Has anyone had a Bad Liver with this Lap Band Surgery?

[Toosywoots 1]

My doctor told me that my fatty (non alcholic) liver with scarring with Diabetes will kill me with in a year if I do not loose a bunch of weight quickly. I have investigated Lap Band and Gastric Bypass surgeries. The Gastric bypass effects the liver and scared me a lot. So I was wondering if anyone has experience with the liver and the lap band. I have started the 800 calorie Protein diet and am just a couple of weeks from having lap band surgery and they have said this diet shrinks the liver. Please let me know how previous bad liver patients have done on this pre-op diet, surgery, and post-surgery.:smile:

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I had a fatty liver but no other issues so I guess I can't help you. Good luck!

[Toosywoots 1]

Oh, I forgot to add that I have a BMI of 53. I have lost 12 pounds prior to starting the high Protein 800 calorie diet.

[dietpeach 0]

Hi, I also have a fatty liver. My doctor never said anything about how bad it is, but my spleen is also enlarged, so that's not a good sign - I've read it's a sign that the fatty liver has worsened, but who knows. I shouldn;t self-diagnose.

I'm very glad to see you're sticking to your diet, because your doctor's words are very scary. If you've ruled out gastric bypass, then I think lap-band is a good choice. Maybe ask your doctor? If you want to lose weight with the lap band as fast as the gastric bypass in the first year, I've heard the new Allergan Lap Band AP (Advanced Platform) seems to do the trick.

Good luck and stay healthy!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

You know, I think I'm luckier than I realize that I had this surgery when I did. Apparently my liver is fatty but I don't have an enlarged spleen or any other issues....YET! I'm sure I would've if I'd gone on. Your posts have made me feel like I dodged a bullet and give me even MORE reason to work with the band to be healthy!

[jetsy62 0]

This may be a stupid question but I am going to ask anyway. I am scheduled for surgery 9/23 and am on my two week pre-op diet to shrink my liver. I know if they go in and my liver is too fatty they won't do the surgery, but is there not another way to figure out if a person has a fatty liver other than opening them up? And has anyone ever done the two week and still had a fatty liver? I am asking only because when it comes to medical issues, I always seem to be on the losing side of the odds.

Thanks.

[dietpeach 0]

Yes, my fatty liver and enlarged spleen were diagnosed by ultrasound.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

This may be a stupid question but I am going to ask anyway. I am scheduled for surgery 9/23 and am on my two week pre-op diet to shrink my liver. I know if they go in and my liver is too fatty they won't do the surgery, but is there not another way to figure out if a person has a fatty liver other than opening them up? And has anyone ever done the two week and still had a fatty liver? I am asking only because when it comes to medical issues, I always seem to be on the losing side of the odds.

Thanks.

They did an ultrasound on me but it looked like my liver could be moved. Once my surgeon got in (after I'd done 3 weeks preop and lost 15 pounds) it was too thick to move. So he retreated, they recovered me, I did 2 1/2 more weeks of diet (and 17 more pounds) and was successfully banded then.

[Toosywoots 1]

The way they found out about my liver was a blood test showing high liver counts. I started having high liver counts even when I was skinny about 30 years ago. Then when I took lamisil for a foot problem about 5 years ago, it sent the liver test sky high. Then they tried to do an ultra-sound but I was too heavy to get a good picture they said. So the primary care doctor sent me to a specialist. He told me to loose weight because I probably have a fatty liver or hepitis C and shoved me out the door.

Then 2 years later, my primary care doctor sent me to another liver specialist and he said I would have to have a liver biopsy to really see what was going on. The specialist told me some scary stuff about bleeding to death and such plus he said even if they found out there wouldn't be anything they could do. So I didn't have the biopsy done. A year later my primary care doctor asked what ever happened about it and I told him. So he sent me back to the liver specialist to have the biopsy. He didn't do it but another specialist did and I nearly died from a pain killer they gave me. The liver specialist told me the results over the phone--fatty liver with some scarring and told me to loose weight. Then he refused to see me again. So my primary care doctor told me that I need to loose weight in a big hurry and was mad that neither of those specialists referred me to a wieght loss surgeon. So I hired a patient facilitator to get me through the insurance hoops that had refused me weight loss surgery about 8 years ago when I had a 42 BMI and now I am 53 BMI.

Now my primary care doctor is in a miff and not happy that I am using him for the surgery referral process and having him send in the letters required. I wonder if has to do with insurance kick-backs or what? I am using a surgeon about 150 miles from here and not part of our city's medical bunch. There was no one around that could do this surgery or gastric bypass. I wasn't about to go to a general surgeon!

Edited September 15, 2008 by Toosywoots