Couldnt Do Surgery-Liver Size

[mufasas-mom 170]

well i don't drink, so I guess I'll be ok - I hope. But there has to be some other medical issues that would cause the liver to be enlarged....now I have to google this as I am curious.

[Izuri 428]

So the OP said her ALT was 29 which is in the normal range - mine is 29 -which my surgeon said was fine, as I did ask this question directly.....so what other blood work test could show that her liver was off? Also - I dont' think she said it was fatty liver - it was enlarged. So, what makes a liver enlarge?

There are a number of reasons someone's liver can be enlarged. For us who are obese it's usually a nonalcoholic fatty liver, but it could be caused by hepatitis, autoimmune conditions, alcoholic fatty liver, cysts, gallbladder issues, mono.. It doesn't sound like she had any identified problem aside from maybe NAFLD.

OP - I'm so sorry, I can imagine this is fairly traumatic. I do wonder if it's just the surgeon's level of skill, confidence, or just the liver size that determines a surgeon's plan of action. It does seem to vary widely - for example, I was 325 pre-surgery, 321 on surgery day, and only had a prescribed diet of Clear liquids the day before surgery, no pre-op diet. My surgeon didn't mention any problems with my liver. Do you have any comorbidities that might have affected it? I am surprised that on that low of calorie diet that you didn't lose more than 8 pounds.

I really hope you hang in there and follow the diet again (You can do it!) and kick those 20 pounds to the curb so that you can get your surgery done. After this whole ordeal, you deserve to be dropping some weight and feeling great.

[deltadawn817 106]

I am so sorry you are in pain and didn't have the procedure. I know you said it feels like your insides are going to fall out when you stand up. try this It will help. Take a flat sheet and fold it to a small pillow tape it tight to make a hard little pillow. press it against your stomach where the most pain is when standing and sitting it will help so much.

[Ready4success 380]

Depends. I read on another message board where the person's doctor took their liver size as an indication that they cheated on the pre-op diet and woke them up basically as a way to scold them for not adhering to the diet. She swore she didn't but the doctor felt like she did so he woke her back up. I'm thinking as the medical professional you would first try to find out how fatty their liver is to begin with so that you can determine a difference when you get them on the table or at least be able to estimate how much they'd need to lose to get the liver down to a size you can deal with but whatever...I can't get behind assumptive healthcare when you can see my insides with a scan before surgery and know what you need to know.

Like the OP said' date=' the doctor knew her weight so I feel he/she should have been more proactive about estimating how much she'd need to lose beforehand.

In my personal opinion, surgeons should have a provision in the consent that they'll do an open procedure if the liver is too big to access the area laproscopically. That makes more sense than putting someone under, being disappointed by their liver size and waking them up when they can just do an open procedure.

I don't believe that the liver issue is always a matter of safety when there is the open option. If your surgeon is skilled to do it either way, why postpone it when you already have the camera in their gut? I find it highly questionable and "unkind."

I want to know what will happen if he/she goes back in and the liver is still not something they can manage? At that point, I'd find another surgeon.

Unless, the OP cheated, in which case the doctor proved his/her point.[/quote']

I agree that most consents either include, "possible open procedure", or "all other indicated procedures". In this instance, I'm questioning the experience of the surgeon.

[Spatters3 315]

Sending you home with no pain meds or instructions is just wrong. It doesn't sound like this outfit is a Bariatric Center of Excellance. Please call them and request that they call in a prescription and give you some instructions !

Also, I don't know how you feel about this but I personally would NOT let this surgeon touch me again.

[Banned member 320]

I agree with everyone who said that your surgeon is possibly inexperienced and doesn't feel comfortable operating when the person has a large liver. I can't believe that they wouldn't offer you any pain meds. I would definitely consider finding another surgeon because what if everything doesn't go text book perfect? Will he freak out and not know how to tackle simple obstacles. My surgeon doesn't require a preop diet, maybe it's because he's knows how to work around the "fatty liver" but from what I've read my surgeon has been a wls surgeon for the past 10+ yrs. Hopefully your liver will shrink to the size that your surgeon is asking. Good Luck

[SlevieNicks 9]

Alcohol consumption right?

I don't drink

[Peachgodd 25]

Oh no!!

[karenbb8 21]

I am so sorry this happened to you, what a nightmare.

[Hop_Scotch 1,630]

4 hours ago, Peachgodd said:

Oh no!!

You are responding to a thread that is over six years old

[Hop_Scotch 1,630]

This thread is over six years old, big gap between the sept 2012 post and the recent posts.

[JessLess 1,163]

That is awful. But now you have proved that you can do this, with just one issue, your liver. If it were me, I would get a second opinion from another doctor who has a lot of experience with doing the procedure. See what they recommend and take it from there.

[JessLess 1,163]

Whoops, I got the feels over an old post. LOL

[Peachgodd 25]

Old post still relevant info.

Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

[TheJuice202 63]

This may be old but relevant for me in 2019. It never occurred to me they might not operate if they see someone's liver is too big on the operating table. I probably shouldn't have found this just 9 days away from my surgery date lol.

I had a small cheat on day 2 of my pre-op diet but i've been a good girl ever since (now on Day 5).