The Start of Your Patient JourneyWe are excited to me you!
This will be an opportunity for you to individually meet the whole team in addition to consultation with Dr. Cheng. Please allocate up to an hour for the initial meet and greet as I am sure you will have lots of questions which we can help address along the way.
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:
Dr Cheng will get detailed information about your weight loss experiences, expectations in addition to history of your current and past ailments. He will also perform a thorough physical examination and may order any relevant diagnostic tests such as blood or imaging tests. The initial consultation will also give the team an opportunity to plan your tailored management moving forward.
It’s not uncommon to have questions or doubts, which we will encourage you to clarify before you leave the rooms. Dr Cheng 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 friendly dietitian will also start the process of making dietary recommendations in preparation for surgery and beyond. 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.
Our dietician will recommend a strict calorie-controlled diet for a minimum of two weeks before weight loss surgery. The diet aids in shrinking the liver so that Dr Cheng can easily push it to the side in order to access the stomach safely. 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.
Read more about the low caloric diet here – https://www.optifast.com.au/blog/guidance/blog-preparing-for-bariatric-surgery/
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 Dr Cheng about this.
Discuss any medications you are taking with Dr Cheng 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 Dr Cheng 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 Dr Cheng 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 the team. 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. Our dietician 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
Find out more about our psychologist, Kathy Harris here – https://drqiuyecheng.com.au/about-dr-qiuye-cheng/kathy-harris/
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.
Order your BN Vitamins from here – https://www.bnhealthy.com.au/
Order your FitforMe Vitamins from here – https://fitforme.com/en-au/
Here at St George Obesity Surgery, we pride ourselves in having one of the top post surgery bariatric follow up programs in Australia.
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. Following that, there will be regular bariatric reviews planned at three months, six months, nine months, twelve months, eighteen months and twenty four months. Beyond that, we will still organise yearly follow ups to ensure that you remain on track (these appointments will be bulk billed for ease of mind).
At each follow-up visit, please inform Dr Cheng of your recovery/progress and contact the team for any health concerns you have between visits. Please call the office to make appointments for your visits.
At each follow up, you will have the opportunity to touch base with our in-house dietitian who can assess your current dietary needs and can make the relevant recommendations. A bariatric nutritionist plays a crucial role in the multidisciplinary care team for individuals undergoing bariatric surgery. Their responsibilities encompass a range of tasks in the pre-operative and post-operative phase, aimed at ensuring optimal nutritional status, promoting weight loss, and supporting long-term health.
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 over concern is also commonly discussed.
