Bariatric Surgery Recovery

BARIATRIC SURGERY: HOW LONG UNTIL YOU'RE BACK ON YOUR FEET?
According to statistics, the average bariatric surgery patient loses at least half of his or her excess body weight within a year and a half of the surgery's completion date. Perhaps that is why gastric bypass and lab-band surgeries have become so popular among people who considered severely obese (a minimum of 100 pounds overweight or a Body Mass Index of 40 or higher). According to some sources, as many as 150,000 individuals will choose to undergo one procedure or the other during the current year. It stands to reason that these people will be eager to try out their "new body" as soon as possible. The question is, how long will that take?

The average gastric bypass surgery recovery time depends largely upon the individual patient. A three to four day hospitalization period is usually required immediately after the surgery, although doctors will ask patients to get out of bed and walk almost immediately afterwards to help cut down on the risk of blood clots or pulmonary embolisms. Once leaving the hospital, the patient is expected to undergo a two to four week recovery period, during which he or she should have assistance with any task that may require lifting or otherwise place strain on the abdomen. It takes approximately a month for an individual to return to his or her normal schedule of activities, and exercise can begin roughly six to eight weeks from the surgery date.

But what about the other major type of bariatric operation, the lap band procedure? Lap band recovery is said to take considerably less time than other forms of weight reduction surgery. Those who undergo this operation are only expected to spend 24 hours in the hospital for observation afterwards, with the average length of post-procedure hospital stay clocking in at 1.3 days for the lap-band system and 3.4 days for the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. Studies also show that lap-band patients can be fully recovered in just over two weeks, roughly half the time of some gastric bypass patients. These individuals can start exercising in about four to six weeks, as long as no additional operations are required.

Clearly, in terms of recovery time, the lap band procedure is more favorable than gastric bypass surgery or other forms of bariatric operations for those who want to be back on their feet as soon as possible. If you have your heart set on undergoing weight reduction surgery and want to start building and testing your new physique as soon as possible, the lap band procedure may be just what you are looking for.