Ashford Private Hospital, SA

Hi Everyone,

I will be having my op at Ashford in SA, any reviews out there?

Cheers

Hi Mrspotatohead,

I had my sleeve at Ashford with Michael France in September and I have no real complaints. It's a bit of an old-ish hospital, but it's comfy and you only see the theatre and your room anyway ;)

My Mum is actually there getting sleeved as I type this!

Feel free to ask any more questions if you have any, there's quite a few of us here that were sleeved there :)

Leah

Thanks for that Leah, wow you have done soooooooo very well.

A few more questions for you if that is okay.

How many weeks of opti did you have? what did he allow you to eat with the shakes?

When you came out of op did you have any drains or nasogastric tubes?

How many nights were you in?

I am from the middle of nowhere like you (ha ha) and just wondering roughly what points in time the follow ups are.

Do we get help from a dietitian?

So many quesitons, sorry . Hope your mum recovers smoothly.

Thanks

Lol no it's fine! I'm glad I can help :)


How many weeks of opti did you have? what did he allow you to eat with the shakes?
I was told to do 2 weeks of Opti; 2 Opti and 1 meal (chicken or fish with salad or veg) per day.

When you came out of op did you have any drains or nasogastric tubes?
No drains, no nasogastric tube, just Oxygen.

How many nights were you in?
2

I am from the middle of nowhere like you (ha ha) and just wondering roughly what points in time the follow ups are.
Ummmm I kinda didn't go to my follow up appointment lol, too far to go and I had NO issues whatsoever, so I just sent them an email and asked Mum to give him an update when she went for her pre-op appointment lol.

Do we get help from a dietitian?
Depends on where you're from; I had a visit from a dietician the day after surgery and she gave me a booklet with the do's and dont's, other than that I have to source my own if I wish to see one.

Where abouts are you from?

Such quick response you are fantastic :)

I live on the Eyre Peninsular farming so no dietitians near, but one visits local town once every 2 months.

What is your weight loss up to now? I am a similar to your starting weight so hope i can progress like you have.

Are you exercising and if so how much?

Wow 2 nights i would love that. Honestly do you think if i went in for surgery on wed and was out by friday i would be okay to make it to friends wedding sat? Obviously i wouldnt eat and drink and could cover by saying miagrain or something but would hate to miss it. If it is anything like a cesection i think i would be okay?

Did you let on what you had had done to friends and work etc?

I've lost about 34kg to date; about 7.5 on Optifast. I didn't do much exercise at all (probably 1-2 sessions a week) until around Xmas, but my loss has started to slow down so I think the honeymoon is over lol, I need to start treating it as a tool, not a magic solution! So now I exercise 5 mornings a week for about half an hour, usually on the Wii Fit or Treadmill. And when my boys are at their Dad's I try and go for a walk after dinner, but it doesn't happen very often.

As for the wedding, I found that I didn't have much energy for the first week or two, your food/nutrition intake is very small and of course the major surgery takes it out of you.....I haven't had a C-section but I am a Student Midwife; you're still getting all your food and energy after a section, you're not with a sleeve. But maybe see how you go. I went to a wedding about 4 weeks post sleeve and it was a tiring day! Maybe see how you feel; of course you may even have to stay longer than the 2 nights, it just depends how everything goes :)

As for telling people, I never kept it a secret, I told pretty much anybody that would listen as I was so damn excited to finally be doing it! Now, of course, people are asking me what my "secret" is as I've lost it so fast, I tell everybody unless I don't really like them lol, then I say "diet and exercise", which is true ;)

Mum chose not to tell many people, each to their own :)

Thanks for that Leah,

I dont think i will tell people, i am just not stonge enough for the judgment.

Do you mind me asking how tall you are, you must be quite tall as you look a lot smaller than me in those before photos of you :)

I'm around 172cm I think :)

I was done at Ashford last Oct, and while it is not a new hospital by any means it is comfortable, and i could not fault the nursing staff in anyway.

I never made it to my own room, rather i spent two nights in the high dependcy unit, then had the choice of another night in a private room or going home i went home, as i had no problems whats so ever.

Like Leah i saw a dietican before i went home, and i have also seen one privately who really didnt give me any information i didnt really have.

I did Opti for 6 weeks prior to the sleeve four of those weeks i had chicken or fish with veggies for dinner then for the final two weeks i did an intense session of opti, my blood work had shown my liver was fatty so rather than risk surgery Mr France and i agree that was the best option for me, and it payed off my liver was perfect on my big day.

As for checkups i saw Michael at two weeks post op and then just last week, now i dont see him again till May, if you and he are happy with how things are going you can skip those checks and just touch base via email.

All the best for your sleeve, it is honestly the best thing you can do for yourself.

smiles

Mandy

I was also done at Ashford by Michael France. Found the hospital and staff really good. Big difference to my last experience at Flinders Public.

I did Opti for 4 weeks before the Op with a meal at night, a few food funerals at my favourite restaurants until 2 weeks before hand.

Good recovery, have seen Michael once and the next appointment is late Feb.

To be brutally honest I think you will struggle with the wedding. I was very tired in the days after the surgery. Remember you really will not have eaten much at all for 3-4 days which is tiring in itself without the after effects of anasthetic. Plus if the wedding is near your home you will have a long drive home. A tip for that drive though, take a pillow in the car and hold it over your stomach, acts as a kind of splint that helps stop the bumps in road being felt.

I am hoping to have my sleeve done at Ashford too. I have been to Ashford several times, have stayed in the heart ward though and had 2 heart procedures there. Also stayed in the medical ward twice where I had a private room each time (heart ward was semi-private).

Ashford has many semi-private rooms (you share with 1 person), so try to ask for a private room when filling out the paperwork.

Ashford has some old parts and some new parts, I am not sure what the surgical wards are like.

Cat.

Anyone else out there having surgery at Ashford in July???

K8nco - I'm having my op at Ashford on 3 July. Dr France seems delightful, as does Dr Nancarrow.

Hi bellajb & k8nco, I too am having surgery at Ashford on July 11th.  Surgery will be by Michael France who has been great.

Starting to get both excited and nervous as it is starting to get close now! 

k8nco wrote:

Anyone else out there having surgery at Ashford in July???

Hi K8nco I'm going to be at the Ashford on 31/7 being sleeved by dr France.