Skip to main contentLast updated: 06-Nov-2026
Dr Harsh Shah
MS, MCh (Surgical Gastroenterology), DrNB (Surgical Gastroenterology)
Registered with Gujarat Medical Council, Reg. No. G-38738
Stomach & Gastro Surgeon
Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad · 18 years of experience
In short
You stop eating the night before, reach the hospital in the morning, and have a keyhole operation under general anaesthesia. You are asleep throughout.
You wake in a recovery room, are walking within hours, and take sips of water on the same day. Most people go home in two to three days.
Your family waits outside, and the team updates them after the operation. Bring your reports, your medicine list and your breathing machine if you use one.
Who can have weight-loss surgery, the tests and the follow-up are explained on our bariatric and metabolic surgery page. This post covers one question: what happens on the day itself.
Follow the fasting time we give you, take only the medicines we have approved, and bring your files. A calm, prepared start makes the day smoother.
If you develop a cough, fever or loose motions the day before, call us. We may delay the date, because anaesthesia is safer when you are well.
You are admitted, checked, and prepared in a short series of steps. Each step has a reason, and you can ask about any of them.
A nurse checks your pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level and blood sugar. Dr Harsh Shah meets you, and confirms the operation you have chosen. You sign the consent form again, after a last chance to ask questions.
The anaesthetist reviews your tests and your breathing. A drip is placed in your hand, and elastic stockings or leg pumps go on to guard against clots. A small dose of a blood thinner may be given before surgery.
Under general anaesthesia, the surgeon works through a few small cuts using a camera. You feel nothing during the operation and remember nothing of it.
The surgeon fills the abdomen with gas to make room, and passes thin instruments through small cuts. For a sleeve, most of the stomach is removed. For a bypass, a small pouch is made and joined to the small bowel.
Before the operation ends, the join or staple line is checked for leaks. A thin drain is sometimes left in the abdomen. The cuts are closed with fine stitches, and the whole operation usually takes one to two hours.
| When | What happens | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Early morning | Admission, checks, consent and drip | Stay fasting, ask your questions |
| Before surgery | Anaesthetist meets you; stockings fitted | Tell the team about allergies and past reactions |
| In the theatre | Keyhole operation under anaesthesia | Nothing; you are asleep |
| Recovery room | Monitoring of breathing, pulse and pain | Breathe deeply, tell the nurse about pain or nausea |
| Back in your room | Drip fluids, pain and nausea medicines | Sit up, move your legs, use the breathing exerciser |
| Later that day | First walk with help; sips of water if allowed | Walk a few steps, rest, sip slowly |
| Evening | Review by the surgical team | Report pain, vomiting, breathlessness or chest discomfort |
Your own timeline may shift a little. We tell you what to expect for your own operation at the visit before the date.
Expect to feel sleepy and sore, with some nausea and shoulder discomfort. These feelings settle, and the team treats each of them.
Sleepiness and a dry throat. These pass within a few hours. A tube in the windpipe is used during anaesthesia, so a sore throat is common for a day.
Soreness and shoulder pain. The cuts are sore, and the gas used in surgery can ache in the shoulder. Walking helps the gas settle. We give regular pain medicines so that you can breathe and move.
Nausea. Anti-sickness medicines are given. Vomiting needs a report to the nurse, because the new stomach is small and cannot be strained.
Walking early lowers the risk of clots and chest infection. The first steps are with a nurse beside you. After that, you should walk every few hours, even if only to the door of your room.
Sips of water begin when the team says so, usually the same day or the next morning. Take them slowly. Gulping can cause pain and vomiting.
Call us at once for fever, a racing heartbeat, severe belly pain, breathlessness, a swollen painful leg, or if you cannot keep any fluids down.
Most people recover without trouble. Knowing these signs helps us treat the rare problem early. Our post on eating after weight-loss surgery explains how food returns over the following weeks.
We give you a written time. Solid food stops the night before, and clear water is allowed up to a set hour. After that, nothing goes by mouth until the team says so.
Take only the ones we have approved, with a sip of water. Blood thinners, diabetes tablets and insulin need a written plan from us before the day, so ask at your visit.
A sleeve or a bypass usually takes one to two hours. You will be in the theatre and the recovery room for longer than that, because preparation and waking up take time.
Some people have a thin drain in the belly for a day or two, and a catheter in the bladder for a short time. Not everyone needs them. We tell you what to expect before the date.
Usually within a few hours of waking, with a nurse beside you. Early walking lowers the risk of leg clots and chest infection, and it helps the gas used in surgery settle.
Yes. One family member can usually stay in the hospital with you. They wait outside during the operation, and the team speaks to them once it is over.
Sips of water begin when the team says so, often the same day or the next morning. Take them slowly. Gulping can cause pain and vomiting.
For the full range of weight-loss and metabolic surgery, start at the bariatric and metabolic surgery page. For questions before you travel, call +91-63555-64601.
Dr Harsh Shah — Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad
Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Dr Jivraj Mehta Marg, Vasna, Ahmedabad 380007.
Consultations, review of reports and scans, operations and follow-up. OPD Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm.
Appointments: +91-63555-64601 · +91-63590-11009 · Hospital 079-2663 6363
Directions to the hospital · WhatsApp +91-63555-64601
Worried about the day of your weight-loss operation? Dr Harsh Shah explains each step before you are admitted, so nothing on the day comes as a surprise. Book a visit and bring your reports to the consultation. You can also call, or message us on WhatsApp. Call +91-63555-64601 Ask on WhatsApp
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