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What happens at my first appointment?

 

Your first appointment in our rooms is an excellent opportunity to ask questions.  You may or may not elect to proceed with surgery however please arrive with as much history on your condition as possible. If you are going to proceed with surgery we will give you a referral for admission form (RFA) at this appointment. Dr Vasica does not perform any procedures during appointments in the rooms, all procedures are completed in hospital.

 

Can you tell me how long I will need to wait in the public system?

 

You are expected to send or drop the RFA form in to the hospital within 48 hours of your initial consult.  Public hospitals will not add you to their list and your wait period does not commence until this paperwork has arrived. The lists are booked by the waitlist co-ordinators at the hospital and they will notify you of a date when they have scheduled their lists.  We strive to keep our wait time as short as possible however this is at the waitlist co-ordinators discretion and is set according to urgency status marked on your form and medical priority.

 

How much will my surgery cost?

 

If you require surgery we will draw up an estimate of surgical fees in our rooms following your consultation. This will be accompanied by a document that details our terms and conditions on payments of accounts. Please note all surgical fees must be paid five days prior to your surgery date. 

 

We attempt to be as precise as possible with this paperwork however as we cannot anticipate exactly what will happen during surgery this is an estimate only rather than a quote and may vary. Item numbers for your own health fund queries will be provided. Our fees are set at the AMA rate.  

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Please click here for our consultation fees. 

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How soon after surgery can I drive a vehicle?

 

You should not drive a vehicle 24-48 hours after anesthesia. It is against the law and should you have an at fault accident you may be held liable. Driving depends on a variety of factors and is different for every patient. Please call and ask us if it is ok for you.
 

When do I have my post operative appointment?

 

Dr Vasica will advise in your consultation when you will require a post operative appointment.  Once you know your surgery date this can be booked with our front desk staff.  Generally, if you have non-dissolvable stitches then 10-14 days is the usual time frame to have a post operative appointment for a wound check and removal of sutures. Tissues take time to heal and therefore we say that it is usual to expect a post operative appointment around the 4-6 week mark. 

What do I do if its after hours and I am unwell?

 

We want our patients to feel supported during their healing period, always remember it is ok to represent to your GP or hospital for a check up if we are unable to be contacted during usual business hours. 

 

When can I start exercising again?
 

We usually get asked this question following abdominal surgery. If you have had abdominal surgery you must not lift anything over 5 kgs for a period of 6 weeks as this is how long it takes for the tissues to rejoin and heal.  Vigorous excercise too soon can also cause trauma to the surgery site and indeed not only slow the healing but cause further damage. Walking and normal moving around is fine of course. 

 

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