Your 5 Steps to Weight Loss Success

Step 1: Contact Us

The first step of your surgical weight loss journey is to contact us. We will arrange an appointment for you to see our surgeon, Dr Adib, and our team of patient co-ordinators & our bariatric dietitian, Annette.

To ensure you receive the Medicare rebates for your appointment with Dr Adib, please bring your referral from your GP or specialist. At your initial consultation, you will have the opportunity to discuss whether weight loss surgery is suitable for you, what your surgical options are and which procedure would best suit your individual needs.

Step 2: Pre-Operative Care

Our aim is to ensure your surgical weight loss journey is safe, smooth and successful. We will assist you every step of the way including:

• Organising your date and hospital for surgery. This date is usually around four weeks after your initial appointment. Dr Adib operates at the Wesley Private Hospital only.
• We will coordinate your appointments with:
  • Our dietetic team
  • Blood investigations as required
  • Other specialist physicians as required
  • Anaesthetist booking

Our administrative team can help you navigate through the sometimes confusing processes of the private health system and application for your superannuation access if required.

Step 3: Preparing for Surgery

There are a number of tasks that need to be completed to ensure you are prepared for surgery and the subsequent weight loss journey.

You will need to book your stay at the Wesley hospital by going to www.bookmyadmission.com.au and registering your admission. You will need about 20 minutes to do this online; or you can phone the Hospital Registration team and speak to them directly on 3232 7777. This will allow the hospital to inform you of your financial costs and responsibilities and provide the clinical staff with detailed information about your medical history.

You will need to visit the Wesley Pre Admissions clinic prior to your surgery to have some routine tests. Please contact them on 3232 7316 to make a booking. This can be done over the phone if you live outside of Brisbane.

You will meet one of our dietitians for consultation about your diet and how to prepare your body for surgery. Depending on your weight, you will need to follow a pre – op diet for a specified length of time. This is to help reduce the size of your liver for surgery and empty your gut. Our dietitian will also prepare you for what to expect after surgery and answer any questions you may have.

A few days before surgery, you will be contacted by your anaesthetist who will ask about your anaesthetic & medical history, answer any pertinent questions you may have and take payment for your procedure.

The day before your surgery, our office will text you your time of admission to hospital and fasting times from which you must stop eating or drinking. (This is usually midnight the night beforehand or early in the morning.) It is important not to eat or drink in the six hours prior to your operation.

Step 4: The Day of Surgery

Today’s The Day!

You will meet Dr Adib in theatre to start the next step of your journey. You will be given pain medication and meet your anaesthetist before you go into theatre. Should any specific anaesthetic issues be identified during your initial assessment with Dr Adib, an appointment will be arranged for you to meet with your anaesthetist prior to the day of your surgery.

In-Hospital Recovery

Dr Adib’s advanced laparoscopic surgical skills and our comprehensive pain management program, which includes pain medication prior to, during and post-surgery, means you will experience minimal pain. We will encourage you to be actively walking around 10 to 12 hours after surgery. This is for a number of reasons, including minimising the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis and pneumonia.

In hospital, you will be given intravenous fluids for one to two days to maintain hydration. You will undertake a scan the day after surgery to visualise your new anatomy before commencing oral fluids. Typically, people who have a gastric sleeve or bypass stay two to three nights in hospital.

Dr Adib and his team will check on your progress while you’re in hospital. Prior to discharge, you will be given information on wound care and the use of pain medication.

Step 5: Post-Operative Phase

Post-Discharge Recovery

After any weight loss procedure, your stomach will need time to settle to allow the swelling to subside. During this time, it is likely you won’t feel very hungry. Your diet will be based on high protein fluids. You will be provided with detailed information about your post-operative diet, including meal plans and food suggestions for each phase.

In the first two weeks after surgery, (usually day 14) you will have a follow-up appointment with our dietitian to ensure your recovery is on track.

Weight Loss

Typically our patients recover well. Dr Adib’s complication rate is much lower than the national average according to the Monash University Bariatric Surgery Registry statistics published in 2020. If you have any concern about your recovery or wound healing, our team will arrange for you to be reviewed by Dr Adib.

Our dietitian will call you at 4 weeks after surgery to review your progress and check your diet phase changes. You will have another appointment with our dietitian at 3 months after surgery, (in our rooms) to ensure your blood test results are normal and you are on track to reach your long-term weight loss goals. Nutritional deficiencies are hard to sense and blood tests are the only reliable way to identify abnormalities.

After that you will have an anniversary review with our dietitian to ensure you sustain your improved weight and health.

Of course, if you have any issues or concerns between scheduled appointments please don’t hesitate to contact us.