Choosing Your Plastic Surgeon
Preparing For Plastic Surgery Sydney
Preparing for surgery can be a significant matter for some individuals. We want to assist in making this process as smooth as possible for you.
If you’ve reached this page, you’ve most likely sat down for all of your necessary consultations with Dr Johnny Kwei already, and potentially even established your surgery date.
(Yay!) On this page, you’ll find all the necessary information about taking time off work, what to do if you have little kids, meal preparations, and what to pack if you are staying in the hospital for the night, all in preparation for your recovery.
It’s important to let your employer(s) know about your leave in advance and be sure to allow at least one week off work unless Dr Johnny Kwei has advised a longer period during your consultation.
Some patients working in Australia also like to check if they can use their time off for plastic surgery as ‘sick leave’. In summary, only a few surgical procedures will be a valid reason for ‘sick leave’. Other surgical procedures, including purely cosmetic procedures, may not meet your employer’s sick leave policy or requirements. You may want to check this.
After your surgery, a medical certificate signed by Dr Johnny Kwei will be given to you. However, it’s important to note that for patient confidentiality reasons, the reason for time off may not be stated on the document. For example, it usually says “Patient name is off work for XX amount of days for a medical condition/reason”.
While spending time in hospital, of course, many mothers can’t wait to see their children.
However, to ensure your recovery is stress and responsibility-free, and ultimately as smooth as possible, it’s not uncommon for some mothers to arrange with their partner or another family member (e.g. grandparents, etc.) to look after their children even just for the first few days to first week post-surgery.
It’s important to arrange this ahead of time so that everyone is on the same page, including your children.
It’s a great idea to ensure you have set up a calm, relaxed recovery environment for when you arrive back home. This may include gathering pillows, blankets and a sufficient amount of groceries (even store-bought, pre-prepped meals) so you have little need to move around or risk hurting yourself.
We want to ensure your surgical journey and recovery are as smooth as possible, so try to do yourself some little helpful favours prior to surgery (future you will thank you for it!).
Overnight Stays
If you are booked for an overnight stay at the hospital following your surgery, you’ll need to bring an overnight bag (not too big) to ensure your stay is as comfortable and smooth as possible.
Some of the following essential items Dr Johnny Kwei and his patients have advised bringing include:
- Mobile phone and phone charger (longer cords are advised)
- Pyjamas (nighties, shorts, button-down shirts or anything “roomy” is advised)
- Loose clothing (yoga pants, tracksuits, zip-front hoodies or a warm jacket is great) and, of course, underwear
- Flat shoes or night slippers, and socks
- Surgical garments (this should be discussed during your consultation and pre-purchased)
- Travel size toiletry essentials (toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, if you deem necessary, or dry shampoo is great, deodorant, soap, hand sanitiser, wet wipes, hairbrush and hair ties).
- Skincare essentials (Optional, should you deem it necessary: facial skin cleanser, moisturiser, lip balm or hand creams).
- Glasses, contact lenses or hearing aids if you require them.
- Reusable bags or tote bags (similar to a small beach bag, these bags are a great essential to ensure you keep all your essentials together and do not lose anything while staying in hospital for your recovery).
Some previous patients of Dr Johnny Kwei have also advised that bringing some “little luxuries” for your hospital stay is a great option. These have included:
- Entertainment: laptop, iPad (with respective charging cables), books, magazines, headphones or earphones.
- A reasonably sized water bottle.
- A neck pillow (a lot of women of Dr Johnny Kwei have mentioned that using a neck pillow as an underarm pillow for elevation is a great little bonus to have and is easy to pack).
- Makeup (this does not apply to patients who are undergoing any form of facial aesthetic surgery)
- Pre-packaged snacks (it’s not uncommon for patients to bring some small, packaged comfort food with them such as crackers, lollies, chips or muesli bars). Some patients have also recommended tea or coffee sachets if you have a favourite.
- Cash (there are vending machines and cafés around the hospital so should you decide to go for a wander, be sure to keep cash handy)
If you are unsure if you should or can bring an item, call our front desk staff or leave an enquiry online to discuss this further.