Nervous and wondering

[MyFreshStart 5]

I'm having surgery tomorrow.

I have read a lot about people being on a 2 week liquid diet. I was not told to be on one except for today all day.

I'm in Mass.

Anyone else around here or not told to do 2 week diet?

Also what kinda of things are you all drinking for 2 weeks?

Thanks in advance

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[RickM 1,752]

Absolutely - no pre op diet of any kind other than the semi-usual Clear liquids the day before surgery thing. I was chatting with one of the surgeons (different practice than mine, but same sensibilities) last month at our dinner meeting and he said that the last thing he wants of his patients is to be fasting for weeks before surgery - he wants them as strong as possible going into the procedure.

I've never understood the liquid pre-op diet thing and have never heard a viable explanation as to its function. The "liver shrinking" thing is all well and good for those docs who need the extra help, but that is accomplished (to the extent that it can be) by a low carb diet irrespective its composition (liquids, solids, etc.)

[MyFreshStart 5]

Thank you for your response.

My surgeon feels the same and it feels good to hear.

I feel I have made the right choice with him and appreciate you for taking the time to make a difference.

Thank you

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[Miss Mac 6,262]

I had non-alcoholic fatty liver disease NFLD, with an enlarged liver, so a liquid pre-op regime was necessary for me. However, there have been a few folks here on the forum whose surgeons were comfortable with the standard surgical prep of limited food/beverage for one day or overnight just to clear the system.

[beggingtobehealthy 97]

I was told to do one week preop

I use advantedge shakes

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[PissiChrissi 200]

I think from what I have gathered here it seems the 2 week fast is for patients with a higher bmi. They have a much greater chance of having a larger liver that will get in the way of the surgery.

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[SusanB55 89]

No to preoperative diet here either. We asked our surgeon and he said he has never seen any benefit from it. And that is ok with us, lol. We are in Tucson. I am so nervous too and I haven't even been approved. My husband has tho and is being sleeved on May 2, just 8 days. Best of luck to you tomorrow and God bless!

[CHM 1,009]

At my first WLS appointment, I also had an enlarged, fatty liver, along with a very high BMI (55.6). No liquid diet was required - just the 3 month medically supervised weight loss plan required by insurance. After the op, my surgeon said that my liver looked absolutely beautiful. Therefore, in my highly unprofessional opinion, I don't see how the liquid diets are all that necessary.

[Megall9 268]

From what I've been told and read, not only does it shrink the liver but also makes it more pliable, therefore easier to move out of the way for surgery. For those with a higher BMI (like me) it's just something that is done to bring your risk during surgery down. My surgeon told me one week was mandatory, two was better. I'm going for the two, and today is the first day!

[Talaria 50]

I didn't do a pre-op diet. I was doing a ton of international travel up to one day prior to surgery, so the day before surgery I had a Protein shake for Breakfast, a salad for lunch and a Protein Shake for dinner. That was the extent of my prep. Prior to that I ate as I normally did and probably gained a few lbs to be 100% honest. I asked my surgeon how my liver looked after surgery and he said I'd get another 80-90 years out of it (I'm 39).

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[DeletedMember 715]

My surgeon varies the approach based on the person. As I recall, women with under 50 BMI don't have to do the liquid diet (just healthy Protein and veggie diet), but all guys do. This has to do with the way most men carry fat around their abdomen, as opposed to women who often don't. I'm sure he adjusts this based on individual body type. I actually was excused from mine as I had lost 45 lbs in the 6 weeks prior and he examined my abdomen and said I could just keep doing what I had been doing.

The moral of the story? Just follow the doctors orders and don't stress, there is no one size fits all approach. Every doctor is different.

[MyFreshStart 5]

Thanks for your response.

I appreciate all assistance.

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