i just cant..Ive stopped and started the all liquid 10 times...my suregery is oct 28th and i know for sure ill be able to do the 2 days before surgery but i just feel so run down with no food...what do u think will happen ??

It's always best to do what your doctor has said, however I never had to do the preop diet at all. Just note eat or drink anything after midnight the night before surgery.

I've often been accused of being too blunt and 'un-caring'. Trust me, I care, however if you are looking for someone to tell you that it's ok for you to not do your pre-op diet, stop reading now because that someone isn't me !!

First off, you sitting there saying 'I can't' is completely defeatist...with that mentality, you're right...you can't. I'm not sure how long your preop is supposed to be but there is a timeline, you can see the end of the tunnel, it isn't forever and you need to get a grip and realize that you can. If you honestly, seriously ~can't~ follow a week long or 10 day long or even month long preop diet then I'm thinking you won't be able to spend the rest of your life listening to your band and following a bandster diet either. Maybe you need to get off the bus and rethink your weight loss plan....

As for feeling rundown...yup, for the first day or 2 you might feel like that, but you can get plenty of nutrients to supoprt your body with liquids. And lets face it, we need weight loss surgery...it's not like any of us are going to starve to death on a preop diet !!! Is it uncomfortable? Yup ! Unpleasant? Yup ! A pain in the ass? Yup ! But suck it up and pull up your big girl pants....you're more than capable of succeeding !!

As for what can happen if you don't do it.... You can go thru all this, stress out about surgery, go to the hospital/clinic, be put out and wake up with no band !! You heard right, just because you go into surgery, if your liver is still too large (the #1 reason for preop diets) they will just close you up. I personally know a woman who didn't get her band and had to have surgery again a month later....after properly following her preop diet. I also know a woman who had to be completely opened up...a 10 inch incision because her liver hadn't shrunk. And at our last support meeting a new girl joined us, 3 weeks post-op and she had to have 8 incisions instead of 4 or 5 which is standard.

So in the end, it's up to you. But like I said earlier, if you can't follow a limited diet now, maybe you need to rethink this. Living with a band and following a bandster lifestyle isn't easy and will last a lifetime.

Good luck !!!

Patricia

Edited October 23, 200916 yr by canadagirl33

You really need to try to get to day three before you give up. That was the turning point for me, and I've read that over and over. Canadagirl mentioned the same thing. Your body has to adjust to the reduction of carbs. I know some of these pre-op diets are more restrictive than others, and that really sucks. (I was allowed one small, healthy, very low carb "meal" per day or a third protein shake and there's way around it, it's not easy, but it's not impossible).

I know everyone had different doctor orders on what do do, but I never had to do a liquid diet prior to surgery, other than 3 days before. I was allowed Cream Soups, Jellos, SF ice pops, etc 3 days before, clear soups and broths 2 days before, and the same for day before and no eating or drinking after midnite the day before surgery. After surgery, I couldnt eat solid food for two weeks, only 1 shake per day with SF ice pops, clear soups and broths. That was rough. But you get thru it. So, nothing will happen, but try to follow that liquid diet for 3 days prior like I did. I went to a well-known center in WHite Plains New York and they have been doing this surgery for over 10 years. I think they know what they are talking about. Good luck!

i just cant..Ive stopped and started the all liquid 10 times...my suregery is oct 28th and i know for sure ill be able to do the 2 days before surgery but i just feel so run down with no food...what do u think will happen ??

I agree with canada girl. I strongly disagree with everyone else who has said "just do what I did - I was fine and my surgeon knows what he's talking about". If you want to do what they did go to their surgeon. Otherwise, do what your doctor tells you to avoid dangerous complications (not to mention a waste of time and money should you not get your band).

I also agree with the statement that if you can't stick to a 1 or 2 week preop diet, then you may not be ready for wls. I did a 3 week preop diet (liquids only. No small meals here and there or anything like that) and I know others who have done 6 weeks. If you think you can't do it then you won't. Good luck.

I had to do liquids for 8 days before my lap band. I was told my my Dr. that is will help to shink my liver which will help to decrease the risk of the liver getting in the way of the surgery (if he were to accidently nick my liver it could cause bleeding that could cause death). It is also a way to clean out your bowels before surgery. You need to listen to your doctors orders and do what is expectd of you. And don't lie and say you did it when you didn't. If you lie you could die.

