Identifying an Emergency After Weight Loss Surgery
Knowing when to call your surgeon is an essential part of weight loss surgery, as the complications can be sudden and severe. In the weeks after surgery, you should call your weight loss surgeon immediately if you experience any of the following:
- You develop a fever over 101 degrees
- You have uncontrollable pain
- You cannot keep fluids down
- You feel short of breath or have difficulty breathing
- You have dark or tarry (bloody) stools
- You begin to bruise far more easily than before surgery
- Your incisions begin to leak pus or bleed heavily
If you are unable to notify your surgeon, it is important to seek emergency care. As the intake nurse and doctor treating you will not be as familiar with your condition as your surgeon, it is essential that you explain that you are a weight loss surgery patient, what symptom(s) you are experiencing, what procedure you had and when you had it. You should also offer your surgeon's name and request that he or she be notified or your condition immediately.
More Information: Tips For Success After Weight Loss Surgery
Sources:
Bariatric Surgery For Severe Obesity. Consumer Information Sheet. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. March 2008. http:// http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/gastric.htm
Frequently Asked Questions About Obesity and Bariatrics. American Society of Bariatric Surgeons. 2008. http:// http://www.asbp.org/siterun_data/faq/news.php?q=5405d8a903c83e89cb649f1b518ef1be
