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What to Expect After Gastric Sleeve Surgery

Here is what you can expect during your gastric sleeve recovery: the first hours, the first days and weeks, getting active again, and six years of follow-⁠up with 360 Complete Care.

Explore the timeline

This page is general information, not medical advice. Always follow the instructions your care team gives you.

Recovery at a glanceGastric sleeve
Going home
The same day, for most
Walking
Within a few hours
Back to work
1 to 3 weeks, for most
Lifting over 10 lb
After about 4 to 6 weeks
Regular food
From about week 7
Follow-⁠up
6 years of 360 Complete Care
Typical times. Your own recovery may be quicker or slower.

Your recovery timeline

From surgery day to year six. Pick a moment to see how you may feel, what you eat, how you move and who looks after you.

Day 0

Surgery day

  • How you may feel

    Sleepy from the anesthesia. Some pain, gas pain and nausea are common, and your nurse treats them, first through your IV.

  • Eating and drinking

    Ice chips, then small sips of water.

  • Moving

    Up and walking within a few hours, with your nurse. Walking helps prevent blood clots and eases gas pain.

  • Your care

    A recovery nurse stays with you for several hours. Most patients go home the same day, with an adult who stays for 48 hours.

1 of 11

Everyone heals at their own pace. Your care team tells you when you are ready for each step.

A 360 Sleeve team member welcomes a patient at Clinic 360
Clinic 360, North YorkThe same care team, before and after surgery.

Going home the same day

Most patients go home the same day. You rest in the recovery area with a nurse beside you, usually for several hours, until you are ready.

Before you leave

  • You are awake, walking and sipping fluids
  • Your pain and nausea are under control
  • You have your discharge instructions, your prescriptions and our phone number

The first 48 hours at home

  • An adult you know stays with you
  • Walk a little every hour or two while you are awake, and take deep breaths
  • Sip clear fluids all day and keep a log
  • Your nurse calls you the next day
Coming from out of town What to pack

Pain, healing and your incisions

Discomfort is usually strongest in the first two days and eases a little each day. By about three weeks, most people need little or no pain medicine.

What is normal
  • Gas pain and bloating, sometimes felt in the shoulder
  • Mild nausea in the first days
  • Soreness at the incisions
  • Bruising, mild swelling or redness at the incisions
  • Numbness near the incisions, for up to 2 to 3 months
  • No bowel movement for the first couple of days
  • Tiredness and a low appetite
  • Mixed feelings, from relief to worry

Managing pain
  • Take your medicines as prescribed, on schedule at first
  • Acetaminophen is often enough after the first days. Never take more than the daily limit you were given.
  • No ibuprofen, naproxen or ASA for at least 6 weeks, unless your surgeon says so
  • Walking is the best relief for gas pain

Caring for your incisions
  • Most people have about five small incisions, closed with stitches that dissolve
  • Keep them dry for 48 hours. Then shower, let water run over them and pat dry
  • The gauze can come off after 48 hours. Leave the paper tape strips: they fall off on their own within about 2 weeks
  • No creams or ointments on the incisions
Your medicines after surgery
  • You go home with medicines for pain, nausea and gas, and usually a stool softener to use if you need it.
  • Most people also take a medicine that lowers stomach acid for about 2 months, to protect the stomach while it heals. Take it even if you have no heartburn.
  • For about 6 weeks, large pills may need to be split or crushed. Ask your pharmacist first: some pills, such as extended-release ones, must stay whole.
  • Your family doctor reviews your regular medicines about a week after surgery. Many people need less blood pressure or diabetes medicine as they lose weight.

Work, driving and daily life

When you can get back to the things you do every day. These are typical times: your team confirms what applies to you.

  • Back to work

    Most people take 1 to 3 weeks off. Desk work often takes 1 to 2 weeks. A physical job may take closer to 3 weeks, or light duties until you can lift again. We can give you a note for your employer.

  • Driving

    Not while you take prescription pain medicine, and only once you can brake hard without pain. For most people, about a week.

