Gastric Sleeve Procedure

On the first day after your surgery, you will only be able to eat clear liquids. After 2 – 3 days, you can eat pureed food, and protein shakes for the next four weeks. After that first month, you will be able to eat solid foods again. Your GI Alliance physician can discuss any further dietary recommendations with you.

You will also need to adopt a few new eating habits, not only to lose weight but to give your body the nutrition that it needs. You should:

• Avoid high-calorie sodas and snacks.
• Don’t drink while you eat. This could cause your stomach to overfill.
• All solid food needs to be chewed thoroughly before being swallowed.
• Take vitamin and mineral supplements every day.
• Try to only drink liquids a half-hour after finishing a meal.

Gastric sleeve surgery is an effective tool that aids some in losing weight, but there are some risks involved. Due to the nature of the surgery, there are a few short-term issues that can arise, like bleeding, pain, and blood clots. Over the long term, patients can experience problems due to a lack of nutrition. In addition, if the patient does not monitor their eating habits, the gastric sleeve can dilate and allow larger amounts of food to be consumed. Though rare, other conditions can occur, such as stomach ulcers, nausea, stomach obstructions, or abscess.