Maybe this is just me stuggling, BUT really why? My doctor has me on liquid and Protein drinks only for TWO weeks. She said it is to soften my liver and reduce the slick fat off of it to make it more pliable in surgery. How exactly does that work. Other people have said that it take alot longer than that for anything really to change in your liver. Is it not eatting solid food that FLUSHES the liver?? Is it not having carbs and sugar?

I know I am suppose to follow doctors orders to the letter, BUT if you are slipping is there better slips than others. Protien, real fruits or verggies??

I know the further into I get, MAYBE, it will get easier. That or as I get closer to surgery I will get more scared and loose my appitie. Well, a girl can hope:001_unsure:

It's my understanding that low carb is what they are after. You deplete your glycerin stores in the liver when you enter ketosis. One enters ketosis when one eats low carb.

If you need to eat more stick to Protein and fat.

By depleting the free blood sugar (which eating a low-carb diet does), you force the body to burn glycogen from your liver to keep you going.

Glycogen is stored bound to a lot of water; going low-carb causes your liver to shrink and become less "slippery" through, essentially, dehydrating it. This is very, very important before your surgery, so you must follow your doctor's advice to the letter. It may be hard, but it's only for two weeks, right?

You really do NOT want surgical complications (or, god forbid, liver damage) due to not following instructions.

If you're unwilling to follow the pre-op diet, you might want to reconsider the surgery. It might be difficult for you to live with how restricted your diet will be post-op.

Thanks for the explination. So far I am doing good. I am hoping it gets easier in time. I have 5 kids so I have to make food and be around it and it is a little hard for me to explain why all I am doing is drinking shakes.

I also am hoping that after surgery will be easier. I am guessing I really won't want to eat much. Really as of now I just want some grilled chicken. I do feel that now that I have three days under my belt I really don't want the carbs. I am hoping to break that hold, that and SUGAR.

I also want a BIG bowl of steamed brocolli.

Usually they have you on a pre-op diet for a while, and that is to lose some stomach and liver weight, so that when they blow up your tummy to get the instruments in, they have enough room to work, and the liver is lighter to lift.

Les

Started my pre-op diet yesterday, I am having a hard time, I really want a sandwich! I'm doing the slimfast diet and already tired of sweet. Everything is sweet, except for dinner. I'm looking forward to that.

My pre-op diet is shakes for breakfast and lunch, and an Atkins-type meal for dinner. I don't know what the advantage of shakes-only would be.

DO THE PRE-OP DIET!!!

I strayed off the path (big time), including splurging two nights before my surgery. In the end, the surgery took two hours, and they had to use so much gas (nitrogen, I think) to inflate my abdomen, that I've been feeling like I've had the bends ever since. I wouldn't wish this on the devil...

Today is the first day of my pre-op diet. So far so good. I totally get why it is necessary as the livers of people who are obese are generally VERY fatty. This can definitely cause problems during a laproscopic procedure. So...I'm with you! We can do it! I'm so excited about finally taking this step...I'd probably eat dirt if it was in my pre-op diet instructions! LOL! Have a great day!

Your original question was "BUT really why?"

Anatomically, the stomach is partially hidden by the liver, which must be retracted (pulled aside to get it out of the way) to access the stomach. The liver is a VERY dense, highly vascular organ. This means that if it is fatty, it is even more dense and difficult to retract. This increases the chance of rupturing or lacerating it interoperatively, which can be very serious, leading to hemorrhage and peritonitis. At the very least, as mentioned, it lengthens the surgery (adding more chance of complications related to anesthesia, clots, stroke, etc...). At the very very least, it's a pain in the ass to the whole surgical team, who are there trying to give you the best possible surgery. Stick to the pre-op diet that THEY give you (not us- i posted mine for those who were never given one). It will make your liver smaller, floppier, and easier to deal with in the OR. This is not a root canal. It's major abdominal surgery.

If you have questions, ASK them of your doctor. If you don't understand the answer, ASK again, and ask her to EXPLAIN them until you understand them. Don't let them rush you or discourage you from asking. This is YOUR body and YOUR life. There is a reason that you sign an "informed" consent. Your doc is legally, professionally, and ethically obligated to make sure you are fully informed, but only you can determine if you understand everything. Speak up, and good luck!

Your original question was "BUT really why?"

Anatomically, the stomach is partially hidden by the liver, which must be retracted (pulled aside to get it out of the way) to access the stomach. The liver is a VERY dense, highly vascular organ. This means that if it is fatty, it is even more dense and difficult to retract. This increases the chance of rupturing or lacerating it interoperatively, which can be very serious, leading to hemorrhage and peritonitis. At the very least, as mentioned, it lengthens the surgery (adding more chance of complications related to anesthesia, clots, stroke, etc...). At the very very least, it's a pain in the ass to the whole surgical team, who are there trying to give you the best possible surgery. Stick to the pre-op diet that THEY give you (not us- i posted mine for those who were never given one). It will make your liver smaller, floppier, and easier to deal with in the OR. This is not a root canal. It's major abdominal surgery.

If you have questions, ASK them of your doctor. If you don't understand the answer, ASK again, and ask her to EXPLAIN them until you understand them. Don't let them rush you or discourage you from asking. This is YOUR body and YOUR life. There is a reason that you sign an "informed" consent. Your doc is legally, professionally, and ethically obligated to make sure you are fully informed, but only you can determine if you understand everything. Speak up, and good luck!

Thanks for this info. It will certainly give me all the more inspiration when I go through the pre-op withdrawals. I will just keep a mental picture of a "floppy" liver in my mind and will not go near any baddo foods.

In the obese, the liver is a huge, fatty organ. It is ?in the way? of the surgical area during band surgery, and must be held back with surgical instruments. An enlarged liver is very fragile and bleeds quite easily when touched or manipulated during surgery. This bleeding can be difficult to control, and the extra care required with an enlarged liver increases surgical risk, as well as surgical time. Longer surgical time and extended time under general anesthesia can make both immediate and longer-term recovery much more difficult for you. An especially large and fragile liver has even caused some surgeries to be cancelled, for the safety of the patient.

*

Following this Pre-Op Diet is extremely important. The goal is not to lose weight, necessarily, but to enter a temporary period of dietary ketosis, which is not harmful to you at all. However, many do lose a good amount of weight, which will jump-start your weight loss as you begin to regain and improve your health. It is this dietary ketosis that results in liver-shrinking and the normalizing of your metabolism so that you can do well with.

WOW!!. I will be honest - I was not put on a preop diet except for after midnight the day before surgery. I even went out and had a large plate of Pasta that Monday night (Wed AM surgery). I read the boards that Tues and really got scared with all the stories of 2 week pre op diets and liver size. I asked my doc the morning of surgery do we need to delay and he said it was no big deal.

Guess what I am saying is go with what your surgeon says but if you slip - its not the end of the world.

I didn't have a pre-op diet either. But maybe my liver wasn't too big and my surgeon could cope with it!

I had a 2 week pre-op diet but was allowed an Atkins type dinner. It wasn't all liquids until the day before surgery. Every surgeon is different. My surgery went very well, no complications so his method evidently works, and I lost 18 lbs pre-op. I asked him post op about my liver and he said it was "small and healthy".

I was pretty lucky i guess, didn't need the pre op diet . . . doctor didn't find it necessary.

but from what the others say here, i guess that is the reason some physicians do it. . . good luck and the best to you!