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It is important that we are contactable at all times in the unlikely event of a problem after our operations. Adelaide Bariatric Centre provides an after hours service which can be reached through our clinic phone number.

Please contact our clinic if  one of our patients experience any of the following:

  • Temperature
  • Persistent left upper abdominal pain
  • Persistent shoulder tip pain
  • Racing heart rate
  • Black, tarry stools
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Red, swollen wounds

All patients will be discharged with clean fresh dressings. These need to be kept in place for 5 days after which the patient can remove the dressings in the shower. Prior to this the dressings are water proof and can get wet after a shower for instance. They need to be simply dried with a clean towel.

Once the dressings are removed the suture material is subcuticular which means no nurse or doctor needs to remove any sutures. If any of the wounds appear red and inflamed then we would prefer to be contacted to assess.

All patients are discharged with oral analgesia usually Oxycodone, Tapentadol IR or Tramadol. Patients are encouraged to take Paracetamol to manage their pain initially and reserve the stronger analgesia if the Paracetamol is not covering their pain. Patients often use the stronger analgesia to assist sleeping the first 2 to 3 night that they are home. Within 3 days of discharge the pain should be nonexistent. If this is not the case and the patient requires continued strong oral analgesia that is not normal and they need to contact our clinic.

Postoperative nausea usually resolves within 2 days of the surgery especially after sleeve gastrectomy. If it persists however we send the patient home with oral Zofran or Ondansetron wafers. The nausea should completely resolve within a week of the surgery. Patients who have undergone a sleeve gastrectomy will also be sent home with oral Somac granules which we like to be continued for 30 days after the surgery then ceased.

 

 

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