Ramadan starts on April 3rd. One of the most curious situations; Can I fast after gastric sleeve surgery? What should I pay attention to while fasting? Today I will talk to you about this from the point of view of a surgeon.
If you have completed at least one year after sleeve gastrectomy surgery, you can fast this Ramadan. If you have had bariatric surgery recently, it will be better if you do not fast this Ramadan. If you have recently had a tube stomach and you are fasting, you may face very serious health problems.
What are these difficulties, let's take a look at it item by item.
- The biggest problem with fasting is the limited time between iftar and sahur. You've already been hungry and thirsty all day. Let's say you break your fast with iftar, your stomach capacity is already limited. Will you drink water or eat? It is not possible to get enough nutrients and drink enough water in this limited time.
- Another important condition is dehydration . We always recommend our patients to drink at least 1.5-2 liters of water a day, especially in the early period after sleeve gastrectomy surgery. If you haven't completed 1 year after the surgery, it is not possible to drink this amount of water from iftar to sahur.
- Another danger. Let's say you tried to spend the month of Ramadan with high-calorie foods that you can easily digest after iftar because you are fasting. Doing something like this can be very dangerous. First, you may experience dumping syndrome (feeling sick, dizziness, palpitations). Most importantly, after Ramadan, you became addicted to carbohydrates .
- There may be a risk of hypoglycemia while fasting during the day. If you are already dehydrated, if your blood sugar drops on top of that, believe me, you will be devastated. All of a sudden, you may find yourself in the emergency room with an IV dripping from your arm.
I will also have some advice for those who have completed at least 1 year after sleeve gastrectomy and those who want to fast. I stay hungry during the day anyway during Ramadan, so don't think that if I pamper myself and eat sweets after iftar, it will be okay. This behavior can continue after Ramadan and it can be very difficult to get rid of it. While fasting, I stay hungry all day long, and you can cause big problems when you say that you won't gain weight anyway. Pay close attention to your fluid intake. Take care to drink enough fluids after iftar.
Patients who have completed their first year after stomach reduction and want to fast do not need to pay attention to the liquid-solid separation. Because it is much more important that you get enough nutrients and fluids in the limited time from iftar to sahur.
I congratulate the whole Islamic world in the month of Ramadan and wish everyone a blessed Ramadan.
