Possible Complications

Individuals having weight loss surgery can lose more than 60% of their excess weight within the first year post-surgery. Weight-related diseases such as type II diabetes and high blood pressure often disappear with the weight. However, while weight loss surgery is generally highly successful and often recommended for obese individuals who have difficulty losing weight otherwise, surgery is not without complications.

First, because the procedure is surgical there are complications that can occur during your hospital stay. Going under general anesthesia always carries risks which include mortality (approximately one percent) as well as a handful of post-operative issues like blood clots in the legs or lungs, infections (both internal and external) and respiratory difficulties.

Once you return home other issues may arise. After eight weeks or so, you will be able to return to a relatively normal diet but must carefully monitor your food intake. Eating large meals may put too much pressure on the stomach and cause discomfort. Ingesting excessively fatty or sweet foods can cause ‘dumping syndrome’ in which the food moves through the digestive system too quickly. This causes discomfort, diarrhea and vomiting.

Many of the side effects of surgery can be avoided if you carefully follow your surgeon’s post operative instructions. Follow up visits are important so your doctor can assess the healing process and a nutritionist can track your weight loss progression.

Because you are consuming fewer calories, the chances of nutritional deficiencies developing are high resulting in lethargy, dizziness and weakness. Eating nutrient-rich foods along with vitamin and mineral supplements can prevent this from occurring.

Make clear to your surgeon your concerns regarding the risks associated with weight loss surgery. Completely understanding these risks beforehand will help you avoid many of them. Regardless of the potential complications, the benefits of weight loss surgery far outweigh the cost of being overweight.