Hello everyone!

This is my first post. I am still waiting on a surgery date. I have finished my 6 months of SWL classes. The doctor told me I had to lose 33 lbs. on the LRD and I have lost 80 lbs. It took my secondary insurance a month to finally approve my surgery, so know I am just waiting on the phone call to schedule my surgery. I am having a lot of anxiety about whether my liver is small enough for surgery. I have lost a lot of weight on the LRD, but there have been times when I have cheated on the diet. I am also nervous about how I will feel after the surgery. Will I have a lot of pain? Will I be horribly nauseous? Will I feel like I wanna die? Or will I feel ok? Any feedback or advice from those of you who have been through this already would be greatly appreciated!

Hi I am new to this forum and my surgery is scheduled for Tuesday September 17. Good luck to anyone else who also has this surgery date.

Good luck Audrey!!

Good luck Audrey!!!

Sent from my iPad using RNYTalk

Hello everyone!

This is my first post. I am still waiting on a surgery date. I have finished my 6 months of SWL classes. The doctor told me I had to lose 33 lbs. on the LRD and I have lost 80 lbs. It took my secondary insurance a month to finally approve my surgery' date=' so know I am just waiting on the phone call to schedule my surgery. I am having a lot of anxiety about whether my liver is small enough for surgery. I have lost a lot of weight on the LRD, but there have been times when I have cheated on the diet. I am also nervous about how I will feel after the surgery. Will I have a lot of pain? Will I be horribly nauseous? Will I feel like I wanna die? Or will I feel ok? Any feedback or advice from those of you who have been through this already would be greatly appreciated![/quote']

How you feel after surgery varies from person to person. I was in a lot less pain following surgery than I expected. My shoulder surgery five years ago was way worse. I took the prescription meds for 4-5 days both day and night, then night only for a couple more days. I stopped them completely after 7-8 days. I found the most uncomfortable part was the gas pains for the first few days. I was weak for a few days following surgery but walking helps both gas pain and improving stamina. I felt good by a week, and great by two weeks when I returned back to work. I work in a bank so my work is not strenuous but I am on my feet a lot.

You'll do fine and it is so worth it! Good luck!

Thank you so much Terry! I have a lot of back issues so I have quite a bit of pain most of the time. I have heard a lot of people say they felt felt very sick for the first couple of weeks, did you feel that way too?

I was so lucky, I was back to work in one week, had minimal pain and my recovery was VERY fast. I did exactly as my surgeon said and it was smooth sailing. I would do it again in a second !!!!

Thank you so much Terry! I have a lot of back issues so I have quite a bit of pain most of the time. I have heard a lot of people say they felt felt very sick for the first couple of weeks' date=' did you feel that way too?[/quote']

Not so much 'sick' actually. I did have trouble eating for a few weeks because it seemed like everything had a strange taste and smell. That eventually went away. My first experience with food getting 'stuck' happened a month out. It has happened maybe 8-10 times in 3 1/2 months so I don't consider that bad. I haven't 'dumped yet. I have been religiously following the dietary rules set by my team and avoiding forbidden foods completely. The threat of dumping is enough to keep me on track. :-)

Not so much 'sick' actually. I did have trouble eating for a few weeks because it seemed like everything had a strange taste and smell. That eventually went away. My first experience with food getting 'stuck' happened a month out. It has happened maybe 8-10 times in 3 1/2 months so I don't consider that bad. I haven't 'dumped yet. I have been religiously following the dietary rules set by my team and avoiding forbidden foods completely. The threat of dumping is enough to keep me on track. :-)

Hi Terry... I just have one more question. Did you worry about your liver not being small enough? I have been on a liver shrinking diet since the end of February. I have been trying my best to follow the diet completely, but it's so hard and I have blown it quite a bit. I mean, don't get me wrong i have been successful, I lost 80 lbs when the doctor only required me to lose 33. But, I haven't stayed completely on the diet and I am so scared that my liver isn't small enough. My doctor also said that he will put me on an all liquid diet 48 hours before my surgery and that would help shrink my liver, but I still worry. Thanks again for all of your help.

