With any surgery there are postoperative symptoms to watch for, especially when there is a large incision. Immediately contact your surgeon if you experience increasing pain or a separating of the incision. Other symptoms to look for are fever, pain, shortness of breath and leg pain. Fever can be a sign of infection, and if accompanied by cough or shortness of breath, fever can be a sign of pneumonia or other lung problems. In addition, shortness of breath can be a sign that a blood clot has become dislodged from your leg and traveled to the lung. This can be life-threatening and should be reported to your doctor immediately.

After any abdominal surgery, there can be bowel obstructions and adhesions, which can cause pain and vomiting. If the band is too tight, or if the bypass openings become too constricted, you may experience frothing or vomiting when you try to eat. Determining the right amount of constriction with a gastric band is part of fine-tuning the procedure. After gastric bypass, your surgeon may have to stretch the surgically reconnected area where the upper stomach has been reattached to the small bowel.

Overall, the major issue is communication. Your entire health-care team should be aware of the common symptoms that occur during the postoperative period and be prepared to report them to the appropriate team member. Successfully avoiding major postoperative complications takes careful monitoring by everyone involved in the patient's care.