Healing Time for Stomach Stapling
Years ago, a person who was very obese could only turn to diet and exercise to shed extra pounds. Today, however, there are more options for someone who is extremely overweight. For example, a person for whom diet and exercise have failed may choose stomach stapling as a way out of obesity.
Time Frame
Most people stay in the hospital for about 2 to 4 days following stomach stapling. Despite this rather short hospital stay, total recovery may take a longer amount of time. In general, people can expect to need between 3 to 5 weeks of recovery time before they can fully return to their normal lifestyles.
Features
If you undergo stomach stapling, you may not be able to eat for about 1 to 3 days after your operation. This waiting period is to allow your stomach to heal well. After this waiting period, it is likely that you will have to begin eating soft foods before you can move on to a more regular diet. For example, your doctor may recommend that you eat pureed foods for the first few days or weeks following surgery, gradually moving into more solid choices. Often, you will have to wait about 12 weeks before you can eat normally.
Considerations
It is important to monitor what you eat carefully as well as how fast you eat it, especially for the first 6 months following surgery. Eating too fast could cause you to experience pain in your abdominal area, as well as vomiting. Eating too much could cause similar problems. Since the stomach pouch your surgeon created is very small, it is important to follow his instructions concerning the amount of food you can eat. Usually, you will have to eat about 1 cup of food or less at each sitting, as this is all the new stomach pouch holds.
Effects
For the first 6 months of healing time after stomach stapling, your body may feel a little bit different. According to the Mayo Clinic, patients may experience body aches and fatigue as they heal from stomach stapling. For example, you may feel as if you have the flu at times. You may also feel cold and have dry skin. These effects are part of the body's reaction to faster-than-normal weight loss. Some people also experience hair thinning, hair loss and similar changes. However, not all people experience these changes. It is possible that you will experience just one of these changes or none of them at all. Some of these changes may result from nutritional deficiencies, in addition to simple reactions to weight loss, and your doctor may recommend a supplement.
Potential
The amount of time you will have to miss from work while you heal from stomach stapling depends on the type of work you do. For example, if you have a very sedentary job that does not require heavy lifting, you may be able to go back to work in as little as 3 weeks. However, if your job requires a lot of physical activity or heavy lifting, you may need to stay home for about 6 weeks. Keep in mind, however, that these time frames are just averages, and the amount of time you will need depends on the particulars of your surgery, your overall health and how well you personally recover following an operation.
