Why do post-op diets ary so much from surgeon to surgeon?

Just something I've been wondering about, as I see people posting about so many different post-op regimens.  Some people are eating solid food a week out and others are on liquids for a heck of a long time.  My surgeon's protocol is something like (can't remember exactly) 2 weeks on liquids, followed by 3 weeks of purees.  Between that and the pre-op diet, its going to be almost two months before I can chew anything!

doesn't it seem like the post op protocols would be pretty much universal, since the surgeries are performed the same way?

Subject line should say "vary" not "ary".  LOL

For me there was no pre op diet. I eat everything in my mind before surgery 

I was referring to after the surgery, as to how long people are on liquids and purees.

sorry i red it as pre op :P lol

liquid in the first 10 days for me. while pure for 2 weeks after the 10 days. i am still in this stage, and i hate it. i hate pureed food. i am eating mainly soups and some eggs. hope i helped

Probably because every surgeon has developed a program that they find works best for their patients. Which doesn't mean another wouldn't also work well, just that the one they recommend is the one their happiest with and have seen the best results with. 

You would think so, but this procedure is still comparatively new, and each surgeon has his/her own opinion about when the sleeve is ready for various kinds of food. It's best to follow your surgeon's recommendations, because if you have any complications, he will know what food stage you're at. That will help him diagnose the complication and act accordingly. If you jump the gun, you may put yourself at risk.

But, yeah, some of the regimens don't make a whole lot of sense.

psychoticparrot

It really depends on surgeon philosophy. I think post surgery diet is very much like VSG at this time - not standardized.

Statistically most leaks occur outside of the hospital during the first 6 weeks post op. My best guess is because of this most surgeons want to reduce the risk of surgical complications during the first six weeks and have their patients slowly advance to solid foods by the end of six weeks post op.

My program dictated only two days on clear liquids, then a week on opaque liquids (strained soups, shakes, jello, etc...). After the first 10 days we were advanced to full liquids - yogurts, sugar free protein puddings, pureed cottage cheese, ricotta cheese thinned with yogurt of milk, pureed soups. After a week of that was full purees (which I found disgusting, so I pretty much stuck with things like cottage cheese, Shelley's ricotta bake, shakes and Greek yogurt. By week three I was put on Mushies or soft solids. I was allowed to add eggs, thinly sliced deli meats, tuna salad, cheese. Three weeks of that and then I finally introduced real solid food.

That is a pretty standard advancement for the programs around here.

Great point--I didn't think about how relatively new the VSG is.  That must be at least most of the reasoning.  Thanks for satisfying my curiosity!

The VSG isn't a standardized procedure, so there is a lot of variability.  I had something similar to your plan, but there are people who can eat right away.

In one sense, it might be wiser to delay eating solid foods, since the adhesions post-surgery along the staple line are what hold your stomach together in the long-run rather more so  than the staples, weird as it sounds, and the staple line is never as good once it's been disrupted.  It's the scar tissue that's strongest after any surgery and holds together the incision.  However, lots of folks jump into more solid foods without issues.  As others have said, it's generally best to follow your surgeon's plans.

I had a barium upper GI x-ray thingy and it was fascinating to see the stomach move.  That little guy sure wiggles around even with just liquid!  Food makes the stomach even more active.

Also, depending on your case, you might not even be able to eat solid food sooner even if your doctor did allow it.  My surgeon had me on soft foods earlier than you, but I could not tolerate meat yet anyway, so it wound up being closer to two months out before I started eating more solid/ground stuff (last week, actually).