I had the lap band surgery done one week ago and have followed the liquid diet for the last 7 days and have noticed the whites of my eyes have turned a very distinct yellow color. Any ideas?

Jaundice is the yellowish staining of the skin and sclerae (the whites of the eyes) that is caused by high levels in blood of the chemical bilirubin.

The whites of your eyes are yellow because your liver is having a hard time filtering your blood. This is called Jaundice. Please contact your doctor and let them know about your situation. They may want you to come in for some blood tests to make sure your liver is functioning correctly.

Crystal Carter

Call your doctor IMMEDIATELY. Do not wait. Yellow eyes means you need medical attention.

I agree that you should call your doctor immediately. This is not a normal reaction to banding.

I agree. You need to see your doctor ASAP!! This is certainly not a normal reaction from surgery.

Jaundice is serious. Please keep us posted on your condition! I will be thinking of you.

I did finally see my doctor and had lab tests done, they came back except the billirubin levels were high (this is what causes the yellow color). They are not sure what it is so I had an ultrasound done this morning and should know more next week. I believe they are leaning towards a diagnosis of Gilbert's Syndrome, which is basically harmless, most people never know they have it unless they fast, they then turn yellow for some reason due to the syndrome but it is harmless.

This happened to me when my Gallbladder started acting up. Did they check that too?

I did finally see my doctor and had lab tests done, they came back except the billirubin levels were high (this is what causes the yellow color). They are not sure what it is so I had an ultrasound done this morning and should know more next week. I believe they are leaning towards a diagnosis of Gilbert's Syndrome, which is basically harmless, most people never know they have it unless they fast, they then turn yellow for some reason due to the syndrome but it is harmless.

That is great news. It is always wonderful when it turns out to be something harmless :0)