Follow Up Appointments After Bariatric Surgery
Your follow-up appointments are an important part of keeping you on track toward your weight loss goals, but also making sure that recovery is smooth and you’re not experiencing any vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
Follow up appointments are spread out over the course of the first two years as follows:
At two weeks, your surgeon will evaluate your wounds and perform a comprehensive physical exam. At this point, you may have lost some, but not much weight. Most important is to ensure that your recovery is progressing as planned. Your surgeon may give you guidance on when you can go back to work and possibly give you the OK to submerge your wounds in a bath. This is a great time to brush up on what your surgeon expects over the course of the next year, how you intend to get there and discussing the support structure that you have created to ensure you stay motivated.
Further appointments will be scheduled for:
- Six weeks
- Three months
- Six months,
- Nine months
- 12 months from surgery
Each of these follow-up appointments are designed to track your weight loss progress. At one or two of these appointments, your blood will be drawn and analyzed for any vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
Common vitamin deficiencies include:
- Iron
- Calcium,
- Vitamin D and
- Vitamin B12.
While you will be taking a daily multivitamin, this may not be enough and additional supplementation may be necessary. These deficiencies rarely progress to something serious – as long as you are keeping up with your follow-up appointments – and can be managed very easily.
Longer-term, you will be seen annually after your first year.
Be mindful that you will also have the support of both Dr. Tsuda and Dr. Ryan as well as our physician assistant Brian Grace. The entire staff here at VIPSurg expect you to call us whenever you have a challenge or concern as your success is ours, as well. We also encourage you to find bariatric support groups, whether they are online or in-person as these can be very effective in building motivation and helping you stay on track.
