Recovering well after surgery

The period immediately after your operation can be challenging for many reasons. Your stomach will be much smaller, it will also be sore and swollen while the staple lines heal. This means you will need to follow a modified diet for several weeks while this process happens and you get used to your new, much reduced stomach capacity.   

There are four stages to this process. You will start with a liquid only diet and gradually progress through a pureed diet, soft and mashable foods, and then back to normal textures. Usually, patients spend 2-3 weeks at each stage, but the exact length will be confirmed to you by your team and depends on the type of surgery you have.

The bariatric dietitians will support you with this transition. You will attend two group sessions run by the team to learn about different stages of recovery and eating after surgery. The pre-operative group session (which also covers the liver shrinkage diet), will focus on the early stages of liquid and pureed food. The second group, which will be scheduled 2-4 weeks after surgery, focuses on introducing soft and mashable foods, as well as how to eat well in the long run after surgery.  

Throughout these first few weeks, the volume of liquid or solid food you can tolerate will be very small. This is completely normal. Some patients find that it takes a little longer than the recommended time to progress to the next texture stage. This is also normal, and we would recommend that you drop back to the stage before for a few more days and gradually try again if you encounter difficulties when stepping up to the next stage. If you are having ongoing problems with tolerating food and drink at any stage of your recovery – for example you are unable to keep food or fluid down despite following the guidance given, please contact the team urgently for support using our contact numbers in the contact section.  

You can learn more about these stages in the patient resources section of our website – you will find the relevant information in the surgery preparation group patient presentation, the surgery follow-up group patient presentation, and the patient information leaflet you will be discharged home with – for bypass and sleeve gastrectomy. 

After bariatric surgery, your medical team will review all your current medications to make sure they’re still safe and effective. Because your body absorbs medicines differently after the procedure, some prescriptions may need to be changed or discontinued.

The medications you are given help prevent complications, support healing, and manage nutritional health during recovery. It is therefore important that you take them as prescribed. 

What You Need to Know

• Diabetes and blood pressure medicines may be reduced or stopped entirely, depending on your readings after surgery
• You should have your blood sugar and blood pressure monitored regularly by your GP
• For the first 4 to 6 weeks, avoid taking whole tablets — use liquid, crushable, or dissolvable forms instead.
• NSAIDs (like ibuprofen) may not be suitable after surgery, as they can irritate your new stomach pouch.
• Only take medication as prescribed, and your GP will review everything again when you're discharged.

What You’ll Be Sent Home With

You’ll receive a discharge summary detailing all the medications you’ll need, and a copy will be shared with your GP. You’ll likely go home with:

• blood thinning injections
• laxatives
• pain relief
• vitamin D supplements
• stomach protection medication (e.g. Lansoprazole)
• vitamin B12 injections, this will need to be started by your GP within the first 4 weeks of having surgery
• your usual prescriptions, adjusted to suit your post-op needs.

You will need to buy your own multivitamins and minerals and double the dose post-surgery (chewable/spray/liquid for –6 weeks post-surgery).

If you're taking thyroxine, a blood test is typically required three weeks after surgery to assess hormone levels. Based on the results, your dose may be adjusted to ensure optimal thyroid function.

Biologic therapies are generally restarted 2 to 4 weeks after bariatric surgery, but only under the guidance of your surgeon or specialist team. Before resuming treatment, all surgical wounds must be fully healed, and there must be no signs of infection. Bariatric procedures alter the gastrointestinal tract, which can impact the absorption and metabolism of biologic medications. Weight-based dosing may need adjustment, particularly for drugs such as infliximab, and in some cases, a switch from oral to injectable formulations may be necessary due to reduced absorption. Because biologics suppress the immune system, restarting them too early may increase the risk of infection. Careful monitoring for infection and close coordination between your GP, bariatric team, and specialist—such as a rheumatologist or gastroenterologist—is essential for a safe and effective return to therapy.

Constipation is a common side effect after bariatric surgery, especially in the first few weeks to months. Changes to your digestive system, your diet and physical activity levels all play a role in this. You're eating smaller meals, so there's less food to move through your body. You might not be drinking enough water and eating less fruit, veg, and grains as well as resting more while healing, so your body moves slower.

• To help with this, you are given laxatives when you leave the hospital. These help you go to the toilet more easily by softening stools.
• It is important that you do not strain when opening your bowel.
• It is important that you drink 1.5 - 2 litres of fluids a day and have vegetables, fruits, and fibre in your diet when allowed.

 If you have had No bowel movement for 7+ days, experiencing severe pain, bloating, or vomiting. Having blood in stool or signs of impaction, please see your GP immediately or visit A&E.

Most people recover well after bariatric surgery, especially since it's performed using a laparoscopic (keyhole) technique, which involves smaller incisions and typically leads to faster healing.

What to Expect During Wound Healing

• Healing usually takes 2 to 6 weeks, but this can vary depending on the individual.
• If your stitches are dissolvable, there’s no need to have them removed.
• If you had staples, these should be taken out by your practice nurse about 10–12 days post-op.

Tips for Supporting Wound Healing

• Keep your wounds clean and dry — follow your team’s instructions carefully.
• Avoid wearing tight clothing or anything that might rub against the wounds.
• Eat a protein-rich diet to help tissue repair.
• Continue taking your multivitamins and minerals as prescribed.

When to Seek Medical Help

If you notice redness, swelling, oozing and pain or any signs of infection around the incision sites, contact your GP or practice nurse immediately.

Bathing / showering

• Let warm water run gently over the wound—do not scrub or soak the area.
• Use mild, unscented soap only.
• Gently pat dry with a clean towel—avoid rubbing.
• Once healed, bathing and regular showers can be resumed.
• Clean and dry skin folds. Good skin care routine e.g. moisturising.

Please access the ’After Bariatric Surgery' patient leaflet under our patient resource section for further information.

The day after your operation on the ward, you will be reviewed by the physiotherapy team to help you begin moving safely to support your recovery. Being active as soon as safely possible after surgery will improve surgery recovery and reduce the risk of post-operative complications such as chest infections and blood clots. It is normal to feel pain and discomfort immediately after surgery, which may make you want to avoid movement. However, reduced mobility following surgery will increase the risk of prolonged pain and medical complications. Therefore, if you are having difficulties with movement either in hospital or when you return home, please reach out to a member of the team for support. 

The day after your surgery, you should aim to be able to get of bed and practice gentle movement and walking on the ward before you go home. If you usually use a walking aid to support your movement, please plan to bring these with you on the day of the surgery, to support early mobilisation after surgery on the ward. If you have stairs at home and are concerned about being able to manage these when you leave hospital, the physiotherapy team can practice this with you in hospital to build confidence and practice a safe technique. 

During the physiotherapy review on the ward, you will be given advice on how to increase your physical activity levels safely after surgery and how to reduce the risk of post-surgical complications. This will include advice on breathing exercises to improve your lung function, exercises to improve your circulation and movement, and how to get back into your daily activities. We advise that you avoid heavy lifting and swimming until your wounds have fully healed and there is no discomfort. We advise that you do not drive yourself home from hospital, please see ‘What can I do when’ section. Please therefore consider any arrangements you will require to be able to get home from the hospital safely, and any support you may need to achieve your day-to-day tasks such as shopping, work or childcare duties when you return home.  

You will be provided with an information leaflet outlining this advice in further detail, which you can find below to refer back to for your reference: 

Link to physiotherapy advice after bariatric surgery leaflet