I am so worried that the surgeon will get in there and not be able to complete the procedure because of my liver. I am 5'2", 203lbs. A couple years ago I had a Cat Scan that showed I had a fatty infiltrate in my liver. I've been following the pre-op diet pretty well but i'm still terrified. I don't know what I would do if I went through all this only to wake up and find out that he couldn't do it. Oh, by the way, my surgeon has never done this procedure before. He will have a proctor there. I am one of three patients he will be doing that day. And, to make matters worse, my LFT's (liver function tests) have been elevated in the past,too.

If you have followed the pre-op diet, you've done all you can do, the rest is up to the surgeon and he'll have a more experienced one with him. Are you required to do one to two days of clear liquids before surgery?

Are you by chance in Maine?

I have problems with my liver too. I see a liver specialist. He advised me to take Milk Thistle. He tells me to get it from a Health Food Store, rather than any old place. Since I have been taking it, my lft's have improved dramatically.

Best of luck.

I was told that the pre surgery liquid diet for 2 weeks can shrink a liver to half it's size. The surgeon said at the seminars he has only come across one he couldn't do laprascopically and they admitted they ate crazily right up until the day before. He did the surgery but he did it as an open surgery. I think you will be okay, your surgeon has a proctor there. Have you talked to your surgeon about your liver concerns?

I did a pre-op diet and lost 16 pounds. I did have my lapband surgery, but was told afterward that my liver was still big. I was so upset because I worked so hard to shrink it. So they can still do the surgery but it does make it harder for the surgeon. Best Wishes.

Usually when the surgeons have trouble with a liver being too big, the patient is a man. My doc said the only times he has had trouble was with very large (over 400 pounds) men. Women are naturally a bit smaller inside to begin with.