Gastric sleeve surgery is usually the last resort for bariatric patients to lose weight.
In this surgery, a part of the stomach is removed, and the remaining portion is sewed and shaped into a sleeve-like banana. This reduces the amount of food a person can eat, thus helping them lose weight over time. Vomiting after sleeve gastrectomy is a major problem for many patients. Some common side effects are expected after the surgery, like nausea, vomiting, or constipation.
However, most of these side effects fade away quickly within a couple of weeks. Studies have shown that people lose as much as 60% of their original weight after the surgery because the stomach has become anatomically smaller, thus making the person feel full even after eating a small amount of food. Going through this surgery also means a person must change their eating habits forever. These are some things a person needs to be aware of during the recovery period after the surgery.
- Thoroughly chewing the food to ensure that your stomach does not need much work to digest the food.
- Drinking while eating food is not recommended as it may lead the stomach to overfill and rupture the sutures.
- Fluids or water should only be consumed after thirty minutes of consuming food.
- High-sugar and calorie food and drinks like sodas and burgers should be avoided.
- Due to the nature of the surgery, a person might develop certain vitamin deficiencies and need to consume supplements for the rest of their lives. The consulting doctor will explain this as it may differ from patient to patient.
- You can start eating soft foods only after the first month of surgery; until then, the diet needs to be liquid.
Avoiding Nausea & Vomiting After The Surgery
Nausea and vomiting are some of the most common side effects to be noticed after the surgery. Usually, these symptoms disappear within the first couple of days after the surgery, but they may persist in some patients.
Dumping Syndrome
This is a common side effect noticed in patients undergoing gastric sleeve surgery. The dumping syndrome usually takes place five to ten minutes after eating something. A person may experience bloating, abdominal cramps, and fullness in their stomach. This is generally followed by diarrhea in some patients and can result in low blood sugar levels, weakness, and further nausea.
To mitigate this symptom, a person needs to maintain a balanced diet, ensuring he/she does not consume a lot of processed or simple sugars and fats, disrupting the body’s ability to digest them properly. The amount of sugar or fat a body can handle will vastly differ in individuals, so they might need to experiment with how much their body can handle.
Properly Chewing Food
This is a very important tip as you must thoroughly chew your food before swallowing it. This is because it helps the brain determine how full the stomach is and makes it easier for the stomach to digest the food.
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Overeating
Gastric sleeve surgery is meant to make a person eat less to make them lose weight. However, after the surgery, it usually takes the patients some time to figure out how much they can eat. Due to past habits, they might eat more food than their shortened stomach can hold, resulting in vomiting.
This is to be expected and is also an important step in learning how much food your body can handle in its current condition. Start with small portions, and once you see no side effects, you can increase it after consulting with your doctor.
Lying Down After A Meal
Lying down after a meal is a strict no, as it interferes with the digestion process of the stomach leading to indigestion, bloating, and nausea. You should wait for one to two hours before lying on the bed.
Tolerance Levels
This process might take some time to nail down completely. You need to track and note down the foods that are tolerated well by your body. Some foods that might be handled well by someone else might not suit you at all. However, it might be temporary if you notice that you cannot take some foods that you previously had no trouble eating. So, waiting until your stomach is adjusted to such foods again is a good idea.
Avoid Taking Medicine/Supplements Without Food
Under no circumstances should you take drugs or supplements on an empty stomach. Doing so can lead to further nausea, bloating, and vomiting. Chewable vitamins are something that is tolerated pretty well by many patients. However, you should consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet.
Hydration Is Key
You should consume at least 6-8 glasses of water every day to hit your daily quota. However, drinking water right after a meal or too quickly may result in vomiting. To prevent this, waiting at least 20-30 minutes after consuming a meal is recommended.
Conclusion
Nausea and vomiting are side effects experienced by almost every patient undergoing gastric sleeve surgery. Your doctor might prescribe you anti-nausea medicine, which is very helpful in mitigating these symptoms.
Other things that should also be kept in mind are that incorporating ginger into your diet might help reduce nausea. However, you must refer to your doctor before adding new items to your diet. Other factors like smoking, vaping, taking aspirin, and ibuprofen might cause stomach ulcers, leading to more nausea and vomiting. A Stricture may also lead to similar side effects, it happens when the new connection between the stomach and the small intestine is smaller than expected.
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