Aftercare following Revision Surgery

The aftercare you receive will depend on the type of surgery you have chosen, either covered by the NHS, private or surgery abroad. You should research into what aftercare you will be offered prior to choosing and paying for your procedure, you should ensure that it contains specific follow up appointments as well as advice.

What should my aftercare provide for me?

You should take your time when choosing a procedure as often prices vary from clinic to clinic this can usually depend on what service you receive following your procedure. You should ensure that your after care package includes:


  • Access to a 24 hour emergency phone line
  • Cover for between 12 to 24 months
  • Follow up appointments free of charge
  • Access to specialist team – consisting of your surgeon, specialist nurses, a dietician, a psychologist and exercise specialists.
  • Some aftercare packages may offer gastric band adjustments free of charge.

Once you have researched as much as possible and settled on an aftercare package you should check where the aftercare will be delivered to you. If you have had surgery in the UK on the NHS or privately usually this aftercare will be delivered in the same clinic. However if you have had surgery abroad you will need to look into whether the clinic you visited has a centre in the UK which deals with your aftercare, you may also wish to ask what might happen should any complications occur once you are back in this country, as the NHS often has to treat patients who have had surgery abroad as the aftercare provided is not of a sufficient standard. To receive all this information with regards to after care you should attend a consultation with your prospective clinic within the UK these are usually free, and if you require a consultation for a clinic abroad these are usually charged around £100, and take place on a weekly basis within the UK. Contact your clinic to find out more.

Recovery times

Depending on which revision surgery you undergo you will have a different recovery time and period, throughout of course you will be extremely important with ensuring your speedy recovery.  You will find that depending on which surgery you choose you will spend a varying amount of time in hospital

Gastric Band

With this surgery you will spend the least amount of time in hospital, usually only staying overnight and recovering from the surgery within 10-14 days.

Gastric Bypass

After a Gastric Bypass you will spend around 3-5 days in hospital, and after you have been discharged you will take a few weeks to return to normal activities, such as returning to work.

Duodenal Switch and Biliopancreatic Diverison

With these surgeries you will spend between 4 and 5 days in hospital, where your recovery will be monitored. Once you are discharged it will take between 3 and 4 weeks for you to get back to normal.

With any of these surgeries if complications occur your hospital stay will be increased, and if you require additional surgery again this will increase your stay and recovery times.

How can I ensure my recovery is fast and effective?

One of the requirements for being accepted for weight loss surgery is that you show that you are ready to adapt your lifestyle to assist with your weight loss. You should attend all follow up appointments with the hospital or clinic so that they are able to monitor you progress. You should also ensure that you take advice from members of the aftercare team, medical advice can be taken from your surgeon or specialist nurses, they will be able to help if you find you are experiencing any complications or pain following surgery. You will be able to seek dietary advice from the specialist dietician and they will help you to regulate your diet with portion control and ensuring everything you consume is healthy and balanced. You will also have access to a psychologist who will help you to keep motivated and ensure that you are okay with all the changes going on. You should also ensure that you have support from friends and family and you can even join support groups so that you recover with other people who are going through the same as you. You should ensure that you rest for the amount of time you are required to and when you feel up to it you should undergo light exercise such as walking and stretches, you should then lead this onto a more strict exercise regime and you may get advice for this regime from an exercise specialist which may be provided for you by your support team. If you follow all advice given to you strictly then you will find that your revision surgery is effective like it is for the majority of people who undergo a second weight loss procedure.

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