  • Lifting

    Nothing heavier than about 10 lb (4.5 kg), such as a full laundry basket or a heavy bag of groceries, until your surgeon clears you. Usually at about 4 to 6 weeks.

  • Around the house

    Light tasks from about a week. Leave vacuuming and heavy chores to others for a while.

  • Showers and baths

    Shower after 48 hours. No baths, hot tubs or swimming for at least 4 weeks, until your incisions have healed.

  • Sex and pregnancy

    Sex when you feel ready, often after about 2 weeks. Fertility can rise quickly as you lose weight, so use reliable birth control and wait 12 to 18 months before a pregnancy. Ask your doctor which method suits you.

Your feelings count too. Relief, excitement, worry or a low mood are all common in the first weeks. Talk to your care team, and lean on family, friends and 360 Community.

Getting active again, step by step

Exercise is one of the keys to your long-term success. There is no one-size-fits-all plan: start slow, build gradually, and check with your team before each new step.

  1. Days 1 to 7

    Short walks

    Walk as soon as you are home, a little more each day.

    • Around your home
    • Short walks outside

    GoalAbout 20 minutes, twice a day

  2. Weeks 2 to 4

    Light exercise

    With your team's OK, add gentle moves that build strength and flexibility.

    • Stretching
    • Leg lifts
    • Shoulder rolls
    • Beginner yoga

    Goal15-minute walks, 3 times a day, plus 15 minutes of light exercise 2 to 3 times a week

  3. Weeks 4 to 8

    Moderate cardio

    After your surgeon clears you, usually from your 4-week visit, raise your heart rate.

    • Brisk walking
    • Cycling
    • Swimming, once healed
    • Aerobics

    Goal30 minutes of moderate cardio, 3 times a week

  4. From week 8

    Strength training

    Start light, with your own body weight or 1 to 2 lb weights, and build slowly.

    • Squats
    • Lunges
    • Light weights
    • Bands

    Goal30 minutes of strength work, 2 to 3 times a week

  5. From month 3

    Your new normal

    Core and abdominal work can start, gently. Then keep it going for life.

    • Core exercises
    • Classes
    • Sports you enjoy

    GoalAt least 150 minutes a week, plus strength work twice a week

Ground rules

  • Nothing heavier than about 10 lb (4.5 kg) until your surgeon clears you, usually at 4 to 6 weeks
  • No abdominal exercises such as crunches or planks for the first 3 months
  • No swimming, baths or hot tubs until your incisions have healed and your surgeon says so, at least 4 weeks
  • Stop and call us if exercise brings chest pain, dizziness or new belly pain

When to call us

Call right away if you notice any of these signs. It is always better to call and check.

(416) 360-⁠7360Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm

Outside office hours, follow the after-hours instructions on your discharge sheet, or go to the nearest emergency department. Tell them you had a gastric sleeve, and when.

Call 911 or go to the emergency department for

  • Chest pain
  • Trouble breathing, or shortness of breath that gets worse
  • Vomiting or coughing up blood, or black or bloody stool
  • Fainting or sudden confusion

Call us right away for

  • A fever of 38 °C (100.4 °F) or higher
  • Belly pain that is new, getting worse, or not helped by your medicine
  • Vomiting that will not stop, or you cannot keep fluids down
  • Dark, tea-coloured urine, very little urine, or feeling dizzy
  • Pain, swelling or warmth in one leg
  • A fast heartbeat
  • Redness spreading from an incision, pus, a bad smell or bleeding
  • Trouble swallowing, or food and fluids keep coming back up
  • No gas or bowel movement by day 3, or a lot of straining

Usually normal, and improving each day

  • Gas pain
  • Mild nausea
  • Sore incisions
  • Bruising
  • Numbness near the incisions
  • Tiredness

Still worried? Call anyway. That is what we are here for.

Your follow-⁠ups with 360 Complete Care

Six years of aftercare come with every gastric sleeve. Your surgeon tailors the plan to you, and you can reach out between visits whenever you need to.

