Discharge Instructions

1. No heavy lifting (nothing greater than 15 lbs) or strenuous exercise for two weeks
   
2. Call if you have a fever of 101 or higher
   
3. You may shower daily - no tub baths for 1 week. Do not scrub incisions for 3 weeks (Call if redness or drainage from incisions occurs)
   
4. Remove bandaids in 2 days. Leave white steri-strips alonge. They will fall off on their own or you may remove them after 2 weeks
   
5. Use incentive spirometry bottle 4 times daily for 7 days
   
6. Walk daily until you can walk 30 minutes at a time
   
7. Increased gas is common for the first 3-6 weeks. Gas-X is recommended or Di-Gel. These should be in liquid form.
   
8. Do not take any anti-inflammatory pain medications unless approved by doctor (e.g., ibuprofen, advil, motrin, naprosyn, aleve, daypro)
   
9. You may take liquid tylenol or liquid advil. All pills larger than a baby aspirin must be crushed or cut into small pieces prior to ingestion. Take only one small peice of a pill at a time. Be sure that it goes through your band prior to taking another one. DO NOT take a handful of pills all at one time - they will plug your band. Capsules must be opened and taken in liquid or a small amount of food. Check with your primary doctor or pharmacist to be sure that your capsules can be taken this way.
   
10. Take chewable Flintstone or chewable Centrum vitamins daily.