With over 30 of years of being a neurosurgeon specialist, you’re in good hands with Dr Wiebo Van Der Meulen.
Welcome to
Wiebovandermeulen.co.za
Dear Patient, welcome to the website of Dr Wiebo Van Der Meulen.
You or a family member might have been diagnosed with a neurosurgical condition and understandably you probably feel overwhelmed.
This website will help you to understand your condition better and, if an operation is planned, guide you to prepare for surgery.
Practice
Philosophy
We are here to provide state–of–the-art neurosurgical care to our patients in a friendly, personal and compassionate manner. With our exponential growth over the past 24 years this is what I have learnt:
To me state-of–the-art cannot simply mean the newest technology. Novel materials and techniques must be tested first. It needs to make sense, perform as tested and be better and at least as safe as what I used to do, in order for me to adopt it.
The more responsibility you take for your health and the more involved you are the better the outcome will be.
Deciding to have an operation is not a decision to take lightly. Be sure that you know why the operation is being done, what the potential complications are and what the expected outcome is.
Don't wait any longer, take control of your future
Book a consultation today and ensure your future with confidence
Here are a few tips to help guide you
- Talk with your family and friends – Discuss the surgery with your family and friends and begin putting the necessary support group in place. Tell them how you are feeling.
- Communicate with your husband, wife or caregiver. Be sure to review all the steps that will be taking place before, during and after the operation. Confirm the surgery date and make sure schedules do not conflict.
- Look at your home – Try to get everything in order by paying all the bills and running errands. Remember you may be incapacitated for some time and having your home in order will help eliminate some of the emotional stress.
- Talk with other patients – Speak to other surgical patients you may know and ask them how they dealt with the preparations and recovery. The more information you have on your procedure the better.
- Do research.
- Make sure that all the transportation arrangements are in place.
- Prescription drugs – Be sure that your surgeon knows exactly what medication you are on.
- Supplements – If you are eating a balanced diet you should not need to take additional supplements. If you do generally take them as a rule you should check with your surgeon as certain supplements can have negative side effects which can interfere with blood clotting. These include excess Vitamin E, Cod liver oil, Ginko and Garlic. Additional herbal remedies can interfere with anaesthesia as well. Therefore you should discuss this with the anaesthetist.
- Diet – If you are not already doing so you should begin eating a proper balanced and nutritious diet.
- Exercise – If you are having surgery it is a good time to start. You do not have to do anything too physically intensive but modest exercise can be beneficial in a number of ways.
- Life Style – If you are a smoker this is a perfect time to quit. You should also be careful about your alcohol intake in the couple of weeks leading up to your surgery.
- Pre-surgery tests – Check where and when any routine tests you may need are going to be taking place. These might include blood and urine tests, ECG’s or X-rays.
- Mental preparation – Keep a positive attitude. People who are facing surgery undoubtedly experience fear, worry and anxiety. Keeping a positive attitude can help lessen these emotions. Talk out your fears with a relative or friend. It often helps to express your feelings verbally.
Once you have completed all of these checks you will be as well prepared as you can be physically and mentally and can now start to plan for your recovery afterwards which will help you to set goals once the operation is over.
