Initial Meeting

During your initial meeting Dr Abbas will:

• ask detailed information about your symptoms and history of your current and past ailments
• Review any x rays, diagnostic reports or other documents
• perform a thorough physical examination

To confirm a diagnosis other possible diagnostic investigations such as blood tests or imaging tests may be additionally required.

After reviewing these results, Dr Abbas will recommend appropriate treatment options.

Treatment Options & Plan

Dr Abbas will take time to explain your options for treatment. Depending on the diagnosis your choice could include:

• Watchful Waiting
• Non-Surgical
• Surgical

It’s not uncommon to have questions or doubts. Dr Abbas encourage you to seek clarification on any issue before you leave the clinic.

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 the clinic please do not hesitate to contact our our surgery

Where surgery is the chosen path, our staff will detail costs and other logistics with you.

Preparing for Surgery

Once it is decided that surgery will help you, you'll need to learn what to expect from the surgery and create a treatment plan for the best results afterwards.

As you prepare for your surgery, it is important to be proactive. Preparing mentally and physically for surgery is an important step toward a successful result.

Before the surgery, you should make sure that you understand what the surgery entails and also what to expect in the weeks and months to follow.

Understanding the process and your role in it will help you recover more quickly and have fewer problems.

Before surgery, Dr Abbas will give you a complete physical examination to make sure you don't have any conditions that could interfere with the surgery or its outcome.

Other pre-surgery activities could include:

• Final Testing - Routine tests, such as blood tests and X-rays, are usually performed a week before any major surgery.
• Medications - Discuss any medications you are taking with your doctor and your family physician to see which ones you should stop taking before surgery.
• Aspirin - If you are taking aspirin or anti-inflammatory medications or warfarin or any drugs that increase the risk of bleeding you will need to stop taking them one week before surgery to minimise bleeding.
• Blood Bank - Discuss with your doctor options for preparing for potential blood replacement, including donating your own blood, medical interventions and other treatments, prior to surgery.

Other Preoperative activities could include:

• Diet - Eat a well-balanced diet, supplemented by a daily multivitamin with iron.
• Infections -Report any infections to your surgeon. Surgery cannot be performed until all infections have cleared up.
• Support - Arrange for someone to help out with everyday tasks like cooking, shopping and laundry.

The Procedure

On the day of surgery, you will be under general anesthesia for the duration of your actual procedure go to the procedure page on this website. Or

If you are having Day Surgery, remember the following

• Have someone available to take you home, you will not be able to drive for at least 24 hours.
• Do Not drink or eat anything in the car on the trip home. The combination of anaesthesia, food, and car motion can quite often cause nausea or vomiting.
• After arriving home, wait until you are hungry before trying to eat. Begin with a light meal and try to avoid greasy food for the first 24 hours.

Initial Post Operative

Hospital Recovery

After the surgery, you will wake up from anaesthesia in a recovery room or intensive care unit (ICU). After the surgery, you will continue to receive fluids through the IV inserted in your arm until you are able to tolerate regular liquids.

As proper nutrition is very crucial for your body to restore the damaged tissues and return to normal, your surgeon may either restrict what you drink and eat or place you on a special diet.

Your diet will be gradually changed from fluids to a regular diet.

Ongoing Care

After your procedure, regular post-procedure follow-up visits are important to ensure your complete recovery and a successful outcome.

Your hospital discharge instructions will have the periodical follow-up visits listed. Depending on your surgery your first visit may be scheduled 10 days to 3 weeks after the procedure.

You may be required to have regular follow up visits – six weeks, three months, six months, nine months and then annually to assess your recovery and progress.

Other appointments may be arranged if any post-operative problems arise.

Home recovery

Remember to arrange for someone to take you home, as driving may not be recommended for several weeks following surgery

After the surgery, pain medications and antibiotics are prescribed to control pain and prevent infection. 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.

Wound care

When you will be discharged, you will still have a surgical dressing on your incision(s).

Dressings are usually left intact until the first postoperative visit. If there are issues with the dressings these may require earlier review with the surgeon or GP.

If any of the following signs of infection are observed, you should call your doctor immediately. These signs include:

• Fever higher than 37.5°C
• Increase in redness or swelling around the incision(s)
• Extra fluid drainage from the incision(s)
• An opening of the incision has open areas along its length
• Experiencing chills, nausea/vomiting
• Suffering any type of trauma such as a fall or a car accident
• Difficulty in urinating or controlling your bowel movements

 And in such a situation you should contact your doctor immediately.

Rehabilitation Program

Return to Work

You may return to light work duties after a few days. You will not be fit to perform work duties that involve:

• Prolonged standing,
• Heavy lifting,
• Bending or
• Excessive stair climbing for a minimum of 6 weeks.