Follow-Up Appointments
Quick Facts:
- Your first follow-up will be at approximately 2 weeks
- You will follow up with Dr. Henke at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year in the first year
- Twice annually during the second year
- Annually thereafter
Follow up is a critical part of the bariatric surgery process. Follow-up appointments are scheduled at predetermined intervals to check for common problems and deficiencies and to ensure that recovery is progressing as expected.
The first follow up after surgery will take place approximately 2 weeks after the procedure. The goal of this follow-up is to answer any questions you may have at this early recovery stage as well as to check on your wounds and offer some guidance for the next several weeks. This is a great time to discuss diet, activity and other questions on your mind.
Subsequent follow-up appointments will be scheduled for six weeks, three months, six months and one year after surgery. During at least two of these follow-up appointments, you will have blood drawn to ensure that you are not experiencing any vitamin or mineral deficiencies. We will also perform weigh ins and address any concerns or questions you may have about the weight loss process. We not only check to make sure you are losing enough weight, but that you’re not losing too much weight and that your progress is sustainable.
During the first year after surgery, we may tweak several aspects of your lifestyle. Vitamin and mineral supplementation may be modified based on the results of your lab work. If blood sugar levels have stabilized, we may be able to adjust or eliminate your diabetes medication and insulin.
If at any point, you are failing to lose weight, we can discuss plateaus, and modifications to diet. Be sure to bring your food and exercise journal to each of your follow-up appointments as it is always useful to review. You are encouraged to monitor your food and activity goals throughout the first year.
You can always contact our office to learn more about your follow-up appointments or to get advice between appointments if need be.
