Abstract
BACKGROUND: It is important to know what individuals experience in the complex long-term process after bariatric and metabolic surgery, this information is now more sought after. It can be used to improve patient care management by better understanding individuals' long-term life experiences after bariatric and metabolic surgery. AIM: This qualitative study aimed to determine the long-term experiences of patients who underwent bariatric and metabolic surgery using a phenomenological design. METHODS: The study was conducted as qualitative research. It included 16 volunteers who underwent bariatric and metabolic surgery at least 5 years ago. Its data was collected using a semi-structured in-depth interview method. The collected data were analysed through a content, descriptive, and thematic analysis process and supported by the participants' metaphors. RESULTS: In the study, 10 of the participants were female and six were male. Only one of the participants underwent adjustable gastric band surgery, the others underwent sleeve gastrectomy. Content analysis of the data revealed four main themes. These were: 'emotions and thoughts created by bariatric surgery', 'gains brought by the new body', 'difficulties brought by the new body', 'the point reached in the journey of process'. CONCLUSION: Long Term Patient Experiences after Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, which were both positive and negative, provide information about the participant's postsurgical process and what can be done to improve it and help patients in their recovery.