What to Expect While Recovering from Duodenal Switch Surgery
Duodenal switch surgery represents a breakthrough in bariatric surgery, combining restrictive components with a malabsorptive element to make massive weight loss over the long term a realistic goal for patients struggling with morbid obesity. During the procedure, your bariatric surgeon reduces the size of the stomach while preserving the structural integrity of the pyloric valve and the duodenum. Ultimately, patients who undergo duodenal switch surgery will be able to absorb a healthy amount of nutrients; however, they will absorb only about 20 percent of the fat they consume.
Although the concept that underlies duodenal switch surgery - a marriage of restrictive and malabsorptive elements - is simple enough, the procedure itself is among the most complex in bariatric surgery. As you might imagine, then, the recovery period following duodenal switch surgery is also relatively significant. Our weight loss specialists are careful to explain duodenal switch surgery recovery in detail during consultations at our Tijuana, BC bariatric surgery practice. We want patients to know exactly what duodenal switch surgery entails so that they can make confident decisions regarding whether to proceed with the procedure.
We invite you to read the following information about duodenal switch surgery recovery and then contact Tijuana Bariatrics today to find out more about whether this type of bariatric surgery is right for you.
The Duodenal Switch Recovery Timeline
Every patient’s body is different and will therefore heal differently after duodenal switch recovery. It is also important to note that there are multiple types of recovery that must occur after duodenal switch surgery, including both the physical and the emotional.
The physical recovery from duodenal switch surgery can take anywhere from one week to a couple of months, depending on many factors. If our team is able to perform the surgery laparoscopically, then the patient’s physical recovery time will be relatively minimal - one to two weeks on average. If your surgeon must perform open surgery for some reason, then the patient’s physical recovery time will be significantly longer - up to eight weeks, depending on his or her health and how closely he or she follows post-operative instructions. In order to ensure the quickest, most comfortable recovery period possible, patients must take all medications exactly as advised, stay hydrated throughout the day, follow their prescribed diet plan, and engage in light walking as often as they can while otherwise avoiding strenuous activity.
The emotional recovery from duodenal switch surgery has no set timeline and may even require a lifetime. Most patients who undergo any form of bariatric surgery experience extreme highs and lows, especially in the initial months following their procedure, as they consider what they have done. On the one hand, they have taken control of their lives and their health, quite definitively. On the other, they have forever changed the relationship they are able to have with food. These realizations, coupled with the exhaustion and discomfort they experience during their physical recovery, can be emotionally draining. Fortunately, there are support groups and other sources of support that can be leaned on during this period.
Learn More about Duodenal Switch Surgery Recovery
To learn more about duodenal switch surgery recovery, please contact Tijuana Bariatrics today.
