Hospitalisation

The day before surgery

You will be operated on at the Clinique du Millénaire. You’ll be admitted to the clinic the day before your operation. You’ll receive a phone call a few days before, from the admissions clerk, to tell you the exact time of admission. This process has been introduced recently at the Clinique du Millénaire to maximise patient comfort and reduce waiting times to a minimum during admission procedures.

In addition to the latest high-security medical facilities (recovery room, intensive care, resuscitation and spacious bedrooms), the clinic has equipment specifically designed for the care of obese patients (suitable operating tables, operating equipment and furniture in the bedrooms).

We will do everything we can to put you at ease and ensure that your operation is problem-free.  Remember to bring all medical documents with you, including a recent prescription if you’re receiving medical treatment, and all your admin documents (ID papers, healthcare card [KA1] and private health insurance details).

You’ll have a meeting with a nurse who will ask you to sign the consent form for the operation, give you a laxative and explain how to prepare your skin for surgery (a Betadine shower). You’ll then see the anaesthetist and your surgeon.

Surgery day

Operations last from 1 hour to 2½ hours. They are performed under general anaesthetic. In most cases, they are done laparoscopically, which has a number of advantages:

• little pain after the operation
• fast recovery
• small, hardly visible scars

You’ll spend two to three hours in Recovery.

You’ll then be taken up to Intensive Care on the second floor where you’ll be monitored for 24 to 48 hours after the operation (one or two nights). This is the usual procedure for all patients and it is done to maximise safety.

You’ll spend the remainder of your stay in conventional accommodation on the 3rd floor (hospitalisation will last a total of four to seven days depending on your recovery).

In the Radiology Department, you’ll undergo an EGD transit examination to check on the surgical reconstruction.
Food will be reintroduced gradually (no food on the day of surgery or the following day, liquid and stewed fruit on the third day, then strained food from the fourth day onwards). You’ll be assisted by the dietitian who will come and see you every day.

You should plan to be off work for at least two weeks after leaving hospital.

Your food intake will need to be processed in a blender for three weeks after the operation.