FAQs About Gastric Sleeve Surgery

In gastric sleeve surgery, approximately 75-80% of the stomach is removed and the rest of the stomach is reshaped into a sleeve. Gastric sleeve surgery is an irreversible procedure. However, if necessary, it can be converted to a different procedure, for example a gastric bypass.

With gastric sleeve surgery, you can lose approximately 60-70% of your excess weight at the end of the first year. With permanent lifestyle changes, most of our patients have lost even more weight.

As with any surgical procedure, gastric sleeve surgery has various risks and complications. However, it is a very safe procedure when performed by an experienced surgeon.

After the gastric sleeve surgery, there are improvements in conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, sleep apnoea and joint pains. Fertility increases in women. In gastric sleeve surgery, no foreign material is inserted into the stomach as in gastric band and gastric balloon. No changes are made in the small intestine as in gastric bypass surgery. Reducing the stomach volume ensures that the hunger hormone is secreted less. This reduces the patient’s appetite.

Gastric sleeve surgery can be performed on people between the ages of 18-65 with a body mass index greater than 30. Patients over 65 years of age can also undergo gastric sleeve surgery, but they must have a good general health condition and must not have severe health problems associated with obesity. People under 18 years of age require parental consent.

Gastric sleeve surgery usually takes about 1.5 hours to complete. The surgery is performed laparoscopically under general anaesthesia. You may need to stay in hospital for 2-3 nights after the surgery.

Yes. We routinely use urinary catheter and abdominal drains in gastric sleeve surgery and gastric bypass surgery. The catheter is removed after approx. 6 hours and the drain is removed the day after the operation (usually in the morning).

After gastric sleeve surgery, pain may occur, but it is controlled with medication in a short time. It usually disappears by the end of the first day.

You will stay in hospital for 2 nights after the surgery. The recovery time may vary from patient to patient, but you can usually return to your work and daily routines within 1 week. It usually takes 6-8 weeks for your stomach to heal completely. You should avoid heavy lifting during this period.

If you are not doing a job that requires physical effort, you can usually return to work 1 week after surgery. If your job requires heavy lifting or a lot of physical activity, we recommend that you return to work after 2-3 weeks.

After gastric sleeve surgery, you will lose weight quickly, especially in the first 6 months. You may experience vitamin and mineral deficiency during this period. This can be unhealthy for both mother and baby. For this reason, we recommend planning a pregnancy 12 months after the operation.

You can drive safely 1 week after a gastric sleeve surgery.

Exercising after a gastric sleeve surgery is very important to achieve your weight loss goals. You can start walking in the first week. From the 2nd week you can swim and at the end of the 1st month you can go to the gym. However, you should wait 6-8 weeks to lift weights and do abdominal exercises that require effort.

After the gastric sleeve surgery, a surgical drain will be applied to your abdominal cavity. It is usually removed by the surgeon on the first day after the surgery. You can take a shower 24 hours after the drain has been removed. After taking a shower, you should dry the incisions. Take care to keep the incisions dry for 2 weeks after the surgery.

We do not recommend alcohol consumption in the first year after the surgery. If you want to drink later, you should prefer this on special occasions and consume a small amount. Alcohol can slow down weight loss with its excessive calorific value.

Since caffeine delays wound healing, we recommend that you consume decaffeinated coffee for the first month after the surgery. You can drink a maximum of 2 small espresso cups daily.

You will receive liquid nutrition for the first 10 days after the surgery. During this period, you can consume soups (meat broth soup, chicken broth soup, fish broth soup, bone broth soup), milk (lactose-free), yoghurt and fruit juice.

If you do not have a problem with blood pressure, you can consume salt, but we do not recommend using spices for the first 2 months.

After the 10-day liquid period, there is a puree period between the 10th and 20th days after the surgery. During this period you can eat eggs, cheese, vegetables, fruit, meat, chicken and fish. However, all these foods must be pureed with a blender.

After the puree period, you can start to eat solid food. In this period, you can consume the food that you were eating during the puree period without blending, but we recommend that you chew it in your mouth for 10-15 seconds.