Does everyone have to do the shots after surgery? Or is there something else my doc could do for me?

After sleeve gastrectomy, some patients are prescribed injections—most commonly blood thinners to reduce the risk of blood clots, or sometimes vitamin B12 injections if deficiencies are expected. Not every patient requires them, but many surgeons recommend a short course of blood-thinning shots for safety, particularly in the first weeks after surgery when the risk of clots is highest.
For vitamins, many patients are able to maintain good levels with oral supplements, but in certain cases (for example, difficulty absorbing B12), injections may be more effective. Your surgeon will tailor recommendations based on your health history, risk factors, and lab results.
If you are concerned about injections, it is best to discuss this directly with your bariatric team. In many situations, there are alternatives such as oral medications, chewables, or sublingual vitamins that may be appropriate. The key is ensuring you receive the protection and nutrition your body needs after surgery.

If you mean the protein shots there are several options, powder, liquid and shakes, but the fastest way is by receiving the shots

Besides leaks, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (blood clots) is one of the most feared complications after weight loss surgery.  Injection of heparin in the perioperative period can reduce that risk.  But these shots are painful and expensive, and can cause bleeding on their own.  The Michigan Bariatric Surgical Collaborative Study has investigated this issue, and has come up with guidelines on who needs the shots and for how long.Most patients should get these shots right before and immediately after surgery.  The good news is that it turns out that very few patients need to take them after discharge from the hospital... mainly those who have had blood clots in the past or have a genetic predisposition to getting clots.  We have developed a risk calculator that you can use to determine if you are one of those patients who may need shots after surgery.  You can go to this website and put in your own information to determine what will be best for you.   You might also talk to your surgeon to see if he/she is aware of these new recommendations. I'm not allowed to post a link to the website, so if you type in michiganbsc dot org slash Registry slash calculator slash vteGuidelines, you will find the site.