which type of surgery you had. If you had minimally invasive surgery, you might be able to return to your normal activities sooner. With open surgery, it usually takes longer to recover.

How do I care for myself at home? — Ask the doctor or nurse what you should do when you go home. Make sure that you understand exactly what you need to do to care for yourself. Ask questions if there is anything you do not understand.

You should also:

●Follow the diet plan your doctor gave you. You will need to follow a liquid diet for about 2 weeks.

●Take all of your medicines as instructed:

•Use a stool softener to help prevent constipation, if needed. This is a common problem if you take opioid pain medicines. Follow all instructions for taking your pain medicines.

•You can take non-prescription medicines to relieve pain, such as acetaminophen (sample brand name: Tylenol), instead of opioids.

●Take care of your incision – You might have stitches, skin staples, surgical glue, or a special skin tape on your incision. If you had minimally invasive surgery, you might have more than 1 incision.

•Keep your incision dry and covered with a bandage for the first 1 to 2 days after surgery. Your doctor or nurse will tell you exactly how long to keep your incision dry.

•Once you no longer need to keep your incision dry, gently wash it with soap and water whenever you take a shower. Do not put your incision underwater, such as in a bath, pool, or lake. This can slow healing and raise your chance of getting an infection.

•After you wash your incision, pat it dry. Your doctor or nurse will tell you if you need to put an antibiotic ointment on the incision. They will also tell you if you need to cover your incision with a bandage or gauze.

•Always wash your hands before and after you touch your incision or bandage.

●Increase your activity slowly – Start with short walks around your home, and walk a little more each day.

•Keep coughing and doing deep breathing exercises for 7 to 10 days after you go home. This will help prevent lung infections. When you cough, sneeze, or do deep breathing exercises, press a pillow across your incision to support the wound and ease pain.

•Avoid heavy lifting, sports, and swimming for at least a week or 2. (Your doctor or nurse will tell you exactly how long to avoid these or other activities.)

•Follow your doctor's instructions about starting an exercise plan.

●Be aware that if you had minimally invasive surgery, you might have some pain in your shoulder. This is from gas that the doctor put into your belly during surgery. Walking and moving around will help reduce the gas and ease the pain.

What follow-up care do I need? — The doctor will want to see you again after surgery to check on your progress. Go to these appointments.

If you have stitches or staples, you will need to have them taken out. Your doctor will usually want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks. Some stitches absorb on their own and do not need to be removed. If the doctor used skin glue or skin tape, it will fall off on its own. Do not pick at it or try to remove it yourself.

When should I call the doctor? — Call for emergency help right away (in the US and Canada, call 9-1-1) if:

●You have a fast heart rate (more than 120 beats per minute) for a long period of time.

●You develop severe chest pain or shortness of breath.

Call for advice if:

●You have a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or chills.

●You have redness or swelling around your incisions.

●You have very bad belly pain.

●You have nausea or vomiting for more than 2 days after going home.

●You notice new or worsened swelling in your arm or leg.

●You have signs of a blood clot, such as:

•Your leg becomes numb or very painful to touch.

•Your leg becomes warm and red or darker in color.

•You have chest pain when you take a deep breath.

More on this topic

Patient education: Gastric bypass (The Basics)
Patient education: Weight loss surgery (The Basics)
Patient education: Care after weight loss surgery (The Basics)
Patient education: Diet after weight loss surgery (The Basics)

Patient education: Weight loss surgery and procedures (Beyond the Basics)