Surgery Journey
Your First Clinic Visit: Deciding About Surgery
Your First Clinic Visit
The first consultation shapes everything that follows. It is where you and your surgeon agree on what the problem is, what can be done about it, and what matters most to you. A good visit is a conversation, not a lecture: your surgeon should hear your concerns before explaining the plan.
This guide is adapted from Dr. Tamer Elalfy's book "From Clinic to Recovery", the patient source for this website.
What Happens at the Visit
- Your surgeon reviews your history, examination, scans, and medicine list.
- You are asked what you already understand about your condition, and what worries you most. Say it early, even if it seems small: an unanswered worry makes it hard to hear anything else.
- Your surgeon explains the diagnosis and the proposed operation in plain language, one topic at a time.
- The benefits, the risks, and the alternatives are discussed, including what may happen if you choose no operation.
- Your understanding is checked, your questions are answered, and you are given written information to take home.
How to Prepare for the Visit
- Bring a complete list of your medicines, including injections, inhalers, supplements, and herbal products.
- Bring previous reports, scans, and letters if you have them.
- Write down your questions before you come. A written list means nothing important is forgotten.
- You may bring a family member for support if you wish. It is your choice who attends and how much is shared with them.
- If you need an interpreter, tell the clinic in advance so a qualified interpreter can be arranged. Family members should not interpret for consent discussions.
- Think about your priorities: your work, caring duties, fasting, prayer, travel plans, and anything you are hoping the operation will achieve. These change what your surgeon emphasises.
Words You May Hear
Surgical words can sound alarming. Here are plain meanings for terms used in many consultations:
Laparoscopy
- What it means
- Keyhole surgery. A few small cuts are made, and a camera and thin instruments are used to operate inside the abdomen.
Conversion
- What it means
- Changing from keyhole to open surgery during the operation, because it is safer to do so.
Hernia
- What it means
- A weak spot in the muscle wall through which tissue bulges out.
Benign
- What it means
- Not cancer. It will not spread to other parts of the body.
Malignant
- What it means
- Cancer. It can grow into nearby tissue and may spread to other parts of the body.
Stoma
- What it means
- An opening of the bowel onto the skin of the abdomen. Waste passes into a bag that sticks to the skin. It may be temporary or permanent.
Pathology
- What it means
- Examination of the removed tissue under a microscope. The result tells us exactly what the problem was.
Postoperative ileus
- What it means
- A temporary pause in bowel movement after surgery. The bowel is resting and usually wakes up within a few days.
Three Questions That Unlock the Discussion
If you remember nothing else, ask these three questions. They prompt your surgeon to explain your options, their benefits and harms, and what they mean for you personally:
- What are my options?
- What are the possible benefits and harms of each option?
- How likely are these benefits and harms to happen to me?
More Questions Worth Asking
- What will happen if I do nothing, or if I wait?
- Who will actually perform my operation?
- How many of these operations do you do?
- Can I have a second opinion? (Yes. It is your right, and a good surgeon will help you arrange it.)
- Can I delay until after Ramadan, the holidays, or my exams? Ask what delay would mean for your condition, and which warning signs would make waiting unsafe.
- What would you advise if I were your family member? A fair question: expect the answer to be based on the priorities you described.
After the Visit: Take Time to Decide
For planned (elective) surgery, consent should be discussed in clinic and only confirmed on the day, not first obtained on the day. Take the written information home, talk with your family, and write down new questions. You may change your mind at any point, including on the day of surgery.
If a question cannot be answered yet, for example because a scan report is pending, ask when and how you will be told.
Full guide written by Dr. Tamer Elalfy