16 Red Flags – When You Should Contact The Clinic Following your surgery there are certain symptoms that we take seriously. Please call us and let us know about these straight away so we can assess you, start investigating and prevent more severe complications. • Frequent vomiting that lasts for 24 hours or more – despite eating and drinking slowly • Dehydration – not tolerating fluids, over the last 24hr • Pain on eating and/or drinking • Neurological symptoms – weakness, swelling arms/feet, impaired memory • Significant reflux – despite eating and drinking as recommended and compliant with the medications • Recurrent chest infections/pneumonia • Nutritional deficiencies e.g. hair thinning, nails chipping, feeling tired/weak • Insufficient weight loss within the first 6 months post surgery OR regaining weight generally beyond 9 months post surgery; if we intervene early, we can often make a difference Pregnancy For female patients of child-bearing age, following your weight loss, you could be more likely to fall pregnant and therefore you should use contraception. Your GP will give you the best advice on this. It is important to use regular contraception before and for a minimum of 12 months after your bariatric surgery to ensure that you do not get pregnant. Otherwise there could be increased risk to the developing baby. Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) PVT is a rare but real and serious complication following any laparoscopic general surgery. The documented risk associated with surgery is between 1 in 500 and 1 in 1000. The cause is unknown, however it usually occurs 3-4 weeks post op. Presenting symptoms are: Abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, which occur following ingestion of a meal. Diagnosis: abdominal CT scan and a blood test. Treatment: Anticoagulation (blood thinners) therapy, IV fluids and analgesia (pain medication) but this needs to be done as an inpatient and hence admission to hospital is necessary. Please contact your bariatric clinic if you are experiencing any of the above-mentioned symptoms or have any concerns. Please note that this list is only a guide and obviously cannot cover everything. Therefore, if you are not sure about something you are feeling or experiencing, just ring us for reassurance. It’s always better to err on the side of caution.
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