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When you come for your appointment please remember to obtain and bring the following
Before weight loss surgery, you will need to have certain investigations to ensure that the procedure is safe and suitable for you. These assessments include:
Your doctor will get detailed information about your symptoms, and history of your current and past ailments. He/She will perform a thorough physical examination and may order certain diagnostic tests such as blood tests or imaging tests to confirm your disease. After reviewing these results, your doctor will recommend appropriate treatment.
It’s not uncommon to have questions or doubts, which we will encourage you to clarify before you leave the clinic. Your doctor will take time to explain your options for treatment and our administrative staff will go through the details of costs and logistics with you. Our aim is to provide you with all the information that you would need to make informed decisions about managing your health. If you still have questions when you leave the office, please do not hesitate to contact us – we are here to help.
Your dietician may recommend a strict calorie-controlled diet for two weeks before weight loss surgery. The diet aids in shrinking the liver so that your surgeon can easily push it to the side in order to access the stomach. This is required for a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. Reducing a moderate amount of weight before surgery can also decrease surgical complications. The pre-operative diet includes:
If you are diabetic, you need to reduce your medication as suggested by your doctor. Your surgeon will also give you clear instructions as to the medications that you can/should take and those you should avoid.
Once you and your doctor decide that surgery is required, you’ll need to prepare mentally and physically for surgery. Understanding the process and your role in it will help you recover more quickly and have fewer problems.
Before surgery, you should have discussed with your surgeon any medical conditions you have now or have had in the past that could interfere with the surgery, anaesthetic, or its outcome. Routine tests, such as blood tests and X-rays, may need to be done before the surgery. You should speak with your surgeon about this.
Discuss any medications you are taking with your surgeon and/or general practitioner to see which ones you should stop before surgery.
Discuss options for preparing for potential blood replacement, medical interventions, and other treatments with your doctor before surgery.
If you are overweight, losing weight is advisable. However, you should refrain from excessive diet the month before your surgery. If you are undergoing bariatric surgery, you may need a special meal replacement diet in the few weeks before your surgery, but you should speak with your surgeon about this.
Suppose you are taking anti-inflammatory medication or any other blood thinning medications. In that case, you may need to stop taking them the week before surgery to minimise bleeding, but you should speak to your surgeon about this.
If you smoke, you should aim to stop smoking 6 weeks before surgery, or at least try to cut down on your smoking to reduce your surgery risks and improve your recovery.
Eat a well-balanced diet supplemented by a daily multivitamin with iron.
Report any infections to your doctor. Surgery should only be performed once all infections have cleared up.
Take your pain medicine as directed. Begin the pain medicine as you start getting uncomfortable, but before you are in severe pain. If you wait to take your pain medication until the pain is severe, you will have more difficulty controlling the pain. Also be aware if you are taking some stronger pain medications you should not drive.
Following a strict pre-operative diet is very essential for patients undergoing weight-loss surgery in order to decrease the size of your liver and facilitate minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, which is associated with less post-operative pain and faster recovery. This diet is also necessary to prepare your body for the surgery, protect your muscle tissue and help in a faster recovery.
Your pre-op diet should be low in carbohydrates and fats, and include moderate amounts of protein as well as multivitamin and mineral supplements. It is advisable to avoid fried food, fatty meat, sweets, whole milk products, smoking, alcohol and binge eating. Your surgeon may also design a specific pre-operative diet specifically for you, based on your body type and the type of surgery you’ve opted for. Your pre-op diet for weight-loss surgery should start 2 to 3 weeks prior to your surgery.
You will be instructed on the continuation of your regular medication and which ones will be stopped before the surgery. If you are diabetic, your insulin and medication will be adjusted.
You may elect to commence psychological support prior to surgery to prepare you psychologically for the events ahead. Common issues addressed at this point in time might be managing anxiety, clarifying commitment to change and life goals, and broadening coping and self care strategies.
After bariatric surgery, regular post-operative follow-up visits are important to ensure your complete recovery and a successful outcome. The discharge instructions will have the periodical follow-up visits listed.
Your first visit will be scheduled 10 days to 3 weeks after surgery. You must visit your surgeon regularly – six weeks, three months, six months, nine months and then annually.
At each follow-up visit, please inform your doctor of your recovery/progress and contact your doctor for any health concerns you have between visits. Please call the office to make appointments for your visits.
Individualised, face-to-face consultations with our psychologist can be arranged during recovery and beyond to provide a holistic approach to the lifestyle changes ahead. Sessions explore the patient’s eating patterns and other lifestyle, personal, and interpersonal (family, social) factors that may underpin unhealthy habits and coping styles.
An individually tailored approach is developed to broaden the patient’s awareness of their issues and to equip them with strategies to foster sustainable change in the longer term. Common issues addressed at this point are unhealthy patterns of eating such as ‘emotional’, ‘comfort’ or ‘night’ eating and the factors that contribute to these unhealthy eating habits (e.g. stress, depression, anxiety, interpersonal and relationship issues, and low self-esteem). Body image overconcern is also commonly discussed.
After weight loss surgery you will be started on clear fluids only (water, black tea, broth, juices). These will need to be sipped slowly in small amounts. An X-ray study is performed after the operation to check the size of the stomach pouch and to exclude any leaks from the new connection. You will then be able to have free fluids for the rest of your hospital stay. During the next 4 to 6 weeks, while your body heals, you will gradually increase the texture and volume of the food you take. Further information will be provided at your appointment with the dietician.
Exercise is highly recommended to maintain the weight loss, post-operatively. Following are tips for your exercise regimen:
After bariatric surgery, you will be discharged with specific instructions as to the medications that you need to take.