Today the doc told me I have a fatty liver and that they will biopsy it when they do the band. Anyone else have that.

Also, as part of my pre-op instructions I was told to go off of the pill (birth control) for 3 weeks before surgery. Has anyone else been told the same thing?

I personally am not on the pill, however another person that I do know had to go off the pill a few weeks before her surgery. She was able to go back on them about 2 months after surgery. Hope this helps:)

Going off the pill is related to the risk for blood clots.

It sucks, but yes I had to go off the pill 10 days before surgery. Unsure of when I can take it again. My surgery is next week.

What is a fatty liver?

Im 3 weeks Post Op & the surgeon did a biopsy on my liver during the surgery as well. Determined that I have a fatty liver. Apparently it's very common for individuals who are overweight. Took 1 week for benign results. But he did refer me to a specialist as a precaution. Most cases of fatty liver are resolved when we start loosing weight & keeping it off.

Thanks for the info:)

another interesting fact is that WLS can cause problems with absorption of traditional birth control, meaning it may not work properly after surgery. I recommend talking to a gynecologist to look at options. Mine said the best bets are the Nuva ring or an IUD.

All very good info! Thank you. I'm especially concerned with the effectiveness of my birth control after surgery. I'm in my 40s and not looking to have another baby.

117823, Did you have any additional pain or any issues with your liver biopsy? I'm still not sure why the livery biopsy is necessary. They already know it's fatty. When the doc said I needed it I was too shocked to ask questions. Will have to do that next time. I just don't know what they would be looking for. I'll search the internet, but I'm sure that will leave me thinking I'm gong to die any minute.

No issues at all with the liver biopsy. In all honesty I had forgotten about it- busy with recovery of the band. Doc said its more a proactive measure to ensure there were no underlying issues & provide a baseline in tracking the livers improvement as the weight comes off

My gastroenterologist found I had fatty liver during abdominal US while in process of diagnosing cause of my severe acid reflux (per-band). I had a liver biopsy done with negative results. My fatty liver has resolved and my hiatus hernia (cause of reflux) was fixed during banding. Actually wasn't going to do band until I found out I had to be put under anyway. Two for one!! Actually three for one if you count biopsy. Which sucks if you have done while awake.