Weight loss surgery carries a risk of complications, some of which can be serious.
Before having surgery, speak to your surgeon about the possible benefits and risks of the procedure.
You'llhavetreatment to reduce your risk of blood clots after surgery, such as special legstockings or blood-thinning medicine, but you can sometimes still get them.
Common places to get blood clots are in the lower leg (deep vein thrombosis)or lungs (pulmonary embolism).
Symptoms can include:
Contact a GP or NHS 111 as soon as possible if you think you might have a blood clot.
Sometimes the wounds from your surgery can become infected while they're healing.
Signs of a wound infection can include:
Contact a GP or NHS 111 if you think your wound may be infected.They may prescribe a course of antibiotics.
If you have gastric band surgery, there's a small risk that the band could move out of position.
This can cause:
See a GP if you have these symptomsand they do not go away. If your band has moved, you'll need further surgery to put it back in place or remove it.
In the days or weeks after a gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy, there's a small chance that food could leak out into your tummy.
This can cause a serious infection inside your tummy.
Symptoms of a leak can include:
Call your GP orNHS 111 as soon as possible if you have these symptoms. You may need surgery to repair the leak and antibiotics to treat any infection.
Sometimes the stomach or small intestine can become narrower or blocked after weight loss surgery. This can happen as a result of the side effects of the surgery, such as scarring and reduced blood flow to the area.
The blockage can cause a number of complications, including food getting stuck and your gut becoming kinked or twisted.
This can then cause the following symptoms:
Contact a GP or NHS 111 as soon as possible if you have these symptoms. You may need to have a procedure to widen or clear the blockage using a thin, flexible tube passed down your throat(endoscope).
Cutting food into small chunks, chewing thoroughly andnot drinking during meals can help reduce the risk of a blockage.
Weight loss surgery canmake it harder for your gut to absorbvitamins and minerals from food, so there's a risk you could become malnourished.
This might not always be obvious, but possible symptoms can include:
Having abalanced diet can help reduce the risk of malnutrition, but most people need to take extra nutritional supplements for life after surgery.
You'll have regularblood tests after surgery to measure your vitamin and mineral levels, so any problems can be picked up and treated.
It's common to develop gallstones in the first year or two after weight loss surgery. These are small, hard stones in the gallbladder that can form if you lose weight quickly.
The main symptom of gallstonesis episodes ofsevere tummy pain that come on suddenly and can last a few minutes to a few hours.
They can also sometimes cause:
See a GP if you have symptoms of gallstones. You may need an operation to remove your gallbladder.
As you lose weight after surgery,you may be left with excess folds and rolls of skin, particularly aroundyour breasts, tummy, hips and limbs.
Surgery, such as atummy tuck,can be used to remove the excess skin. But its usually consideredcosmetic surgery so it is not always available on the NHS.
Ask as GP if surgery to remove excess skin after weight loss surgery is provided on the NHS where you live.
Weight loss surgery is a major operation and there is a chance of dying during the procedure or asa result of a serious complication afterwards.
But this is rare.
Page last reviewed: 14 April 2020Next review due: 14 April 2023
Follow this link:
Weight loss surgery - Risks - NHS
