Bariatric Surgery Aftercare

 

The surgeons and staff here at Rocky Mountain Associated Physicians (RMAP) want to see our patients achieve their goals, as well as have a lifetime of success with their new tool and healthy behaviors we have educated them on. We seek to be a partner in your journey for health, not just for the first year of weight loss, but for life. This could be means of annual bloodwork, support groups, continuing education of the bariatric world, and annual follow-ups. We want to help keep you on track and provide a place for you, our patients, for when you feel overwhelmed. Bariatric surgery is life changing, and it will change your way of living for the rest of your life!

Your follow-up care with us is important! It is to help us monitor your health and weight status, but also assist you in establishing patient-selected incremental goals as well as long-term goals.

There are numerous reasons as to why you should continue to follow-up with your surgeon and bariatric clinic after weight loss surgery. Here we have listed three of the top reasons why:

1. Annual Bloodwork: Bloodwork is important after bariatric surgery so that we can monitor your vitamin levels and overall health. We can see if anything looks amiss, causing unusual symptoms you might be experiencing, any deficiencies developing, or the reason why some unexplained or unwanted weight loss or gain could be happening.

We have our patients do annual bloodwork every year after surgery. Your family physician or our office can order them once to two weeks before your annual visit. The tests you need are:

• Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
• Lipid Profile
• CBC with diff
• Vitamin B-12 level
• Thiamine (Vitamin B1) level
• Folate
• Hemoglobin A1c

***You must be fasting 6 hours prior to blood draw.

Duodenal Switch patients
Get all of the labs listed above PLUS

• Vitamin A level
• Vitamin D level
• Protime

Mail or fax a copy of these tests to our office. The tests will be reviewed by your surgeon and placed in your chart. Fax number: (801) 268-3997.

2. Keeping You on Track: After the weight loss stage, it can be easy to lose focus of the guidelines and education materials we have provided for you. Understanding that the necessary adjustments to your present behaviors are yours to make, we are here to help in any way we can! Having someone else following your achievements and setbacks could help you stay on track with your weight loss results and maintenance goals. We could provide education and our professional advice if you find yourself straying, getting off track, or becoming overwhelmed with the anatomy changes of weight loss surgery.

3. Your Overall Health: In addition to getting bloodwork done annually, our surgeons and medical staff members like to follow our patients to continue monitoring their health in general; the positives—no more CPAP, remission of diabetes, doing activities you were unable to do before—but also the complications that can occur after surgery—vitamin deficiencies, gas, diarrhea, bowel blockage, hernias, excess skin. Additional testing could be necessary after surgery, so keeping your follow-up appointments with us is essential.

Post-Op Visits

You should schedule an appointment to see your surgeon/assistant for follow-up visits at:

• 3-4 weeks (scheduled at the time of your surgery orientation class)
• 2 months
• 4 months
• 6-8 months
• 1 year or additionally as requested by your surgeon
• Annually thereafter

Bariatric surgery is undoubtedly a major lifestyle change, and it takes strong determination and commitment to have long-term success. Your surgeon, nurses, and health staff are your unified team with your best interests in mind. We want you to reach improved health and experience an enriched quality of life. We want to be a partner in your health and along for your weight loss journey.

Keep in contact with us, and attend the weekly support groups we provide for our patients regularly.

Links to related articles:
Following Up After Bariatric Surgery
Medical Follow-Ups after Weight Loss Surgery
Understanding Vitamins and Labels

 

www.RMAP.com
Rocky Mountain Associated Physicians
801-268-3800
1160 East 3900 South, Suite 4100
SLC, UT 84124