Linda

I really dont think there would be "dangerous complications" if she didnt follow exactly what her surgeon told her. Otherwise, we all wouldnt have been given such various instructions on how to do it. Its not like anyone is telling her to have a last meal of cheeseburgers,fries, and a milkshake an hour before surgery. I had to lose 5% of my body weight in the months prior to surgery so that my liver shrank and made the surgery easier to get to my stomach. As far as sticking to a diet, you know as well as I do, how hard that is and thats why we need this surgery. Lets give her a break. We all went thru it and a little deviation from instructions wont hurt. Im doing great and celebrated a year last friday and have lost 82 lbs. She will do fine. Shes ready. :closedeyes:

I agree with canada girl. I strongly disagree with everyone else who has said "just do what I did - I was fine and my surgeon knows what he's talking about". If you want to do what they did go to their surgeon. Otherwise, do what your doctor tells you to avoid dangerous complications (not to mention a waste of time and money should you not get your band).

I also agree with the statement that if you can't stick to a 1 or 2 week preop diet, then you may not be ready for wls. I did a 3 week preop diet (liquids only. No small meals here and there or anything like that) and I know others who have done 6 weeks. If you think you can't do it then you won't. Good luck.

I agree with the other posters. If you are already saying "I can't follow instructions.." in your pre-op stage, it's not a good sign. After the surgery the diet is again going to be very restrictive for a few weeks. If you aren't ready to make the committment, maybe you should ask yourself if this future lifestyle is the right one for you. It's all in your mindset too.. if you say you can't, you probably can't. Positive attitude goes a long way... Good luck.. You CAN do this.. it's not forever.. and you will LOVE the results. Hang in there...

I've often been accused of being too blunt and 'un-caring'. Trust me, I care, however if you are looking for someone to tell you that it's ok for you to not do your pre-op diet, stop reading now because that someone isn't me !!

First off, you sitting there saying 'I can't' is completely defeatist...with that mentality, you're right...you can't. I'm not sure how long your preop is supposed to be but there is a timeline, you can see the end of the tunnel, it isn't forever and you need to get a grip and realize that you can. If you honestly, seriously ~can't~ follow a week long or 10 day long or even month long preop diet then I'm thinking you won't be able to spend the rest of your life listening to your band and following a bandster diet either. Maybe you need to get off the bus and rethink your weight loss plan....

As for feeling rundown...yup, for the first day or 2 you might feel like that, but you can get plenty of nutrients to supoprt your body with liquids. And lets face it, we need weight loss surgery...it's not like any of us are going to starve to death on a preop diet !!! Is it uncomfortable? Yup ! Unpleasant? Yup ! A pain in the ass? Yup ! But suck it up and pull up your big girl pants....you're more than capable of succeeding !!

As for what can happen if you don't do it.... You can go thru all this, stress out about surgery, go to the hospital/clinic, be put out and wake up with no band !! You heard right, just because you go into surgery, if your liver is still too large (the #1 reason for preop diets) they will just close you up. I personally know a woman who didn't get her band and had to have surgery again a month later....after properly following her preop diet. I also know a woman who had to be completely opened up...a 10 inch incision because her liver hadn't shrunk. And at our last support meeting a new girl joined us, 3 weeks post-op and she had to have 8 incisions instead of 4 or 5 which is standard.

So in the end, it's up to you. But like I said earlier, if you can't follow a limited diet now, maybe you need to rethink this. Living with a band and following a bandster lifestyle isn't easy and will last a lifetime.

Good luck !!!

Patricia

WELL Said Patricia!!!

If you can't follow the pre-op diet, then you wont follow the post op diet either. The band is a tool, not a cure all. We have to use it to our advantage, and yet the per-op diet sucks and yes you will feel run down, that m,eans, drink more Protein shakes, I went and bought protein shots at GNC, 42 grams per shot, they are great before and after. Dont give up, hang in there. We have all been there and we survived. :-)

Good luck!!!