I didn't worry about it. I had lost 12 pounds in the two months I was fulfilling my requirements. I had a few 'last supper' meals before surgery - those thing you love but might not eat again for a long time, if ever. My surgeon didn't require a liquid pre-op diet bit I did one for two weeks anyway (and lost 8 more pounds). I was ready to get started and I figured the more I lost before the less I'd have to lose after.

80 pounds is an awesome loss on your own - and very hard to do! That's probably a 4-6 month jump on what you need to lose after. Great job! It's my understanding that any weight loss before surgery will help your liver. As long as you're not gaining it back I'm sure your liver is good for surgery.

I didn't worry about it. I had lost 12 pounds in the two months I was fulfilling my requirements. I had a few 'last supper' meals before surgery - those thing you love but might not eat again for a long time' date=' if ever. My surgeon didn't require a liquid pre-op diet bit I did one for two weeks anyway (and lost 8 more pounds). I was ready to get started and I figured the more I lost before the less I'd have to lose after.

80 pounds is an awesome loss on your own - and very hard to do! That's probably a 4-6 month jump on what you need to lose after. Great job! It's my understanding that any weight loss before surgery will help your liver. As long as you're not gaining it back I'm sure your liver is good for surgery.[/quote']

That really eases my mind quite a bit! I feel a lot better than I did. Thank you so much Terry. I really appreciate all your advice!

That really eases my mind quite a bit! I feel a lot better than I did. Thank you so much Terry. I really appreciate all your advice!

You're welcome! Please keep in mind that anything I have to say is from my own personal experience and shouldn't be a substitute for talking to your own doctor. It's nice to get the perspective of someone who's been through surgery, but we are all different and have different experiences. Always follow up with your own doctor. They know you and your personal situation better than anyone else. :-)

Good luck to you! :-)

Hi I am new to this forum and my surgery is scheduled for Tuesday September 17. Good luck to anyone else who also has this surgery date.

Just wondering how you've been doing since your surgery? Hope all is well with you!

SW 413 CW 323 Surgery date 10/29

You're welcome! Please keep in mind that anything I have to say is from my own personal experience and shouldn't be a substitute for talking to your own doctor. It's nice to get the perspective of someone who's been through surgery' date=' but we are all different and have different experiences. Always follow up with your own doctor. They know you and your personal situation better than anyone else. :-)

Good luck to you! :-)[/quote']

Hi Terry, I just wanted to tell you that when I recently went to my pre op class I spoke to the nurse about the concerns that I had about my liver not being small enough for surgery and she basically told me the same thing that you did. She said with the weight loss I already had, my liver would be fine! My surgery date is in 6 days on 10/29...I am starting to get really nervous, but I am so excited!!!

SW 413 CW 323 Surgery date 10/29

Good luck with your surgery and congrats on your 80 pound weight loss! That is fabulous! I lost about 19 pounds before surgery and my liver was fine. I had some trouble with nausea but meds helped. Make sure you ask for them if you need them. I had a bit of a rough start but would do it again in a heartbeat.

Hi Terry' date=' I just wanted to tell you that when I recently went to my pre op class I spoke to the nurse about the concerns that I had about my liver not being small enough for surgery and she basically told me the same thing that you did. She said with the weight loss I already had, my liver would be fine! My surgery date is in 6 days on 10/29...I am starting to get really nervous, but I am so excited!!!

SW 413 CW 323 Surgery date 10/29[/quote']

You'll be fine! When I had my surgery I was a little nervous but I was also glad to be finally on my way to good health and a better quality of life. It has all worked out as I hoped - back, knee, and foot pain is gone and I've lost 78lbs. I feel great and have tons of energy. I have had no regrets whatsoever. Best wishes to you! :-)