Your referral letter and any past medical history, list of your current medication and any previous x rays or any previous tests.

We do not proceed with surgery til you cease smoking 6 weeks prior to surgery. We do direct you to the appropriate avenues to help you quit smoking. Obesity and smoking are the two leading causes of death. If you are an obese and a smoker your health is at a stake, let alone after surgery. We have operated on many smokers after we help them quit and they have had great success. They are grateful that we helped them in treating both problems hand in hand.

Yes, an adjustable gastric banding device can be removed. In most cases, this can be done laparoscopically. The stomach generally returns to its original shape once the band is removed. After the removal, though, you may soon go back up to your original weight or even gain more. We then recommend in this situation to consider another bariatric procedure such as sleeve gastrectomy or Roux en y gastric bypass procedure.

There are no restrictions based on the access port. It is placed under the skin in the abdominal wall, and once the incisions have healed it should not cause discomfort or limit your movements or any physical exercise. The only sensation you may have from the port is when you go in for adjustments. If you feel persistent discomfort in the port area, let us know as soon as possible.

Neither adjustable gastric banding device nor any other bariatric procedure hamper physical activity including aerobics, stretching and strenuous exercise.

Check-ups are a normal and a very important part of all weight loss surgery as follow-up visits are the key to long term success, that is why at our practice (OCQ) we offer these visits indefinitely on bulk billing basis.

You should focus on long-term weight loss rather than comparing results on the short term, however both procedures have a comparable weight loss results with the bypass probably more effective on the long term. Remember that it is important to lose weight gradually while reducing obesity-related risks and improving your health.

Becoming pregnant can be easier as you lose weight. Your menstrual cycle may become more regular. Usually you do not need to eat more while you are pregnant. We recommend strict guidance by a dietician, and your obstetrician through out your pregnancy with the focus on you and your baby’s well being.

With less food and calorie intake, the body compensate by burning the stored body fat to cater for the energy deficit caused by the reduced food intake. This process produces ketones, which are used as a fuel. To avoid burning muscles rather than fat, exercise and eating more, less carbohydrates are the key to preserve muscles especially in the first 6 months after surgery. Eventually the weight plateaued at a healthy level on its own pace.