Quick question... I understand all surgeons are different as are their plans. My surgeon is not allowing me to have caffeine on my pre-op diet. I am a teacher trying to make it through parent/teacher conference week on a liquid diet, little sleep, and no coffee. Does anyone know the reason for not having coffee/caffeine on the pre-op diet? I could use a hot cup right about now... ?

14 minutes ago, OAGBPal said:

There's no medical reason for it. It's just about 'preparing you'; that must be the only explanation they can use at this point. I fail to see the need for it; wouldn't you rather your patients succeed at losing their pre-op weight to shrink the liver than this?

Between us, I'd just drink that coffee if that's what gets you to the finish line for surgery day. Keep this in mind while I get berated in the next six comments about how someone stayed off coffee for 11 decades after surgery while being on the treadmill 24/7 (no, literally), eating 1 lentil a day.

You are so on point with this lol

I still drink it

Dank it in the hospital the next day after surgery.

I must have my coffee

I have a pretty conservative program, but they also have a very high success rate so I'm not complaining too much - I'm only human so some complaining does happen, lol. My programs requirements include no caffeine for at least a month before surgery and then for at least another 4 months after surgery and they really encourage folks to just give up caffeine altogether.

The reasoning my Dr. and nutritionist gave is that caffeine is highly acidic and it can irritate your healing tummy, potentially cause ulcers, and just make it harder for other foods to settle well. I think having people go off caffeine pre-op also relates to not wanting patients to be going through caffeine withdrawals after surgery and discouraging empty calories since most people add goodies to their coffee. I know when I went off the bean I felt horrible (headaches every day and soooo cranky) for over a week and am really glad I didn't have to deal with that while also recovering from surgery. For tired mornings sipping water helps a little, but not gonna lie - nothing replaces the jolt of caffeine.

I don't know that I will stay off the bean forever, but it's kind of nice not to feel dependent on it. We'll see what I think in 6 months; I may be back to my morning coffee.☕

33 minutes ago, OAGBPal said:

Keep this in mind while I get berated in the next six comments about how someone stayed off coffee for 11 decades after surgery while being on the treadmill 24/7 (no, literally), eating 1 lentil a day.

Love your attitude! That's going to help you so much on this journey.

My surgeon did tell me to get off caffeine during the 2-week liquid diet and for at least six months after, but I never knew why. Being the good little soldier that I am, I obeyed--and definitely went through caffeine withdrawal. However, my drug of choice was Diet Coke (4-6 cans per day), which I know was bad for a variety of reasons having nothing to do with caffeine.

I started drinking coffee six months after surgery for the first time in my life, and it's now part of my morning routine.

@OAGBPal I appreciate the humor in your response! I had a good laugh, which cheered me up. My only concerns are that I want to be as successful as possible because I've worked really hard to get here, so I want to follow my surgeon's plan as well as I can. Do I think a single cup of coffee will derail my progress and approval? No, but I am trying to make lifestyle changes and it is so hard.

@chiquitatummy Thank you for your response, that does make a lot of sense now that you say it.

Overall, I guess I will try a cup of hot herbal tea and see if that tricks my brain ?

I was never told to lay off the coffee pre-op (but I did anyway, sort of...i put decaf instant coffee crystals in my protein shakes...i figured since I was eating so little during those 2 weeks, I should try to to retain as much water as I could. But this was self-imposed, no one told me to).

I WAS asked to lay off it for a month post-op though. But then they served it to me in the hospital so....??‍♀️

Edited March 9, 20215 yr by ms.sss

My plan never told us to cut out coffee or straws as a lot of plans do. They did tell us to try to limit it to no more than a couple of cups per day. I, on the other hand, didn't want it for the first couple of weeks. It was one of those things that just didn't feel good in my stomach. After a couple of weeks I was back to my usual 2-3 cups per day with no problem. Funny thing is when I had my arm surgery for skin removal 6 months ago I had to drink my coffee through straws because I couldn't bend my arms enough! I think you just have to listen to your body.