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[judy7120 4]

My husband is scheduled for surgery this Thursday, is diabetic, has been on liquids for 4 days and feels HORRIBLE. We are monitoring blood sugar it is 153-257 which i know is high. DId anyone else feel terrible on this pre-surgery liquid diet? He has no energy. Any help you guys! Thanks, judy PS We have a call in to the doctor.

[Lauranbob Mc 94]

no energy... diabetic or not. make sure he is drinking plenty of Water

[Luwanna 80]

I too am diabetic, and the pre-op diet has helped my sugar! Make sure you are getting LOW CARB, HIGH Protein Shakes. It does leave you tired, but I feel better. High sugar is what makes you feel like poop. What kind of diet is he on?

[boots321 42]

I've been doing 2-3-4 protien shakes a day and 1 healthy meal such as salad, tuna, or solid protien for 1 week. Today I began my liquid only diet and I feel drained! All I can do to get my house clean before surgery. If anyone has suggestions on upping the energy I would love to hear them!

[judy7120 4]

I too am diabetic, and the pre-op diet has helped my sugar! Make sure you are getting LOW CARB, HIGH Protein shakes. It does leave you tired, but I feel better. High sugar is what makes you feel like poop. What kind of diet is he on?

Hi Luanna, Thanks for your reply. he is on a preop all liquid. Our Protein Shakes are no carb and high Protein. He is having Soups, pudding, etc with carbs but i am trying to limit the carbs. should we go to no carbs until sugar is down?

[MinaT 669]

After day 4 he should feel better. I'm diabetic also. I only get 3 shakes a day and it's hard but it's better than going in for surgery and the doctor closing him up and saying his liver is too large and we'll have to reschedule. He'd end up having to deal with a scar, and surgery for nothing. Call the doctor tomorrow. Tell him to make sure he gets his 64 ounces of Water in and keep busy, go for a walk or something to keep his mind off it!

[Webchickadee 716]

It is possible that the puddings and carbs in Soups is defeating his goal. Usually the liquid pre-op diet is done to deplete the glycogen stores in the liver, thereby reducing the "fatty liver" and making it smaller. This helps the surgeon manipulate the liver out of the way, as it sits right on top of the stomach!

If he is consuming carbs in his soups and puddings, the glycogen stores are not being reduced! And his blood sugar measurements seem to reflect this possibility. You need to switch him to sugar-free products right away! sugar-free Jello and puddings (pre-made or packages you mix), sugar-free Popsicles (not the ones made with natural fruit....they have a lot of sugar...even if it is naturally occurring!), and low-sodium broths (he can add some spices or hot sauce to make them more palatable) will help adjust his glucose counts and should also help him feel a lot better.

The hunger is another tough issue though. He needs to remember that this is one of the hardest parts of the entire journey. He most likely won't feel this hunger ever again. After surgery (sometimes a week or more after the grehlin has left his system), he probably won't really feel true hunger pangs. If he does, it is probably "head hunger", which will take a lot longer to retrain himself against!

He needs to reach for fluids when hunger pangs hit now. The liquid will help stave them off and also hydrate him as he loses weight (he will lose weight....which is usually one of the major motivators during this difficult phase!).

If he's following all of those guidelines and suggestions from his doctor and after a day or two, things don't improve, you should see medical advice to make sure everything is okay (maybe he needs some labs done, perhaps he's anemic....could be countless things!).

Good luck!

[Luwanna 80]

Absolutely NO extra carbs. pudding is full of them. Protein Shakes, beef/chicken/veggie broth, sugar free popsicles, and sugar free Jello. That was all I could have. Today, I am all Clear Liquids. I don't care for broth (makes me literally nauseous). Surgery is tomorrow morning!

[judy7120 4]

It is possible that the puddings and carbs in Soups is defeating his goal. Usually the liquid pre-op diet is done to deplete the glycogen stores in the liver, thereby reducing the "fatty liver" and making it smaller. This helps the surgeon manipulate the liver out of the way, as it sits right on top of the stomach!

If he is consuming carbs in his soups and puddings, the glycogen stores are not being reduced! And his blood sugar measurements seem to reflect this possibility. You need to switch him to sugar-free products right away! sugar-free Jello and puddings (pre-made or packages you mix), sugar-free Popsicles (not the ones made with natural fruit....they have a lot of sugar...even if it is naturally occurring!), and low-sodium broths (he can add some spices or hot sauce to make them more palatable) will help adjust his glucose counts and should also help him feel a lot better.

The hunger is another tough issue though. He needs to remember that this is one of the hardest parts of the entire journey. He most likely won't feel this hunger ever again. After surgery (sometimes a week or more after the grehlin has left his system), he probably won't really feel true hunger pangs. If he does, it is probably "head hunger", which will take a lot longer to retrain himself against!

He needs to reach for fluids when hunger pangs hit now. The liquid will help stave them off and also hydrate him as he loses weight (he will lose weight....which is usually one of the major motivators during this difficult phase!).

If he's following all of those guidelines and suggestions from his doctor and after a day or two, things don't improve, you should see medical advice to make sure everything is okay (maybe he needs some labs done, perhaps he's anemic....could be countless things!).

Good luck!

Thanks! i was worried that it was low Protein. Also worried that with no carb that his blood sugar would go too low. will go totally no carb starting now and continue to monitor blood sugar. Just had labs and all ok except sugar 258 then. Thanks for all the tips and encouragement to all of you! judy

[judy7120 4]

Absolutely NO extra carbs. pudding is full of them. Protein shakes, beef/chicken/veggie broth, sugar free popsicles, and sugar free Jello. That was all I could have. Today, I am all Clear Liquids. I don't care for broth (makes me literally nauseous). Surgery is tomorrow morning!

Thanks! No carb from now on. Good luck tomorrow! judy

[judy7120 4]

After day 4 he should feel better. I'm diabetic also. I only get 3 shakes a day and it's hard but it's better than going in for surgery and the doctor closing him up and saying his liver is too large and we'll have to reschedule. He'd end up having to deal with a scar, and surgery for nothing. Call the doctor tomorrow. Tell him to make sure he gets his 64 ounces of Water in and keep busy, go for a walk or something to keep his mind off it!

Thanks for the reply! Will up the water! Thanks! Good luck on June 4th! judy

[Pookeyism 1,143]

Since he is running high, be prepared for him to feel really bad, maybe for awhile, even if his bg gets under control. When you go from running high to normal, especially if it lower end normal, it can feel very bad - and yes, maybe make you more hungry.

be sure it is a real low before feeding it, there will be alot temptation for him to use it as an excuse to eat the carbs his body is craving. Let him go to at least 50 before you feed it, but 50 needs extreme monitoring, after that, or if you dont chose to still go so low, only feed it with low sodium carb choices. 2-3 oz of juice with 2-3 oz of Water is a good choice. Drink dont gulp - remember right now he should be practicing smaller drinks and such.

Ok - one question - why is he not on here asking the questions?

[alliegb3 112]

The diet should be no carb. Unless there is like 3-4 in the shake. Should be <30 carbs a day. He will feel crappy and hungry and grouchy and drained and testy.... But it's a small price to pay