Obesity Surgery Process
Patients must be referred by a General Practitioner who needs to
give details of any medical problems and previous surgery, including
your weight and height measurements. This letter must be received at
our clinic before your initial consultation appointments can be
made.
Once we receive your referral, we will contact you to make your five consecutive appointments. We all consult at this practice, making the process as easy and stress free as possible.
The initial five consultations will be carried over 1-2 days, and will cover all aspects of the pre, intra and post surgical phases. This includes the initial consult with the Obesity Consultant and the surgeon, who will discuss fully the surgical options available to you, along with the risks and complications associated with these.
You will then be required to see the nutritionist, the consulting therapist and the psychologist.
During the course of your initial consultations with the members of our team, you will have an assessment of your general health, specifically looking at any co-morbidities relating to your weight. We will outline the different surgical procedures available, the complications and risks (including death) of these along with preventive measures. We will educate you on the nutritional aspects, both pre- and post-operatively and support you with tools and strategies to enable you to deal with the changes you confront and the challenges you may face, both physically and emotionally. We strongly encourage you to ask questions and we will endeavour to ensure these questions are answered adequately and honestly.
We know that successful weight loss requires close follow-up with the surgical team. This includes regular appointments at 6 weeks, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 months, 2 years and then preferably annually, however your GP may take over your care after this time. You may at times, require more frequent visits in addition to those routinely scheduled. These follow-up appointments may include prior blood tests and occasionally other studies/investigations in order to monitor and maintain your health. We encourage you to be seen regularly by your GP and other specialists as required for management of any medical conditions, such as diabetes, sleep apnoea, high blood pressure, or any other disease that may have resulted from your weight problem.
All forms of weight loss surgery are a tool, not a cure, miracle or guarantee. It is possible to regain some or all of your weight and we encourage you to become an informed and willing team member involved in your own success. We will work with you as best we can to help this become a reality.