  1. Day 1 A call from your nurseNurse

    How you feel, your pain, your fluids and your walking.
  2. Day 3 Your dietitian checks inDietitian

    Moving on to full fluids, protein shakes and fluid goals.
  3. Weeks 1 to 3 Stage by stageDietitian

    Check-ins as your food stages change: portions, protein and how you tolerate new foods.
  4. Week 4 Your surgeon reviewSurgeon

    How you are healing, and the go-ahead for lifting and more exercise.
  5. Week 6 Ready for regular mealsDietitian

    Mindful eating and the habits that support your weight loss.
  6. Month 3 Progress checkSurgeon and dietitian

    Your progress, your supplements and your activity.
  7. Month 6 Comprehensive follow-⁠upSurgeon and dietitian

    Bloodwork and a body composition analysis, reviewed with you.
  8. Month 12 Your first yearSurgeon and dietitian

    A full review with bloodwork and body composition.
  9. Years 2 to 6 At least once a yearYour team

    A comprehensive yearly follow-⁠up, plus check-ins whenever you need them.

Setting you up for long-term success

Surgery is an important step, and just the beginning. A sleeve is a tool, not a quick fix: lasting results come from lasting habits, with your team beside you.

How long will it take for me to lose weight?

Weight loss is usually fastest in the first few months, then slows. Most of it happens within 12 to 18 months after surgery, when weight usually levels off.

How much you lose depends on your starting point, your health and your habits. Your surgeon talks you through realistic goals for you.

How much weight can I lose?

When the scale stalls

Plateaus are normal: your body is adjusting to a big change. Check the basics first: protein, fluids, portions, grazing and activity.

Then change something: a new kind of exercise, a different time of day, or a check-in with your dietitian.

Protein and fluids

Lean on your people

Support from family and friends makes a real difference in the weeks and months after surgery. Surround yourself with people who help you stay active and focused.

360 Community adds walks, live Q&A with our nurses and people who chose the same path.

360 Community

Questions about recovery

Short answers to what people ask most after surgery. Your care team gives you instructions for your own situation.

Still wondering? , or ask the assistant in the corner.

  • 01How long will I stay at the clinic?

    Most patients go home the same day, after several hours in recovery with a nurse. An adult you know must drive you home and stay with you for the first 48 hours.

  • 02How much pain will I have?

    Most people have soreness at the incisions and gas pain for the first few days, managed with medicine. It eases a little each day, and most people need little or no pain medicine by about 3 weeks.

  • 03When can I go back to work?

    Most people take 1 to 3 weeks off: often 1 to 2 weeks for desk work, and longer, or light duties, for physical work. We can give you a note for your employer.

  • 04When can I drive?

    When you no longer take prescription pain medicine and can brake hard without pain. For most people, that is about a week after surgery.

  • 05When can I exercise?

    Walk from the first day. Light exercise from about week 2, moderate cardio from about week 4 and strength training from about week 8, each with your team's OK. Avoid abdominal exercises for 3 months.

  • 06When can I take a bath or go swimming?

    You can shower after 48 hours. Wait at least 4 weeks, and until your surgeon says your incisions have healed, before baths, hot tubs or swimming.

  • 07When should I call the clinic?

    Call right away for a fever of 38 °C (100.4 °F) or higher, belly pain that gets worse, vomiting that will not stop, trouble keeping fluids down, or pain or swelling in one leg. For chest pain or trouble breathing, call 911.

  • 08How long does it take to lose the weight?

    Most of the weight loss happens in the first 12 to 18 months, fastest in the first few months. Plateaus along the way are normal. Your surgeon talks you through realistic goals for you.

The rest of your guide

This page is general information, not medical advice. Always follow the instructions your care team gives you.

Your first step is a conversation

A free consultation, in person in North York or online. Meet the team, ask anything and leave with a clear plan and price.

Request a free consultation

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(416) 360-⁠7360 sleeve@clinic360.com 1131A Leslie St #300, Toronto, ON M3C 3L8

Next360 Complete CareSix years of aftercare, month by month: follow-⁠ups, bloodwork, SmartTrack and 360 Community. Continue