Recovery after gastric bypass: week by week

The numbers below come from the NHS and from a North Tees and Hartlepool patient leaflet. Other bariatric units use slightly different diet schedules, and the NHS pages themselves give more than one wording. Treat the table as an outline and follow the written plan from your own dietitian.

Bypass recovery has two strands that run side by side: the healing of the wounds and the join inside the abdomen, and the slow retraining of eating habits. Neither can be rushed, and problems with either are best reported early.

North Tees describes five or six small cuts on the abdomen, and the leaflet says to avoid soaking the wounds in the first week and to shower when able. It also advises contacting your GP if a wound turns hot, red or sticky, especially with a fever.

The NHS complications page separates what can wait from what cannot. A sore, red, warm wound or discharge is a routine GP issue. A worsening swollen red leg, high temperature, fast heartbeat, abdominal pain, difficulty swallowing or regular vomiting is a same-day call to NHS 111 or your GP.

The NHS says to eat slowly, chew carefully and take only small amounts at a time. A Leeds advice sheet describes habits that carry on beyond the staged diet: small portions on a side plate, a meal taking about 20 minutes, three regular meals, waiting 30 minutes before and after meals to drink, and avoiding fizzy drinks.

Leeds also notes that bread, fibrous vegetables and chewy meat are often poorly tolerated even once solids are back. Hydration matters because the stomach holds so little at once, so sip steadily through the day as your dietitian advises.

North Tees says to drive when you feel comfortable, including being comfortable in a seatbelt and able to make an emergency stop, and to return to work when comfortable, which depends on the job. GOV.UK says you must tell the DVLA if you have had an operation and are still unable to drive three months later, and advises asking your doctor how your operation affects driving. Check your insurer's terms as well.

The same leaflet says sex can resume when you feel comfortable. Walking is encouraged and distances should be increased gradually, with no abdominal exercises or heavy lifting for six weeks, and a build-up of exercise after that. The NHS adds that activity plans are graded to help prevent muscle loss.

Pregnancy is best avoided for a while. The NHS says to avoid it for 12 to 18 months until weight has stabilised, and Leeds asks you to tell your GP if you plan a pregnancy.

North Tees describes multivitamins and calcium for the rest of your life and a vitamin B12 injection first at three months and then every three months. Leeds adds iron and calcium with vitamin D, annual blood tests, and extra checks for vitamin A, zinc, copper and selenium after bypass.

The NHS says you will be asked to attend follow-up appointments for the rest of your life, first at a weight loss surgery clinic for at least two years and then with annual GP check-ups. North Tees describes the bariatric team seeing you for up to two years.

• Severe abdominal pain, chest pain with leg swelling, difficulty breathing, continuous bleeding or vomiting blood: call 999 (NHS advice).

• High temperature, fast heartbeat, swollen red calf, regular vomiting or difficulty swallowing: NHS 111 or your GP the same day.

• Sweating, dizziness or pain after eating, or confusion and pins and needles later on: see your GP, as the Leeds advice sheet describes.