Side Effects and Complications
Side effects and complications more specific to bariatric surgery may appear soon after surgery or months after surgery. These are some of the common ones.
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Diarrhea and/or constipation
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Leakage from stomach staple or suture lines (RYGB, vertical sleeve gastrectomy, sleeve plication, BPD-DS)
- Leakage from gastric band or connection tubing (lap-band)
- Band slippage or erosion (lap-band)
- Bowel obstruction
- Infection at the access port site (lap-band)
- Hernia
- Ulcers
- Weight regain
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Osteoporosis (low bone mineral density and increased risk for fractures)
- Anemia
- Gallstones from rapid weight loss
- Dumping syndrome
- Psychological concerns, such as addiction swapping or depression
Many of the above complications are caused or made worse by going off of the proper diet. Choosing the appropriate foods for your stage of weight loss during the postoperative recovery diet progression or longer-term weight loss diet, chewing slowly, separating fluids from solids and taking nutritional supplements as recommended can prevent or reduce many of these complications.