YOU CAN do this!!!:closedeyes:

I really dont think there would be "dangerous complications" if she didnt follow exactly what her surgeon told her. Otherwise, we all wouldnt have been given such various instructions on how to do it. Its not like anyone is telling her to have a last meal of cheeseburgers,fries, and a milkshake an hour before surgery. I had to lose 5% of my body weight in the months prior to surgery so that my liver shrank and made the surgery easier to get to my stomach. As far as sticking to a diet, you know as well as I do, how hard that is and thats why we need this surgery. Lets give her a break. We all went thru it and a little deviation from instructions wont hurt. Im doing great and celebrated a year last friday and have lost 82 lbs. She will do fine. Shes ready. :closedeyes:

Why would you encourage someone not to follow their surgeon's instructions? We all have individual health issues and there are a wide variety of pre-op programs. Like you I was required to lose a percentage of my excess weight pre-op. For me it was 10% which would've been 21lbs. I lost only 18 in the 3 or 4 month pre-op phase. I was concerned that because I did not hit 10% exactly that they would not schedule me for surgery. I was advised that the minimum acceptable loss was 5% for the purposes of shrinking the liver and that if I had failed to lose 5% they would have put me on a stringent liquid diet for a period of up to 2 weeks. Because I lost an acceptable percentage of excess weight, I only had to do Clear liquids along with bowel prep for 2 days prior to surgery. So, not knowing the specific health issues of OP nor the specific pre-op work she has done, it is really not a smart move to even remotely encourage her to disregard her surgeon's instructions.

I know the first few days I was a raving biotch because of the liquid diet. You have to suck it up and do it. It has a purpose and that purpose is to clean up your liver so it's not as fatty so it doesn't get in the way of your surgery. You've made the commitment to have this surgery, now make the commitment and stick to the liquid diet.

If you are starving go get some beef broth and have that. That will help keep you full in between Protein shakes.

Good luck to you!! Just a side note - your doc may not operate on you if your liver is too fatty.

I couldn't've done the liquid diet beforehand. I can barely stand clear liquids. I am not saying it's ok to not do your doctor's plan. I had a restricted diet beforehand with no carbs to shrink my liver, which is something I could do for two weeks. It was really tough for me as I used bread and crackers to control my GERD. It wasn't easy. As the other posters said, if you don't have the discipline now, what will be your excuse afterwords when you could really mess yourself up?

the liquid part is tough. I am about 2-1/2 weeks post op and still on the full liquid orders. I go back to the Doc on Monday and really hope to be able to move on to the mushies. Your Doc has a specific reason for telling you to do each thing he asks you to do. I was originally told 2 weeks liquids and then move on, however I had a couple complications that had to be address after they opened me up so my post diet changed. Does the liquids suck? Oh yeah! but this is what I chose to do so now I must suck it up and deal with it. If he tells me I must be on liquids for another 2 or 3 weeks it will suck bigtime, but I made a COMMITMENT TO MYSELF that I was going to do this and NOTHING IS GOING TO STAND IN MY WAY! If you want to change then you must be willing to do just that and that is change. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. If you want your life to change, then YOU must be willing to make that commitment to yourself. Without that no doctor or anyone else will ever be able to help you.

My doctor only required that I loose 10-15lbs prior to surgery through healthy eating and exercise. That was the only kind of pre op "diet" that I had to do. However, I must admit that I didn't loose anything and they still did the surgery. Try your best to do what the doc says but I think they will still do the surg. so I would not worry about it too much. Call and talk to them about it to ease your mind a bit. =)

You should call your Doctor right away to see what they have to say about the situation. You really don't want to have the surgery and end up with just some holes in you and not the band.

But for all of you people who are saying "do what I did and you will be fine"....are you crazy??? (Yes, I know that is harsh). But how do you know what her Doctor may feel she needs in order to be ready for the surgery. Here you are recommending that she not listen to her Dr. before a pretty major surgical proceedure. Would you do the same thing for someone going in for some other kind of surgery? Maybe she has co-morbidities you don't know about or she has a fatty liver you have not felt.

This site is great for us to share our experiences, give each other support or to answer puzzling issues. But lets stay away from countermanding medical advice from a Dr.

(getting down off my high horse now)