Preparing for surgery

To make surgery easier and to reduce complications, it is important to lose some weight prior to surgery. This weight loss can also help improve a fatty liver. To help facilitate this weight loss, we work with your dietitan to produce an Optifast Meal Plan for 2 weeks before surgery. Some patient may find that they will suffer from some side effects and these include dizziness, tiredness or irritability, this should pass as your body gets used to Optifast. We recommend you contact your doctor or dietitian if any symptoms persist.The meal plan is very-low-calorie-diet (VLCD) designed to produce rapid weight loss of approximately 1.5-2.5kg per week. This will vary for everyone and the Optifast Diet is well known in the office as the ‘2 Weeks of Hell’; but the final result s will make it all worth it.

Preadmission ClinicIf you are having surgery at the Wesley Hospital, you will be required to attend the Wesley Hospital Nursing Preadmission Clinic on the same day as your pre-op appointment with Dr Blair Bowden. You will need to arrange an appointment to see them. We recommend you phone them on 3232 7316 to arrange this appointment. You are also able to complete your admission paperwork online but will still need to attend the preadmission clinic prior to surgery. It is important that you read all pages of the Admission Information booklet prior to your admission.

Pre Operative Appointment with Dr Blair Bowden

In the week leading up to your surgery with Dr Blair Bowden you will be required to have a pre operative appointment with Dr Blair Bowden. During this appointment Dr Blair Bowden will answer any of your final questions you may have as well as go through all your surgery consent forms and give you your admission time. This is also when you pay your account.

AdmissionOn the day of your surgery you will need to present to the main admissions desk and will be escorted to the Patient Preparation Area where you will have a nurse assigned to you to get you ready for your operation. They will help you with all your belongings, assist in getting you changed into your hospital gown, and best of all, paper underwear. Very stylish!

Operation Time

After you have been changed into your stylish theatre garb you will be escorted to the Patient Preparation Unit, the staff here will make sure you are adequately prepared for your operation. Once the Pre Operation Area calls for you, you will then be wheeled into the Pre Operation Area where you will usually be visited by the anaesthetist and Dr Blair Bowden and wheeled into surgery. Once in the operating room, Dr Blair Bowden will have a chat to you to help calm any nerves (and possibly take requests for any music you wish to drift off to sleep to). The anaesthetist will then insert an IV (and mix a great cocktail) and before you know it you will awake in post op.

Post Operation

After you spend some time in post op you will be moved to the ward where your friends and relatives can visit.