If I have a gastric sleeve in Thailand, who does my blood tests and supplements for the next ten years?

#1Lorna McK(Joined May 2026 · 14 posts)June 18, 2026, 9:03 pm

I have been quoted for a sleeve at a hospital in Bangkok and the price, the surgeon's background and the hospital itself all check out as far as I can tell. What I cannot get a straight answer on, from anybody, is the boring long term bit.

Everything I read says you need monitoring and supplements afterwards, and not for a few months, for good. The hospital's answer when I asked was that they provide follow up consultations by video at three, six and twelve months, which is nice but nobody in a video call is taking my blood. So who actually does that? Has anyone here sorted this out properly before booking rather than after?

#2bkk_bound(Joined Sep 2025 · 19 posts)June 19, 2026, 8:40 am

Not bariatric, but I will say the general lesson from my hernia trip applies double to what you are describing. Ask the question in writing to your own GP practice before you pay a deposit, not after. I asked mine casually at the desk and got a friendly yes that turned out to mean something much smaller when I actually needed it.

Written question, written answer, keep the email.

#3Dr Helen WardMedical moderator(Joined Mar 2024 · 82 posts)June 21, 2026, 11:26 am

The direct answer is that you need to have arranged this yourself, in advance, and you should treat an unanswered "who does my monitoring" as a reason not to book yet.

The reason it matters is the mechanism. Procedures that reduce how much you eat, and in the case of a bypass how much you absorb, carry a long term risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which is why supplementation and periodic blood testing are part of the treatment rather than an optional extra. That care is ongoing and local by nature. A hospital eleven hours away cannot take your blood, cannot act on the result, and cannot prescribe for you where you live.

What makes the difference in practice is arriving home with a written protocol: which supplements, which tests, at what intervals, signed off by the operating team. A clinician at home is far more likely to take on clear, documented monitoring than to improvise a schedule for an operation they did not perform and cannot see the notes for. Ask your practice, in writing, whether they will do it, and if the answer is no, price a private service before you commit rather than afterwards. The longer version is in weight loss surgery in Thailand. What your own monitoring should consist of is for the team who operate on you and the clinician who follows you up, not for a forum.

#4Alan G(Joined Jun 2024 · 34 posts)June 22, 2026, 7:15 pm

The written protocol point is the one I would underline. When I got home with my shoulder, the difference between being taken seriously and being politely deflected was whether I had a piece of paper saying exactly what had been done and what was supposed to happen next. Vague equals nobody's job.

#5Lorna McK(Joined May 2026 · 14 posts)July 14, 2026, 4:58 pm

Update for anyone searching this later. My practice replied in writing and the answer was a qualified yes: they will do the blood monitoring if I arrive with an operation note and a stated schedule, but they were clear that the dietetic side is not something they can offer and I would need to arrange that privately.

So I have found a dietitian locally, told her what is planned, and she has agreed to take me on from the point I get back. The hospital has said they will provide the protocol in English at discharge, which I have now asked them to confirm by email rather than in a call. Nothing booked yet but for the first time the whole thing feels like a plan rather than a purchase.