The most common procedures of bariatric surgery are gastric banding, vertical sleeve gastrectomy, and gastric bypass. All procedures are performed laparoscopically (without an abdominal incision).  In this way, the recovery is fast, while post-operative pain is minimized relative to open surgery (with abdominal incision).

Selection of the most suitable surgery for each obese patient must be done after detailed conversation between the patient and the physician. The decision will be made according to the nutritional profile, medical history, even the psychological profile, as well as the ability of the patient to follow specific instructions postoperatively. The surgeon will present in detail the expected results from each type of surgery, inform about any potential complications and the ways to avoid them, and explain the monitoring schedule until complete treatment of obesity.

On the day of surgery, no food is taken orally. The day after surgery, only liquid food is allowed (water, tea, soups, limited amount of coffee). On the following days and for 3 weeks,  it is mandatory to consume solely fluid food (purèe, yogurt, cremes, soups), as well as any other type of food in a processed form. At the end of this time period, you will visit again the OMU medical center for obesity and you will start consuming solid food, according to the instructions given by the medical doctor and the nutritionist.  As a general rule, you should eat slowly,  chewing all foods thoroughly.

After your exit from the medical center, you will be allowed to take a bath, according to the instructions of your physician. If the surgery is performed during summertime, it is suggested to avoid swimming in the sea for a whole month, as well as sun exposure.

Normally, there will be no vomit tendency after a successful bariatric operation, provided that all rules are followed. The notion that an obese individual must vomit in order to accelerate weight loss, is a dangerous myth. Vomiting is caused when patients do not follow medical instructions, for example they do not chew the food thoroughly or slowly. Vomiting can be also induced by an excessively tight gastric band. In any case, if you repeatedly vomit, you must contact the physician or the nutritionist.

The first medical visit  is usually scheduled  10 days after surgery, in order to have the stitches removed. The second visit is scheduled 3 weeks after the surgery, to check the weight, measure body fat, and mainly to receive instructions about the consumption of solid foods. The third visit is scheduled 2 months after surgery for a general medical examination. The following visits can take place about every two months within the first year, and less frequently after that, according to the needs of each patient.

You can start working out 15 to 20 days after surgery. At the beginning, avoid intense body exercise, do mild exercise, and after a short period of time increase the intensity of your activity, according to your personal strength. Incorporate walking into your daily routine.

Plastic surgery is not necessary after weight loss. However, in some cases it could be beneficial. Excessively loose skin creates sometimes an aesthetic issue, as well as a practical one, when large and annoying skin folds are present. This depends on many factors, such as heredity, age, amount of weight lost, etc.

The most common operation is the abdominoplasty, performed to correct the loose abdominal wall (stretched-out stomach). It concerns individuals with highly concentrated fat tissue in the abdominal area, or often women with loose abdominal wall, because of pregnancy. Similar operations can be performed on buttocks and other body parts.

Plastic surgery is not recommended prior to complete weight loss, otherwise the result will be temporary. Practically, the right time for plastic surgery is not before 1,5 years after the bariatric surgery. If you wish to have plastic surgery, you need to discuss this with the physician that performed the bariatric surgery and after that the plastic surgeon of the medical center for obesity will inform you about the results that could be achieved.

There is no need for extra medication, apart from the what is necessary during the first days postoperatively (antibiotics, gastroprotection, anticoagulant). The exception to this rule is the gastric and cholopancreatic bypass surgery, after which a lifelong nutritional supplement needs to be taken, according to the instructions of the nutritionist. In other types of surgery,

Medication prescribed for other diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, thyroid problems, will continue to be taken normally postoperatively. When the size of the pills is large, then they must be dissolved or cut, or received in liquid form. In diseases affected by obesity such as diabetes and hypertension, improvement of health by weight loss reduces, or even terminates the need for further therapy.