Bariatric Surgery Side Effects

Bariatric surgery is a procedure aimed at losing weight. It’s carried out to restrict the amount of food the stomach can hold, causing malabsorption or a combination of both malabsorption and restriction. Before you decide to have a weight loss surgery, thoughtful consideration has to be made since there are both short and long term Bariatric surgery side effects.

Below are some of Bariatric surgery side effects

Excessive bleeding

Bleeding is a risk for any surgical procedure. You can expect some little bleeding in any procedure, but it is not supposed to continue long after the surgery. This may cause hemorrhage on the skin level or internally. If it does not stop in time, another surgery is required to stop the bleeding.

Bleeding may come from spleen injuries. Bariatric surgery is done near the spleen, which is fragile. The doctor has to be careful not to damage it as it plays a part in fighting some bacteria through enhancing the immune system. Bleeding in the spleen may be stopped, but if it is not successful, the spleen can be removed and still live normally.

You may require a blood thinner to prevent blood clots during the procedure. It may later interfere with the usual blood clotting hence putting you at a higher risk of excessive bleeding. If this happens, the blood thinner has to be stopped.

Gallstones development

This is one of the common Bariatric surgery side effects that occurs once in every 12 cases of the surgery. Gallstones are cholesterol and chemical aggregates that clog up the gall bladder. Gallstone symptoms include intense abdominal pain, vomiting, jaundice and nausea in some people while others do not feel any symptoms.

Gastric band slippage

If your surgery involved fitting an adjustable band in the gastric, you may risk having a slippage of the band. The band may slip out of place and it is causing the stomach pouch to be bigger than it should be. If this happens, you may start feeling nauseated, vomit and suffer from heart-burn and only a further surgery can correct this.

Blockage of stoma

Stoma is the opening that connects the stomach pouch and the small intestine. If you undergo a gastric bypass procedure, there is a risk of food pieces blocking this opening. This is followed by persistent vomiting. If this happens, a balloon attached to an endoscope is direct to the point and inflated to remove the obstruction. You can prevent from happening by chewing your food thoroughly and taking it in small bites.

Excess skin

Rapid loss of weight may leave your skin loose and folded around the back, breasts, limbs, abdomen and hips. These folds may happen after twelve to eighteen months after the surgery. It may harbor moisture causing infections and rashes. A cosmetic surgery can help to remove and tighten the excess skin flaps.

Dysphagia

This means difficulty swallowing and it is a side effect of stomach restriction. After the stomach pouch has been shrunk, you could be eating too fast. Too much or not chewing well enough and it is causing chest pressure and tightness in the throat which is followed by vomiting. Dysphagia may worsen to the point of finding difficulty in swallowing fluids. This can be corrected with an endoscopy.

The dangerous side effect of bariatric surgery : Death

One of the rare cases of Bariatric surgery side effects and risks is death. Death risk is higher in people with severe lung and heart disease or patients undergoing a revision of gastric bypass procedure. Infections and travel of blood clots in the lungs are the most common causes of death after the surgery.

There are other Bariatric surgery side effects apart from the ones discussed above. This is telling you that you can expect more. You have to decide thoughtfully before going for the procedure. It is only recommendable for you when dieting, exercise and lifestyle changes cannot reduce weight loss properly.