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

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.