Recovery after gastric sleeve surgery can be excruciatingly painful. Patients frequently describe abdominal pain in the weeks following surgery, which can be severe for some. Patients must have pain management alternatives available to them following any type of bariatric surgery.
Despite this, many different types of pain medicine must be avoided because they endanger the patient. What anti inflammatory can I take after gastric sleeve, and what medications can gastric sleeve patients use to manage pain?
Should Patients Take Pills Following Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
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Although it is difficult to eat various foods, tablets are appropriate for individuals who have recently undergone gastric sleeve surgery. Patients, for example, are urged to take a multivitamin pill.
Most people who have gastric sleeve surgery also have additional chronic diseases that necessitate medication. Your doctor will meet with you to ensure that you can continue to take your medications to control your other chronic problems.
Certain pain medications can be taken, but for various reasons, most prescription and over-the-counter pain medications must be avoided.
Avoiding Pain Medications After Gastric Sleeve Surgery
Although some pain relievers are useful, they should be avoided completely following gastric sleeve surgery.
Over-the-counter NSAIDs are among these drugs. NSAID is an abbreviation for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications. Drugs like ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin belong to the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication family. These drugs can be hazardous because they break down the mucous membrane in the stomach. Over time, people who take a lot of NSAIDs have been known to develop ulcers, but they’re especially risky for people who have recently had gastric sleeve surgery.
NSAIDs prescribed by a doctor, such as Relafen, Daypro, Lodine, vimovo, Indocin, and Voltaren. Although these are more powerful and less widely used, they are nevertheless not suggested for people who have just undergone gastric sleeve surgery.
After one month, your doctor can tell you whether or not you should take NSAIDs. By this point, it is usually safe to resume taking these medications.
You Can Take Painkillers After Gastric Sleeve Surgery
Although NSAIDs are not permitted due to their effect on the stomach, pain drugs are available to bariatric surgery patients experiencing pain, whether caused by the procedure or not.
To treat pain, bariatric surgery patients may take acetaminophen (or paracetamol outside the United States). Patients frequently utilize these pain relievers instead of NSAIDs, which are more regularly used. Tylenol and other acetaminophen-containing drugs are safe for people who have recently had gastric sleeve surgery.
Opioid-based pain relievers are also permitted. Morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, and codeine are all opioids that are available under a variety of brand names. Of course, opioids are recommended with caution and should be used sparingly. If you are an opiate addict in recovery or prefer to avoid opiates for any other reason, you can still use acetaminophen to relieve pain.
Lifestyle
You boldly decided to have major surgery to help you lose weight and reach a healthy BMI (BMI). You must now commit to a new way of life. We hope that the behaviors you form soon after surgery, such as calorie counting and frequent exercise, will become lifelong routines for you.
We recommend viewing each day as a reflection of a new mentality that you are important and that your health is essential. Be pleased with yourself every day for keeping this promise to yourself. Engaging in activities, behaviors, and organizations that remind you of your health goals and promote your new lifestyle is essential for success, so keep up with your hobbies, favorite activities, and social groups.
Exercise
Strive for 30–45 minutes of physical activity daily, three to five days per week, and aerobic activity (“cardio”). We recommend starting with five minutes of walking in the morning and five minutes of walking in the afternoon. Walking for at least 15 minutes twice a day is recommended, so build up the time between sessions by five minutes at a time as tolerated. Following that, you can add diversity to your strategy by doing things like mild running, swimming, or riding a stationary bike.
When you feel you’ve reached a plateau, try new hobbies, add more intense exercises, or extend the duration of your activities. Walking and jogging in two- to five-minute increments will help you break through a plateau and burn fat. Alternate between jogging and sprinting for a greater challenge. Resistance training both increases muscle mass and burns calories. This aids in weight loss maintenance since muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than body fat. Begin with small weights, such as two to five pounds, and complete three sets of ten repetitions for each exercise. Increase the weight as your strength improves.
Diet
Dietary guidelines aim to provide balanced meals while restricting calories to prevent nutritional deficits and preserve muscle tissue. Each patient reacts differently to different foods, so keep this in mind when making recommendations.
For at least the first year following surgery, your daily caloric intake should be between 500 and 700 calories, with no more than 1,000 calories consumed daily. Maintain a well-planned diet heavy in protein and vegetables and low in carbohydrates and sweets. Your daily protein intake should be between 60 and 80 grams. Protein-rich foods include eggs, meats, seafood (including tuna and other fish), poultry, tofu, soy products, milk, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt. Six to eight weeks post-op is a reasonable time frame to aim for when it comes to reaching your protein target regularly.
Keeping a daily calorie and portion record, as well as meeting with a dietician regularly, are important success factors.
Final Thoughts
Gastric sleeve surgery patients should avoid certain foods and medications for a variety of reasons. The most vital part is ensuring your diet has all the nutrients your body needs to repair and heal itself. If you’re trying to lose weight, avoiding certain foods is critical. You’ll be able to get where you need to go much more quickly and efficiently if you do this. Please don’t forget to consult your doctor for questions about which foods and medications are safe for gastric sleeve surgery patients.
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